Why you need to define success for yourself.

How do you define career success? Is it uniquely yours or is it defined according to someone else?

Ever since Netflix added the Rocky movies to their catalog, I’ve been rewatching them. It’s been ages since I’ve seen them, and I forgot how good they are.

In the first movie, a small-time boxer in Philly named Rocky Balboa is selected to fight a well-known champion, Apollo Creed. When walks into the boxing arena the night before the big fight, it hits Rocky that he’s going against a boxing champ. A fighter who trains with the best, is famous, and has a consistent record of wins. A goliath.

That same night he confides in Adrian, his girlfriend, about how he really feels inside and decided what his new goal was. No one was ever able to go the distance against Apollo and he wanted to be the first fighter to do it. His goal became to continue standing by the time the bell rang after the 15th round.

That’s how Rocky defined success and he did it. He was wobbly but still standing when that bell rang. Apollo may have been declared the winner of the fight but Rocky was also a winner because all he wanted to do was go the distance.

There’s a valuable career lesson I took away from watching Rocky. I believe we can become discouraged sometimes by the definition of success that’s been handed to us. By our parents, our network, social media, society, and tradition.

When you don’t take the time to define your own definition of success, someone or something will do it for you. That means playing by someone else’s rules and leading you down a path towards failure or disappointment.

What’s your version of going the distance?

How do you define your career success?

About the Author

Leang Chung (she/her) is a Career First Coach and Founder of Pelora Stack. She helps people navigate their career first. She works with first time early-stage founders, career changers, people managers, and solopreneurs.

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