Why I will never be successful | Hannan Rashid | TEDxDaresSalaamIntlAcademy
Hanaan Rashid argues that defining success through external metrics like wealth or fame is misleading, instead claiming true success comes from consistently achieving self-set goals, requiring a process of continuous exploration and deep introspection. She illustrates this by sharing an anecdote where her father defined success as "constantly achieving the goals that I set out to do for myself."
## Speakers & Context
- **Hanaan Rashid** — Presenter, giving a talk titled “Why I will never, and I mean «never» be successful.”
- **Mama Duma** — Person referenced in the introduction; ran a *kibanda* and stated she was "successful" despite lacking a "massive business" or living in a fancy area of Dar es-Salam.
## Theses & Positions
- The definition of success is not inherently tied to massive business profits, owning big houses, or living in fancy areas.
- The primary danger is adopting an externally imposed definition of success, one built upon the notion of "fame" and "wealth."
- True success is found by setting and consistently achieving self-defined goals.
- Achieving success requires two core practices: constant "exploration" and continuous "introspection."
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Success:** Constantly achieving the goals one sets out to do for oneself.
- **Exploration:** The need to constantly seek out new experiences that expose one to new ideas and new people, which is the source material for building personal values and principles.
- **Introspection:** Letting every action, personal or professional, be an "art form of self-exploration of who we are and why we do what we do."
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Building the definition of success (Initial):** Constantly consuming lessons and key takeaways from successful people's public appearances, leading to a definition based on "making a big impact," owning a Fortune 500 company, or attaining mass followers.
- **Redefining success (Discovery):** Asking a father, who stated he was successful because "I'm constantly achieving the goals that I set out to do for myself."
- **Achieving internal alignment:** Regularly analyzing current actions to ensure they align with self-established values and principles.
## Named Entities
- **Mama Duma:** Individual whose success was observed despite humble circumstances.
- **Dar es-Salam:** Location where Mama Duma resides/operates.
## Numbers & Data
- **Two kilometres:** Distance for a personal physical achievement mentioned as not constituting success.
## Examples & Cases
- **Mama Duma's Example:** Claiming success while operating a small *Mama Duma* business and residing in a *kibanda*, without a massive profit.
- **Hanaan's Early Definition of Success:** Believing success meant achieving outcomes like owning a Fortune 500 company, attaining mass followers, or saving thousands of lives.
- **Father's definition of success:** The simple affirmation, *"it’s because I’m constantly achieving the goals that I set out to do for myself."*
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **"In a Nutshell":** A blog used to share lessons and key takeaways from public events, podcasts, and episodes.
## References Cited
- **Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Arianna Huffington, Hasan Minhaj:** Examples of figures whose lives were studied for blog content.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The speaker admits that she is *not* currently a successful person and does not know exactly what "success" means for everyone.
- The definition of success is not immediate; it is a slow process.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- To define success, one must undertake "exploration" through new experiences and people to identify personal values and passions.
- One must practice "introspection" by critically analyzing all actions to ensure alignment with self-defined values and principles.
- The ultimate goal is a state of being: "We’ll be happy, fulfilled and content, just like my cat."
## Implications & Consequences
- Accepting external definitions of success leads to a personal measure of self-worth based on measurable achievements ("fame" and "wealth").
- Realigning with internal definitions shifts focus from external acquisition to internal process and fulfillment.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"Why I will never, and I mean «never» be successful."* (Title/central paradox)
- *"I had to work hard. I had to get my grades up so I can go to a good university, get my degree and my masters get a good job and that’s it."* (Early societal conditioning)
- *"I’m constantly achieving the goals that I set out to do for myself."* (The revelation from the father)
- *"It was because I never had my own definition of “success.”"* (The core diagnosis)
- *"We need to constantly seek out new experiences that expose us to new ideas and new people."* (Recommendation 1)
- *"We need to constantly analyze whatever we're doing and see if it is in alignment with our values and our principles."* (Recommendation 2)
- *"We’ll be happy, fulfilled and content, just like my cat."* (Final desired state)