Defining Success

At its core, success is working toward the best possible outcome, given the circumstances we're in. When we define success, we can be more deliberate at moving toward the solution we want to achieve. Even in prison, where so much is taken away, this remains one of the few choices that no one can take from us.

When you define success, you reclaim agency. You take a step toward living as if you're the CEO of your life. Instead of being defined by external circumstances, you're defining yourself with the plans you make, with the commitment you make, with your ability to execute a plan.

Defining Success Restores Control

Prison distorts time. Days blend together. Motivation erodes. Without a clear definition of success, it becomes easy to drift, react, or surrender to hopelessness.

Defining success restores control.

Consider this thought as a practical guide:

Success means knowing what a good day looks like before the day begins.

If you can explain what a successful day, week, or month looks like:

• You can write it down.
• You can explain it to someone else.
• You can measure it at the end of the day.

Then you are defining success correctly.

Lessons From a Mentor

I credit my mentor, Lee Nobmann, with inspiring me to write the Straight-A Guide. Early in his career, Lee shared a story about a conversation that shaped him. At the time, he owned a single store selling building supplies. He told a friend of his father that one day he wanted to own ten stores, each producing $10 million in annual sales.

The response was dismissive. "Talk is cheap," the man said.

Lee ignored the negativity. He had clarity. He defined success before opportunity existed. He took methodical steps forward. More than 30 years later, the family-owned company he founded has generated billions in revenues, and routinely exceeds $500 million in annual sales.

Lee's advantage was not money or connections. He had the wisdom to seek clarity, which put him on the pathway for more opportunity. Prison strips away opportunity. Defining success prepares you for when opportunity returns.

Success Changes by Stage

Success, however, is not static. It changes by stage. When I was held in solitary confinement, before I was even sentenced, I realized I had to think differently. At that stage, success meant enduring my sentence and preparing myself to return to society without limitations.

Later stages required different definitions:

• Survival and stabilization
• Preparation and skill-building
• Transition and reintegration

You do not need the perfect definition of success forever. You need the right definition for now.

The Pursuit of Success Is a Mindset

Success is not a finish line. It is an evolving target that keeps us moving forward. This aligns with what I later learned from Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Meaningful progress often comes when we lose track of time while doing purposeful work. Prison can make time feel endless. Defining success turns time into progress.