PrettyDamnQuick (PDQ), an e-commerce startup focused on helping retailers tailor and test shipping and checkout flows, is carving out a niche as a viable alternative to Amazon. By offering brands a way to personalize these critical aspects of the shopping […]
The author (not pictured) just started her first full-time job post-college.
FG Trade Latin/Getty Images
I spent most of my life measuring success in grades.
After graduating from college, it was hard to adjust to a more arbitrary scale of achievement.
Now, I know that regularly redefining success is a necessary part of a fulfilling life.
When I was 7, I was identified as a "gifted kid." That label of promised potential followed me from elementary school enrichment programs to high school AP classes, eventually earning me a degree from a top university.
It's no surprise that I measured my worth in numbers and letters as (mostly) objective indicators of success. Everyone knows what a 4.0 GPA or an A+ means. From an early age, I knew that I wanted those high marks more than anything.
My constant focus on getting the grade, earning the leadership title, and landing the job didn't come without sacrifice. I said no to social engagements. I treated sleep like it was optional. The gym? Forget it. I figured that when I landed my dream job postgrad, it would all feel worth it. Finally, I would have achieved the ultimate goal.
But when I started my first "real" job, I found myself wondering, "Now what?" For the first time in my life, the next step wasn't obvious— talk about a quarter-life crisis. I knew I had to learn how to measure success in this new environment.
I let go of the metrics of the past
Starting my postgrad job meant accepting feedback on an arbitrary scale—one that I quickly learned is often affected by relationships, tenures, and titles.
My GPA didn't matter anymore, and neither did my obnoxious, eight-line-long college email signature. All of those club memberships and academic affiliations disappeared from relevance. I felt bitter at first. After all, I had worked so hard, and none of it seemed to matter.
But then I reframed my stance: None of it mattered — none of the little things, at least. My not-so-stellar neuroscience grade? Sleeping through three of my 8 a.m. poetry classes in a semester? Submitting a late Spanish essay? None of it prevented me from pursuing my goals.
This realization was incredibly freeing. Now, I know that small mistakes don't outweigh consistency. I don't have to measure my self-worth in the number of corrections on a paper or how many extracurriculars I participate in. I get to decide what success means to me. I can choose what to pursue and when to switch paths. Letting go of the numbers that once defined me meant that I was no longer held to someone else's idea of "good enough."
I learned to part ways with my ego
My first professional projects came with a harsh learning curve. What would have earned me an "A" in my college classes was met with a flurry of edits and comments.
At first, I was upset with my performance. I felt like I had failed. I mentioned my frustrations in passing to a much more experienced colleague, and he gave me some wonderful advice: "Separate your ego from your work," he said, "and you will be amazed at how quickly you improve."
As a creative working in tech, I had to get used to receiving feedback from all kinds of stakeholders. I don't just write essays for a professor anymore. I write blogs and social media posts that are read by customers, partners, and employees. Sometimes, this means my work is reviewed by 20 people or more before it's approved. That doesn't leave a lot of room for an unearned ego.
My current definition of success won't stay the same — and that's a good thing
Success might mean getting promoted — or it might not. Maybe it means discovering a new passion outside work. It might look like a commitment to health, exploring new places, or visiting friends and family. Achieving these goals might not make me better at my job, but I know they will make me a better person, friend, and partner.
My new goals might look hazy compared to old ones, and they will most likely shift as I progress in my career. I wish I had known that life is less structured after school and less linear, too.
Still, in the modern world of social media highlight reels, it can be difficult not to compare myself to my peers. Some days, I feel left out for not pursuing graduate school, and sometimes, I wonder if I picked the right college or even the right city.
Despite all this uncertainty, I'm grateful for one thing I do know: Leading a satisfying life requires redefining success at different stages. Shifting my goals doesn't make me a failure; it makes me human.
What do ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini all have in common? Dedicated apps on iPhone. Meanwhile, Grok has been shoehorned into the social media app before now. Starting today, the standalone Grok AI app is available on the iPhone and iPad for US users for the first time. More regions will be added as the rollout scales.
As wildfires ravage California, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is facing pushback for promoting climate alarmism.
Sanders asserted that "Climate change is real" and that President-elect Donald Trump must tackle the "existential crisis."
