Success, difficulty and perseverance

In my country the yardstick is still fairly material: a stable job, a flat in your own name and, ideally, a car parked outside it. Relatives at a family gathering will ask about your salary long before they ask whether you enjoy the work. I think that's understandable in a society where the previous generation grew up with very little, but it's a narrow measure, because it ignores people like nurses or village teachers who achieve a great deal and earn modestly. As for why some people persevere, I don't believe it comes down to willpower alone. The ones who keep going usually have two things: a reason that matters to them personally, and someone who notices their progress. A student retaking the university entrance exam will put up with another year of cramming if she truly wants to be a doctor, whereas someone pushed into it by parents tends to burn out by the second month. That said, giving up isn't always weakness; sometimes it's a sensible decision to cut your losses, and we rarely give people credit for that. In the future, I expect success to be defined more loosely. Younger people already talk about free time and mental health as part of the picture, and remote work means you can earn a decent living without climbing a corporate ladder. Money won't stop mattering, but I doubt it will remain the only scoreboard.