My conversation with Michael revealed that traditional ideas of success, such as acquiring lots of money, can actually be adopted in a healthy way. Although it was his upbringing that first presented him with the money= success narrative, after considering it, he says that he has chosen to embrace this. Despite his seeming compatibility with “hustle culture”, he has a wholistic view of success: valuing rest, meaningful conversations and in the future, he hopes to inspire young children through his work. This conversation highlights that traditional notions of success cannot be labelled as “bad”, for nothing is truly black or white.
Listen to the full conversation below
0:00 – 1:40 On upbringing
1:40 – 4:55 On university experience (impact on success)
4:55 – 6:44 On adopting money narrative
6:44 – 10:55 On greatest failure
10:55 – 13:27 On academic success
13:27 – 15:18 On ideal day
15:18 – 17:04 On ideal life
17:04 – 19:41 On relationship with time
19:41 – 21:14 On maintaining mental health
21:14 – 22:55 On rest/hustle culture compatibility
*An alias was used in place of real name
Redefining Success 
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