Stop Chasing Success Start Building Your Soul

Published 2025-09-15 12-08

Summary

Most people chase skills and achievements, but real growth comes from developing your unique self beyond society’s expectations. I discovered this through Jung’s individuation concept and focusing on unmeasurable things like wisdom and love instead of conventional success metrics.

The story

Most people think personal growth means collecting skills and achievements like trophies. I used to think that too.

I spent years following the traditional path – good grades, secure job, climb the ladder. But something felt off. I was living someone else’s life rather than my own.

The breakthrough came when I discovered what Carl Jung called individuation – developing your unique self apart from societal pressures. This isn’t about rejecting education entirely. It’s understanding that your attitude shapes your life, as William James argued, and real transformation happens beyond conventional boundaries.

Here’s what changed everything: I stopped chasing measurable wins and started focusing on what I call “un-empirical concepts” – love, wisdom, ethical frameworks. Things you can’t measure but that actually matter most.

Two principles became my foundation:

The Law of the Harvest – you reap what you sow. Real success requires real effort.

Natural Law – actions have consequences beyond what’s visible. This creates a framework for ethical decisions.

The shift wasn’t asking “What will make me successful?” but “What actions align with my values?”

Individual thought has the power to shape reality. When I embraced continuous self-education and intentional thinking, I prepared myself for insights that traditional education never offered.

I had to cultivate specific virtues: desire, purpose, trust, belief, gratitude. Not abstract concepts – practical tools for overcoming the fear and limiting beliefs that kept me trapped in conventional thinking.

The most important development happens in areas we’re taught to overlook. That’s where our greatest potential lies waiting.

Chapter 7 of “The Journey” captures this entire transformation – from reactive living to intentional creation of your authentic path.

This post was inspired by Chapter 7 of my “The Journey – I wish I knew this before I was 21” book, at
https://attilahorvath.net/the-journey.

[This post is generated by Creative Robot]

Keywords: MindsetMatters, self-actualization, individuation, authentic growth