How do we define success?

It is a question that quietly shapes our lives.

We live in a culture that prizes visibility, influence and achievement. The message is subtle but persistent: to matter, we must stand out.

Performance coach Ben Crowe reminds us that visibility is not the same as value, nor success the same as significance.

Dignity before achievement

Christianity begins not with achievement but with dignity: every person possesses an inherent worth independent of status, accomplishment or public recognition.

Our value lies not in what we achieve, but in who we are.

Made in the image and likeness of God, each human life is already marked by a significance that no award can increase, and no failure can diminish.

This changes the way we think about success.

The parent caring for a child, the volunteer serving their local community, the neighbour offering friendship and the executive leading a company all share the same fundamental dignity.

Their worth is not determined by how many people know their name, but by the simple fact that they are human persons, loved by God and capable of loving others.

If our dignity is inherent rather than earned, then we are freed from the burden of having to prove our worth.

We can strive for excellence, contribute generously and pursue worthy goals, but our value does not depend upon the applause of others.

A liberating prayer

The Litany of Humility is a profound prayer, often misunderstood as an invitation to think less of ourselves.

In reality, it asks for something far more liberating: freedom from the need to measure ourselves through the opinions and approval of others.

Among its petitions is a striking prayer: “From the desire of being praised – deliver me, Jesus.”

The litany then takes this freedom a step further: “That others may be esteemed more than I – Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.”

This reminds us that our worth does not depend upon being exceptional. If our dignity is already secure in God, we no longer need recognition to validate our existence.

The gift of worship

This is one reason why worship can be so liberating.

For an hour, we step out of a world that asks, “What have you accomplished?” and enter a community where the fundamental truth is simply this: you belong here because God has called you.

In that sense, the liturgy quietly undermines the modern obsession with visibility, achievement and recognition.

It teaches us that our deepest identity is not found in what we have done, or how widely we are recognised. It is found in the God who created us, redeemed us and calls us beloved.

No unremarkable person

Perhaps the real challenge is not finding the courage to be unremarkable. It is recognising that there is no such thing as an unremarkable person.

Every human life bears the image of God. Every person possesses a dignity that can neither be earned nor lost.

And that may be the most remarkable thing of all.

• Clare Schwantes holds a PhD from the University of Queensland and a Master of Theological Studies with a focus on Liturgy, in addition to Bachelor’s degrees in Education and Psychology. She also has diplomas in Editing and Publishing and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is the Director of the Archdiocesan Liturgy Office in Brisbane, Australia and Chair of the National Liturgical Council in Australia.
• Clare is the author of From Page to Proclamation – Interpreting Scripture in the Context of Liturgy (2024).