I once met a man in an airport lounge who wore a suit so sharp it could shave your soul. He had slick hair, a gold watch the size of a moon crater, and a Bluetooth earpiece blinking like a smug little UFO orbiting his face. He said things like 乌鸦传媒渟ynergy,乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒渓everage,乌鸦传媒� and 乌鸦传媒渓et乌鸦传媒檚 touch base offline,乌鸦传媒� which is corporate for 乌鸦传媒減lease don乌鸦传媒檛 call me, I乌鸦传媒檓 very busy adding no value anywhere.乌鸦传媒�

I asked him what he did, and he said, 乌鸦传媒淚 empower verticals.乌鸦传媒�

I blinked. He winked. And somewhere in the distance, a PowerPoint presentation wept.

That, my friends, was the moment I knew: we live in an era where looking successful is a profession unto itself, and actually being successful is something you try to squeeze in between yoga and your fourth Zoom call with a guy named Sterling.

Looking successful is easy. A leased Tesla, a cornflower blue blazer, and a bio that says 乌鸦传媒渟trategic advisor乌鸦传媒� to something vague and possibly made of vapour. But real success? That乌鸦传媒檚 a garage band. It乌鸦传媒檚 a sweaty melody. It乌鸦传媒檚 unshaven in ripped jeans.  It smells like burnt coffee, missed calls, and hope. It乌鸦传媒檚 waking up at 2am in a panic because you just remembered you forgot to invoice anyone for anything last month.

Real success is independence. Not just financial 乌鸦传媒� though that乌鸦传媒檚 nice, and helps when you want guacamole and rent 乌鸦传媒� but mental. It乌鸦传媒檚 freedom from performative nonsense. It乌鸦传媒檚 not having to say 乌鸦传媒渃ircle back乌鸦传媒� unless you乌鸦传媒檙e talking about a failed moon landing. It乌鸦传媒檚 the quiet power of saying no, of walking away, of choosing your chaos instead of someone else乌鸦传媒檚 calendar.
See, independence doesn乌鸦传媒檛 photograph well. It乌鸦传媒檚 not glamorous. It doesn乌鸦传媒檛 have an elevator pitch. But it乌鸦传媒檚 the warm, perfectly pitched hum of knowing you don乌鸦传媒檛 need to ask permission. You don乌鸦传媒檛 need Sterling乌鸦传媒檚 approval. You don乌鸦传媒檛 have to wear a suit unless it乌鸦传媒檚 a court appearance or a funeral.

The trick is that fake success is loud. It's in your face. It's all caps and glossy and smells faintly of a cologne called 乌鸦传媒淓xecutive Vision.乌鸦传媒� Real success is subtle. It doesn乌鸦传媒檛 post about itself. It doesn乌鸦传媒檛 need followers. It乌鸦传媒檚 the ability to spend an entire Tuesday fixing a client乌鸦传媒檚 broken project and adding real value without a single meeting, memo, or middle manager.

Looking successful is exhausting. You乌鸦传媒檝e got to keep the illusion polished, the mask smiling, the metrics vaguely inflated. But being successful? That乌鸦传媒檚 calm. That乌鸦传媒檚 knowing your bills are paid and your time is yours. That乌鸦传媒檚 sipping bad coffee and smiling because the company you built 乌鸦传媒� the weird, rarely understood, yet beautiful enterprise  乌鸦传媒� is actually working and adding value.

So, forget the slick blazer guy in the lounge. The wristwatch is probably leased, too. The 乌鸦传媒渟ynergy乌鸦传媒� is a hologram. My friends, If you are looking for an example of success while you wait for your  next flight, look for someone with ink on their fingers, a wild look in their eyes, and a deep, unshakable grin of success because they know:

They don乌鸦传媒檛 have a boss.乌鸦传媒═hey are the boss, which is far more valuable
And they wore ripped jeans to work 乌鸦传媒� on purpose.

Douglas Zhivago