My friend Matthew McConaughey is at it again, and I just can’t help but draw a life lesson from his reflection on success. Here we go.
The first Webster’s Dictionary in 1806 described success as:
“Prosperous, fortunate, happy, and kind.”
Today’s dictionaries define success as:
“The attainment of wealth, fame, rank, and power.”
What’s your definition of success?
Meet Jeanie. She’s from a small town on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Widowed, she’s worked for decades at a local fish camp. When I asked her why she loves fishing so much, she said:
“People think I’m crazy when they see me chest deep after midnight on a below freezin’ Christmas evening casting out a line for redfish, but I love it, don’t even care if I catch nuttin’. I don’t think ‘bout nuttin’ but what’s gonna nibble on my hook. I just love fishin’. Nothing else in the world I’d rather be doin’.”
For Jeanie, success isn’t wealth or notoriety—it’s doing what she loves most. If you believe that “doing what you enjoy the most as much as you can” is a piece of success, then Jeanie is doing better than most folks on the front page of Fortune magazine.
So ask yourself:
What is success to me?
More money? More health? More friends? Less regret? More faith? To fish more like Jeanie? To leave the world better than you found it?
Whatever it is, keep asking. Your definition may shift as you grow—and that’s okay. Priorities evolve. But once you’ve defined success for this season, protect it. Don’t sabotage it by chasing someone else’s version. Prioritize who you are and who you want to become. Don’t waste your time with anything that antagonizes your character.
Be brave. Take the hill. But first—define your hill.
And once you do, tend the garden.
Discern. Invest. Excel.
Keep the things that matter to you in good shape.
That’s success.
While Jeanie’s story is inspiring, Scripture offers us an even deeper truth: success in the Kingdom of God doesn’t look like success in the world.
In Joshua 1:8, God tells Joshua:
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night… then you will be prosperous and successful.”
And Jesus redefines greatness altogether in Mark 9:35:
“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Real success, biblically speaking, is obedience to God, faithfulness in our calling, and love for others. It’s not about climbing ladders—it’s about washing feet. It’s not measured in stuff but in surrender. Like Jeanie with her fishing rod, success is found in doing what you were made for—even if no one else applauds.
So ask yourself not just “What’s my hill?” But:
“Is it God’s hill for me?”
“Is this the kind of success Jesus would celebrate?”
Success isn’t about how high you climb. It’s about how well you follow.
Let’s make that our aim this week.
And that’s the Mid-week Memo.
Steve.
