Blog

Fame and success are very different things.

Fame and success are very different things.

Fame is the state of being widely known or recognized whereas success is the favorable outcome of something attempted. Sounds different, right? However, people often confuse fame for success. Being successful in one’s domain is very different than being famous. History offers examples of so many well-renowned scientist or theorist who were famous for their groundbreaking discovery of a new product but were not successful. For example, we call Steve Jobs successful and famous but, Alan Turing is considered only successful in his field, not popular. George Harrison once said, “I wanted to be successful; not famous.” It is very easy to find fame these days, especially with the advent of new-age technology. Almost everyone is a celebrity or an influence, has millions of fans worldwide, earns money for just ‘being themselves’. They are famous without achieving anything. For example, being the most beautiful girl in a town or country will make one famous but not successful.  This creates a false sense of accomplishment.

Success, on the other hand, comes after a lot of hard work. Success is independent of other’s judgment or approval. It is extremely personal and depends on how one defines it. Success for a writer could mean selling 500 copies of his first book and not getting recognized by the critics in the market. Usually, success results in fame. If someone is successful in an area, they are also famous within the people who are interested in the area. However, sometimes one can be successful but people may not be aware of their success. Thus not allowing one to be famous. This, however, does not mean that a dreamer keen on contributing to the society and the well being of mankind in general stops working. He/she in spite of not becoming a household name thrives to continue work. There is obviously a difference between success and fame, however, it has become apparent that sometimes in order to be successful, one needs to be known. It’s not a surprise that fame sometimes brings success. It is disappointing how achieving fame overnight has become so easy while successful people on the other hand, sometimes struggle to pay the rent.  Fame and success are difficult to distinguish because of the difference in perspectives. 

One of the main reasons why people confuse fame with success is because, lately, success has become a measure of popularity or reputation, then one’s personal gain. Some people want to be recognized, they want the world to follow everything they do, they want the limelight, i.e., they want fame. On the other hand, some people want to excel in the field they are in, make a remarkable impact, they could not care less for not being known by the world, i.e., they just want to be successful. The steps taken to achieve this are different for these groups of people. While fame can be achieved in an easy and fast way, attaining success takes a lot of perseverance and hard work on one’s end. Success doesn’t come overnight, but fame might.

This Post Has 393 Comments

  313. Pingback: x

Comments are closed.

Close Menu