It is well understood that our society measures "success" according to certain external, materialistic and/or self-serving criteria: house, car, career, put-together family, athleticism, education, looks, money, popularity, etc. There is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with these pursuits or attainments. However, if you are looking to measure your success/worth (consciously or unconsciously) according to these external criteria, you are doomed to fail -- either right off the bat or at some point down the road (i.e., nothing lasts forever). In our society, our worth seems to be measured by what we do and how many people are aware of it (or at least noticed by the right people).
I'm a big proponent of redefining our societal standards of success. We all want to feel successful in some way, shape, or form. We all want to feel like what we do matters, that we are able to exert some degree of impact during our short lives. Luckily, there are PLENTY of creative opportunities for being successful as a HUMAN BEING -- AND FEELING DAMN GOOD ABOUT IT!
In my worldview, success would also be measured by:
-How kind you are to others -How loving and kind you are towards yourself -Being able to provide comfort, safety, healing, hope, or inspiration to others -How much you appreciate and give back to your surroundings -How okay you are being vulnerable -The quality of your relationships, not quantity -Your desire to empathize with others -Your reverence towards nature and life -What you do to uplift the human condition through creative inspiration, or political activism -"Knowing Thyself" -How much time you spend in contemplative silence
Some of these pursuits will go unnoticed.
There's such a rich palette of creative possibilities available with which to paint a purposeful, important, and meaningful life. Through our responsibility to uplift the collective spirit of humanity, we will find our place in the overall scheme of things.