Success is in the Eye of the Beholder

Lizzo, a Grammy Award winning singer, released a song called “Rumors” a few weeks ago.  Since it’s release, the song has climbed to #17 on the national charts.  Lizzo posted on Twitter this week explaining the pride that #17 spot on the charts brought her.  She went on to say that we fail to “celebrate ‘not #1’ enough.”  Though her work didn’t receive the #1 spot, she still created one of the top 20 songs in the country.  Lizzo has achieved #1 on multiple occasions and set the bar high for herself.  #17 could be perceived as a failure in comparison to her past achievements; however, her reaction to the song’s reception shows that she doesn’t need to break her personal record to feel accomplished.

The work put into “Rumors” occurred behind the scenes.  While we enjoy the finished product, Lizzo understands the blood, sweat, and tears that were transformed into her song.  Blood, sweat, and tears that began long before she was a Grammy award winning singer.  Blood sweat and tears that the consumer knows nothing about.

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is success.  Lizzo could have measured her success based on how her audience received her song, or she could have compared her current song to work she’s produced in the past.  Instead, she did something commendable: she acknowledged her hard work and allowed that to bring her pride.

Not everything you do will be a hit.  Not everything you do will top the last thing you did, but that doesn’t make your hard work any less worthy of celebration!