Real success isn't what you thought it would be at 25—and that's actually good news.
Success isn't always about the corner office or the seven-figure bank account.
We spend so much of our lives chasing traditional markers of achievement that we often miss the quiet victories happening right in front of us. By the time you hit 60, the metrics that matter start to look different.
I spent nearly two decades in finance, watching people climb ladders that didn't lead where they thought they would. It wasn't until I stepped away from that world that I realized what success actually looks like.
Here are seven achievements that, if you've reached them by 60, put you ahead of most of your generation.
1) You've cultivated meaningful relationships that have lasted
When I was younger, I measured my social success by how many networking events I attended or how many LinkedIn connections I had.
But here's what I've learned: quantity means nothing if there's no depth.
By 60, if you've built and maintained relationships that go beyond surface level, you've achieved something remarkable. I'm talking about the friends who know your history, the family members you actually want to spend time with, the partner who's seen you at your worst and chose to stay anyway.
Research shows that social relationships help calm our stress-response system and are linked to better health outcomes. One study of elderly Hong Kong residents found that those who spent more time cultivating social relationships had significant drops in cortisol levels during the day.
These aren't the people you see once a year at holiday parties. They're the ones who check in when life gets hard, who celebrate your wins without jealousy, who tell you the truth even when it stings.
If you have even a handful of these relationships by 60, you're ahead of the game.
2) You're not drowning in debt
Let me be clear: I'm not talking about being wealthy.
Financial stability doesn't mean you own a yacht or have a second home in the Hamptons. It means you can sleep at night without obsessing over bills. It means unexpected car repairs don't send you into a panic spiral.
According to recent data, contentment comes from incremental wins like being able to pay bills on time, living debt-free, and affording everyday luxuries without worry. For over half of people, happiness is found in spending on experiences with those they cherish.
When I left my corporate job, I took a massive pay cut. But you know what I gained? Freedom from the constant pressure to maintain a lifestyle that was draining me financially and emotionally.
If you've reached 60 without crushing debt hanging over your head, if you have some savings set aside for emergencies, if you're not constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul, you've achieved something most people never will. You've learned to live within your means, and that's its own kind of wealth.
3) You've maintained your physical health
I didn't start trail running until I was 28.
Before that, I thought of my body as just a vehicle for getting work done. The idea of exercising for the sake of feeling good seemed frivolous when I had deadlines to meet and promotions to chase.
But here's what I eventually learned: your body isn't separate from your life. It is your life.
By 60, if you're still mobile, if you can walk without pain, if you're managing any health conditions, you're doing better than many. You don't have to be running marathons. You just need to have taken care of the only body you'll ever have.
That might mean you quit smoking in your 40s, started taking your blood pressure medication seriously, or finally addressed that knee pain instead of powering through it.
Small consistent choices compound over decades. If you made enough of them to reach 60 with your health relatively intact, that's success.
4) You know what actually matters to you
This one took me the longest to figure out.
For years, I thought I knew what I wanted. The promotion, the bigger title, the respect of my colleagues. And I got those things. But they didn't fill the space I thought they would.
Research suggests that people reach their functional peak around 60, where intelligence, personality, and judgment combine optimally. While you may not process information as quickly as you did at 25, you've accumulated decades of knowledge and developed better judgment about what really matters.
Having a sense of purpose isn't about finding some grand calling. It's about knowing what lights you up and making space for it in your life. Maybe it's your grandkids, volunteering at the animal shelter, or finally writing that novel you've been thinking about for thirty years.
By 60, if you've figured out what gives your life meaning beyond your job title or bank account, you're ahead of most people who never stop long enough to ask the question.
5) You can enjoy simple pleasures without needing constant stimulation
There's a shift that happens as you age, if you're paying attention.
The things that used to thrill you start to feel exhausting. The constant need for novelty, for the next big thing, for more-more-more begins to quiet down. And in that quieting, you discover something unexpected: contentment.
I used to think happiness required grand gestures. Fancy vacations, expensive dinners, impressive experiences to share on social media. Now some of my best moments happen in my garden, coffee cup in hand, watching my tomatoes ripen.
That's not settling. That's wisdom.
If you've reached 60 and you can find joy in a good conversation, a well-cooked meal, a walk in your neighborhood, you've achieved something that eludes people twice your age. You've learned that pleasure doesn't have to be earned or performed. It can just be.
6) You've learned to accept your limitations
This might be the hardest achievement on this list.
We live in a culture that tells us we can do anything if we just work hard enough, hustle hard enough, want it bad enough. And that's partially true. But it's also a setup for a lifetime of feeling inadequate.
By 60, if you've made peace with who you are and who you're not, you've accomplished something profound. That doesn't mean you've given up. It means you've stopped fighting battles you can't win.
Maybe you're not going to be a CEO. Maybe your kids didn't turn out exactly how you hoped. Maybe your body can't do what it used to. And that's okay.
Studies show that psychological wellbeing often improves with age, even as physical health declines. This is partly because older adults focus on emotionally satisfying experiences and relationships rather than constantly striving for more.
Self-acceptance isn't resignation. It's freedom. If you've found that freedom by 60, you're more successful than you probably realize.
7) You've survived your own mistakes and kept going
Let's be honest: by 60, you've screwed up. Probably a lot.
You've made bad financial decisions. You've hurt people you loved. You've taken jobs you shouldn't have taken and passed up opportunities you should have seized. You've said things you can't take back and done things you're not proud of.
And yet, here you are.
That's not nothing. That's everything.
The people who reach 60 with any semblance of peace haven't avoided failure. They've just learned to keep moving after it. They've apologized when they needed to. They've forgiven themselves when they could. They've accepted that being human means being imperfect, and they've stopped demanding perfection from themselves.
Marcus, my partner, once told me something that stuck: "You're not your worst moment. You're what you do after it."
If you've reached 60 and you're still showing up, still trying, still open to growth even after all the times you've fallen short, you've achieved the kind of success that doesn't make it into obituaries but makes life worth living.
Final thoughts
Success isn't what we thought it would be when we were starting out.
It's not the mansion or the vacation home or the impressive job title. It's the relationships that sustained you. It's the peace you made with yourself. It's the simple fact that you kept going when it would have been easier to give up.
By 60, if you've achieved even a few of these things, you're doing better than most people realize. The world might not celebrate these victories, but they're the ones that actually matter.
And if you haven't achieved all of them yet? There's still time. That's the beautiful thing about these kinds of achievements. They're never really finished.
