The Duality of Success
Last week as I was doomscrolling on TikTok, I came across a video of Harrison Ford’s Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech at the SAG awards. Immediately, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia as I remembered weekends of my childhood spent in front of the TV with my Dad as he tried to share his love for the Star Wars film series with me. I was also hit with a feeling of sadness as I saw a different, much older Harrison Ford before my eyes than the one that plays the Han Solo fighting bad guys and working with his loyal friend Chewbacca in a galaxy far, far away.
For nearly 60 years, Harrison Ford has been on movie screens across the globe, becoming a cinematic and cultural icon in his own right. Despite this immense fame and celebrity, his speech was humble, human, and honest. Through the screen, he portrayed sincerity and brevity, using a few words to create a beautiful message of gratitude, appreciation, and accomplishment. One line stuck out to me in particular and it was when he said, “Success in this business brings a certain freedom that comes with responsibility to support each other, to lift others up when we can, to keep the door open for the next kid, the next lost boy who's looking for a place to belong.”
While Ford was certainly referencing the movie industry and his accomplished acting career, this lesson is one which applies more broadly to our society and is often advice espoused by those who are older, wiser, and more experienced. It reminded me of a quote I heard many years ago, from where I unfortunately cannot remember, but it went as follows: “Don’t be afraid to stop and help people out along your way, it will not slow you down.” Much like Ford’s, this message reinforces the responsibility that comes with simply being a human and moving through life. This idea is quite simple in nature – using your skills, expertise, education, resources, and time to help those around you without any expectation of something in return, but simply because it is the right thing to do.
As much as this advice may sound like a cliche, it seems to be an idea that can be hard to understand and truly believe. Too often, we operate in self-serving vacuums, choosing to do things that are to our personal benefit or only do things for others if we expect to get praise, acknowledgement, or something in return. We become so centered on our own personal success, that we prioritize what will get us further in our organizations or businesses over helping those who will come after us. It usually is not until I need something from someone else, whether is be their guidance, mentorship, or recommendation, that I truly pause and think about whether or not I have stopped to help others out or have I brushed that coffee chat off as a non-priority meeting or response that can wait until I am less busy with my to-do list.
It’s easy to do, especially when your to-do list is never ending and it seems like you have no time, but as Harrison Ford said, success brings both tremendous freedom but also tremendous responsibility. At the end of the day, what you do with your success and how you impact the world is founded in how you interact with others and the impressions and impacts you leave on those around you.