Minh Pham - Front End Engineer

Reflecting on Success: A Personal Journey at 27

I’ve been growing more mindful about my life and the things I truly want to do. In this journey of self-discovery, I’m taking some time today to deeply contemplate what success means to me. I believe that, at each age and phase of life, we tend to view success from different perspectives. What follows is my version of success at 27.

A little about my current life: I feel that my life is quite comfortable. I got married last year and feel blessed to still have both sets of grandparents and my parents around. I have a stable job with an income six times higher than the average in Vietnam. This year, I bought my first car. Although I’m currently renting, it’s a brand-new house with all the modern amenities I could ask for.

I left my role at Inspectorio about 20 days ago, but I have a side job and some investments that allow me to live comfortably for the next six months without working. After experiencing some tough times at work, I decided to take a pause and re-evaluate everything. So, what does success truly mean to me? What kind of life do I envision for myself?

I don’t have a crystal-clear picture just yet, but here are some ideas I’ve been reflecting on:

Success is closely tied to freedom. For me, a successful life is one marked by complete freedom. Freedom to make decisions, freedom in my work, and financial freedom.
Success means having an income that’s just enough for a comfortable life. For me, that’s a monthly income of around 50 million VND (~$2000 USD). It’s enough to cover my essential expenses, still leave some room for savings, and allow me to pursue hobbies or learn new things. Of course, this number would be ideal for me right now, as I don’t have children yet.
I want time for my family, my wife, and friends. I don’t want to live a life that’s overwhelmingly busy. In fact, I only want to work around 2-4 hours a day.
Success is doing work that I love, which also provides a fair income. I’ve learned this lesson well. I know the price of doing something that I don’t genuinely enjoy. Life can become much more negative when you’re stuck in such a situation.
I want to be close to nature and animals. When I’m in nature, I feel a deep connection to the present world.
I want to be healthy and still be able to play sports I enjoy: horse riding, badminton, soccer, and video games.
I want to be able to give back, contribute to society, and positively impact other people’s lives.

These are my visions of an ideal life. I’m actually living a part of the dream life I imagined as a child. I have a car, and I’m financially capable of supporting my family. I’ve heard countless definitions of success centered around wealth, material possessions, and luxury items. But truthfully, when I have too much money, life becomes somewhat more painful. The desire to acquire more creates endless wants. Life is full of temptations, and sometimes, having too much money doesn’t equate to happiness.

For example, when I wanted to buy a luxury watch, I found myself endlessly debating and agonizing over choosing from high-end brands. This obsession drained me and left me feeling more dissatisfied. I realized that success shouldn’t be defined by wealth—this is a flawed narrative that the media often pushes us to believe.

Ultimately, I hope that a few years from now, when I look back, I’ll see that my life has truly been a success according to my own definition. I honestly believe that my current life isn’t too far off from this ideal. Just like how humans and chimpanzees differ by only 3% of their DNA, perhaps the life I envision is only 3% away from where I am now.

Writing this serves as a testament to how my thoughts and mindset around success have evolved. I am genuinely grateful for my life at this moment.