Shane Parhar on What Success Really Means

Ask Shane Parhar what success means and he won’t point to a title or a trophy. He’ll talk about who you become along the way. “Success that costs you your peace isn’t success,” Shane Parhar says. “It’s just a more expensive kind of stress.”

Define it for yourself

Shane Parhar encourages people to write down their own definition of success instead of borrowing someone else’s. For one person it’s time with family. For another it’s doing work they’re proud of. The point is that it’s yours.

“If you’re chasing someone else’s finish line, you’ll never feel like you’ve arrived,” he says.

Character over credit

Shane Parhar believes how you treat people is the clearest measure of success. Keeping your word, giving credit away and showing up when it’s inconvenient all matter more than recognition.

“People forget what you achieved,” he says. “They remember how you made them feel.”

Enjoy the process

Shane Parhar also points out that most of life happens between milestones. If the only good days are the ones where something big happens, there won’t be many good days.

“Fall in love with the work itself,” he says. “The results take care of themselves more often than not.”