What It's Like To Finally Feel Success When You Least Expect It

Success is a funny thing: We never really get to touch it or set our eyes on it, except when it comes in the form of something given to us by others.

If you graduate any level of higher education, they give you a tangible, material degree. Hundreds of thousands of hours, infinite assignments and likely plenty of literal blood, sweat and tears later, you get to hold an off-white, thin piece of paper with your name (often improperly spelled) on it.

Maybe you get certified in a trade, and the same deal seems to unfold.

This thing called success can also be seen in the workplace, usually by the size of your office and the command you hold above others. But, there’s another aspect of it many of us go day-in, day-out without recognizing.

It is the feeling of success.

I’m not talking about that temporary high you get after receiving the big promotion you’ve been waiting for, or that giddy feeling after you land a date with the beautiful man you’ve had your eyes on for months.

I’m talking about that everyday feeling of knowing you’re absolutely f*cking killing it.

Trust me when I tell you this is a relatively new thing for me. I, like most of Generation-Y, am constantly bombarded by these tiny voices in my head, asking me, "What in the world are you doing?"

We’re not sure what we’re meant to do; we don’t know exactly why we are where we are, and we certainly don’t have any clear idea of where we want to go.

But somewhere in that mess of words, you hit a pivotal moment. It doesn’t always have flashing lights or shower you with confetti, but there is a defining moment; it's the moment you realize all of those little victories that have gone unnoticed are actually leading to some sort of success.

Maybe it’s a semi-permanent wave of happiness; maybe it’s finally understanding who are as a person; maybe it’s discovering what you want in your life or, at least, in part of it.

This moment throws you on your own kind of cloud nine. You feel like the second coming of Beyoncé, and you have the world wrapped around your finger. You feel the change.

You begin giving yourself credit; you’re doing your damn thing. Whether it’s what you had expected or hoped for, or if it’s something totally different, you’re still doing it.

Screw expectations. You’re making this life your own. You do the things that mean something to you.

So what if you blow off a plan you made a week ago to go explore something new? If that adventure makes you happier than the same old tune, then go for it.

You feel confident about what you do, who you are and what you have become. And that feeling is something nobody can take away from you. Throw on that new sh*t, and take command.

We worry so much about becoming everything and doing all of the right things, we forget to build ourselves.

Recognizing what “everything” is remains important. It shows us all the different parts of the world and the different kinds of people. But realizing you are responsible for tearing down that fabricated and virtually impossible mold to formulate your own version of everything you want to be takes the cake.

This life is about you. Make yourself happy. People find their success when they least expect it.

If you’ve found yours, don’t let it go. Stay hungry, and stay humble. And if you’re still looking, stop. This feeling of success isn’t something that is found. It is something that appears, usually when you least expect and need it the most.

Trust the process.