177. What Does Success Look Like?

What matters more: meeting our own ambitions, or winning fame and glory? What’s it like to earn a gold medal at the Olympics? And why didn’t Mike’s grandfather get a watch? SOURCES:Alain de Botton, writer and founder of The School of Life.Kirk Flatow, head coach of co-ed varsity track and field at Monta Vista High School.Katie Ledecky, competitive swimmer.Diana Nyad, long-distance swimmer.Michael Phelps, former competitive swimmer.Martin Seligman, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.Kerri Walsh Jennings, professional beach volleyball player.John Wooden, men's basketball coach at the University of California, Los Angeles. RESOURCES:"Why Success Doesn’t Lead to Satisfaction," by Ron Carucci (Harvard Business Review, 2023)."Katie Ledecky Matches Michael Phelps Record With Dominant World Championships Win," by Patrick Andres (Sports Illustrated, 2023).Success Index, by Populace and Gallup (2019)."PERMA and the Building Blocks of Well-Being," by Martin Seligman (The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2018)."Michael Phelps: ‘I Am Extremely Thankful That I Did Not Take My Life,’" by Susan Scutti (CNN, 2018)."The PERMA-Profiler: A Brief Multidimensional Measure of Flourishing," by Julie Butler and Margaret L. Kern (International Journal of Wellbeing, 2016)."Diana Nyad: Dream Accomplished," by Michel Martin (Tell Me More, 2013)."A Kinder, Gentler Philosophy of Success," by Alain de Botton (TEDGlobal, 2009)."The Difference Between Winning and Succeeding," by John Wooden (TED, 2001). EXTRAS:"Where Is the Line Between Exaggeration and Lying?" by No Stupid Questions (2023)."Is a 'Success Hangover' Real?" by No Stupid Questions (2022).