If you’ve achieved any of these 7 things in life, you’re more successful than the average person

by Lachlan Brown | August 28, 2025, 3:30 pm

Success is one of those slippery words. Ask ten people what it means, and you’ll get ten different answers. Some will say it’s money. Others will say it’s freedom, happiness, or the ability to raise a family.

But step back for a moment: there are milestones in life that, when you reach them, put you far ahead of the average person—regardless of how you personally define “success.”

Here are seven things that signal you’re already living a life most people only dream of.

1. You’ve built financial stability

You don’t need to be rich to be considered successful. But if you’ve reached a point where your bills are covered, you can handle emergencies without panicking, and you’re slowly building wealth for the future—you’re ahead of most.

The truth is, many people live paycheck to paycheck. According to surveys, a large percentage of adults wouldn’t be able to cover an unexpected $400 expense without borrowing. If you’ve reached a stage where you’ve got an emergency fund, little or no consumer debt, and you’re making regular investments or savings contributions, you’ve created stability that the majority haven’t.

Financial success isn’t just about numbers. It’s about peace of mind. Being able to sleep at night without worrying about money is a luxury many never reach.

Reflection question: Do you measure your wealth in numbers on a screen—or in the sense of security you feel when life throws challenges your way?

2. You’ve cultivated at least one truly supportive relationship

Life is difficult to navigate alone. One of the greatest markers of success is having people you can call at 2 a.m. if things fall apart.

This doesn’t necessarily mean marriage, though for some, that’s where they find their support. It could be a best friend, a sibling, or even a mentor who has your back.

Why is this such a big deal? Because loneliness is one of the most common struggles in modern life. Millions of people feel disconnected, even if they’re surrounded by acquaintances. If you’ve nurtured a deep bond where trust, love, and understanding flow both ways—you’ve achieved something rare and powerful.

Strong relationships are protective. They reduce stress, extend lifespan, and provide meaning in a way money never could.

Reflection question: Who is the person in your life who truly sees you as you are—and do you let them know how grateful you are for them?

3. You’ve found meaningful work (or created your own)

Most people don’t love their jobs. They work because they have to, not because they feel inspired by what they do.

But if you’ve managed to align your work with your passions, skills, or values—even partially—you’re already in rare territory. It doesn’t matter if you’re running your own business, teaching children, writing novels, or fixing engines. If your work feels meaningful, it becomes more than just a paycheck.

That doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Meaningful work is still work. But when you end most days with the sense that what you did mattered—that’s success.

And if you’ve gone a step further and created your own opportunities instead of waiting for them to appear, you’ve embraced a level of agency that many never dare to.

Reflection question: Does your work drain your energy, or does it give you at least a glimpse of fulfillment?

4. You’ve learned how to manage your emotions

Emotional maturity might be the most underrated success marker of all.

Plenty of people earn money, build families, or collect accolades—but they still lash out in anger, blame others, or drown in their own negativity. If you’ve learned how to regulate your emotions—pausing before reacting, calming yourself when anxious, and approaching others with empathy—you’ve achieved something transformative.

This doesn’t mean you never get upset. It means you’re not at the mercy of your emotions anymore. You can navigate conflict without exploding. You can feel sadness without believing it defines you. You can celebrate others’ wins without jealousy swallowing you whole.

Emotional intelligence allows you to create healthier relationships, make wiser choices, and live more peacefully.

Reflection question: When was the last time you chose patience over anger—and how did it change the outcome?

5. You’ve overcome at least one major challenge

Everybody faces challenges. Illness, financial setbacks, heartbreak, rejection—life guarantees difficulty.

But not everyone manages to rise after falling. If you’ve endured a major hardship and come out the other side stronger, you’ve achieved a form of success that can’t be measured in dollars or trophies.

Overcoming hardship builds resilience. It gives you perspective that can’t be faked. Suddenly, you realize how strong you really are. You stop fearing small inconveniences because you know what true struggle feels like—and you know you can survive it.

This ability to bounce back is what separates those who merely endure life from those who live it fully.

Reflection question: What’s one challenge that nearly broke you—and what hidden strength did you discover through it?

6. You’ve achieved a sense of inner peace

This might be the rarest success of all.

Inner peace doesn’t mean life is perfect. It doesn’t mean you never get stressed or upset. It means you’ve cultivated enough mindfulness, perspective, or spiritual grounding to feel calm even in the storm.

For some, this comes from meditation or prayer. For others, it’s through nature, journaling, or simply learning not to cling to things you can’t control. Whatever your path, reaching a state where your happiness isn’t entirely dependent on external circumstances makes you wealthier than billionaires who are still restless inside.

In a noisy world that constantly demands more, inner peace is a quiet rebellion—and a powerful form of success.

Reflection question: When everything feels uncertain, can you still find a still point inside yourself?

7. You’ve positively impacted another person’s life

At the end of the day, success isn’t about what you collect. It’s about what you give.

If you can point to even one person whose life is better because you existed, you’re already successful. Maybe it’s a child you’ve raised, a friend you supported through tough times, a colleague you mentored, or even a stranger you helped at the right moment.

Impact doesn’t have to be dramatic. It’s not only about building charities or changing nations. Sometimes it’s simply listening when someone needed to be heard, or offering kindness when the world was cruel.

Most people underestimate the ripple effect of their actions. But if you’ve made someone else’s journey lighter, you’ve lived a meaningful life.

Reflection question: Whose life have you quietly changed for the better—and do you realize the weight of that success?

Redefining success

When you think about these seven milestones—financial stability, supportive relationships, meaningful work, emotional maturity, resilience, inner peace, and positive impact—something stands out: none of them are about status symbols.

They’re not about driving the fanciest car or having the flashiest job title. They’re about depth, meaning, and the kind of strength that carries you through life’s ups and downs.

If you’ve achieved even one of these, you’re already doing better than you might think. If you’ve achieved several, you’re in rare company indeed.

Final thoughts

The world will always try to convince you that success is about being richer, thinner, or more admired than the next person. But the truth is simpler.

If you’ve built security, love, resilience, or peace—you’ve already succeeded in ways that matter most.

Take a moment to acknowledge where you are. Because odds are, you’re already more successful than the average person.

Lachlan Brown

Lachlan Brown is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Brown Brothers Media, a digital publishing network reaching tens of millions of readers monthly. He holds a Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies from Deakin University, though his real education came afterward: a warehouse job shifting TVs, a stretch of anxiety in his mid-twenties, and the slow discovery that studying the mind is not the same as learning how to live well. He started experimenting with Buddhist principles during breaks at the warehouse and eventually began writing about what he was learning. That writing became Hack Spirit, a widely read personal development site, and his book Hidden Secrets of Buddhism became a bestseller. His work breaks down complex ideas into frameworks people can apply immediately, whether they are navigating a career change, a difficult relationship, or the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Lachlan splits his time between Singapore and Saigon. He writes about high-performance routines, decision-making under pressure, digital innovation, and the intersection of Eastern philosophy with modern life. His perspective comes from having built things from scratch, failed at some of them, and learned that clarity comes from practice, not theory.