"80,000 people told to evacuate. Blazes 0% contained. Eight months since the area has seen rain. The scale of damage and loss is unimaginable. Climate change is real, not 'a hoax.' Donald Trump must treat this like the existential crisis it is," Sanders declared in the tweet on Wednesday morning.
Mike Solana, editor-in-chief of Pirate Wires, mocked the senator's comments, writing in a post on X, "'[G]lobal warming ate my homework' doesn't work anymore. literally every single politician in california responsible for the catastrophic failure to prepare for this, from water management and controlled burns to the fire department's budget, is a democrat."
Conservative commentator and author Justin Haskins, director of the Socialism Research Center at the Heartland Institute, noted, "Wildfires, including ones much larger than this, have been happening in California forever."
Nicole Shanahan — who was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential running mate last year before the pair dropped out and supported GOP candidate Donald Trump — was also among those who responded to Sanders' comments.
"Climate change is an existential disaster facing the entire world," he asserted in a tweet nearly six years ago in February 2019. "We must transform our energy system away from fossil fuels to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. A Green New Deal can save the planet and create millions of new jobs."
Business tycoon Elon Musk has asserted that regulations prevent steps from being taken to avoid California wildfires.
"Climate change risk is real, just much slower than alarmists claim. The immense loss of homes in LA is primarily due to: 1. Nonsensical overregulation that prevented creating fire breaks and doing brush clearing. 2. Bad governance at the state and local level that resulted in a shortage of water," Musk opined in a post on X.
Sanders was not the only left-wing lawmaker deploying the climate narrative amid the disaster.
"I’m so heartbroken at the devastation that’s continuously inflicted upon our country & the world & elected 'leaders' are ignorant, impotent, or just incompetent to doing the smart thing, which is to acknowledge that climate change is real & start to solve it," Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, lamented in a tweet. "California, stay safe. First responders, we thank you for your selflessness. I join the chorus of prayers for all, but as an elected, I want to actually work!"
Freshman Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., the first transgender-identifying member of Congress, described the fire as a climate catastrophe.
"I’m praying for the victims of the raging fires around Los Angeles. The loss of life, homes, businesses and entire neighborhoods is devastating. I stand ready to work with my colleagues representing these communities to guarantee they have the resources they need to contain these fires, recover, rebuild, and prevent these climate catastrophes in the future," McBride declared in a post on X.
Trump has declared that California Gov. Gavin Newsom should resign.
"One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!" Trump declared in a Truth Social post late Wednesday night.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, Newsom noted in a post on X, "People are literally fleeing. Kids have lost their schools. Communities have lost their churches. Families have lost their homes. Some have even lost their lives. And the President-Elect’s response is to politicize it. We’ll continue to focus on what matters: saving lives and putting out these unprecedented fires."
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) currently reports partial containment of the Lidia and Hurst fires, while others are listed at 0% containment on fire.ca.gov.
Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this report
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing major backlash for being in Ghana while her city battled devastating wildfires. Now, a 2021 tweet in which she criticized Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for going to Cancun, Mexico, with his family as his state dealt with a severe winter storm.
Social media users were quick to accuse the mayor of being hypocritical. While Bass left for Ghana before the wildfires started, she still faced condemnations over the trip and fierce criticism of her leadership.
Multiple wildfires are raging across California, claiming five lives, and putting thousands under evacuation orders. As of Thursday morning, more than 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures were either damaged or destroyed by the devastating fires.
Upon her return from Ghana, Bass was confronted by a reporter about her trip, but she remained silent. Bass also refused to say whether she had any "regret" about slashing the city’s Fire Department’s budget last year. However, during a news conference on Wednesday, Bass said she took the "fastest route back, which included being on a military plane." She also said that she was "able to be on the phone the entire time of the flight."
Cruz flew to Mexico as Texans faced a deadly winter storm that left millions without power.
"With school canceled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends," Cruz said at the time. "Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon. My staff and I are in constant communication with state and local leaders to get to the bottom of what happened in Texas. We want our power back, our water on, and our homes warm. My team and I will continue using all our resources to keep Texans informed and safe."
Cruz later admitted that the trip was a "mistake."
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Tyler Olson and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
The New York Yankees could use another big reliever even after trading for Devin Williams. Could they also grab a former closer from their biggest rival?
