What success means to me right now.

How I define success, particularly in my 20s, continues to evolve.

My whole life, I’ve struggled to picture my future, which made picking a degree difficult and somewhat random. After graduating, like most young adults, the future was unclear—so many options and routes to take—that I had an existential crisis and depression from fear of it. However, I’ve started to get a glimpse, an idea, or an image of my life: the direction I want to take and what matters most to me. Guided by values of compassion, community, connection, and the big picture, I am slowly filling in the pieces, finding what fits, and letting go of what doesn’t. At 26, this is what success means to me.

I care deeply about what I do.

After working a job I couldn't care less about and struggled to find motivation for, it’s incredibly refreshing to discover that I have endless motivation to be a muralist. It is easy to put in long hours because I want to do this work—and feel fortunate to. There are hard days, but the best ones are often filled with "work." Every time I get a mural, I’m so excited that I pour everything into it, hoping it leads to another opportunity. I want to make mistakes, learn, and put in the 10,000 hours. I’m at peace with the idea that this might take years to come to fruition because I want to spend years doing it. Quitting my job, letting go of societal pressures of what a career should look like, and exploring my interests has been one of the best decisions I’ve made so far.

I’m terrified almost all of the time.

However, this time it’s the “good” kind of fear. Not the debilitating fear like before but the one that helps me grow. If I told 16-year-old me that I’d be dancing with a microphone in front of people or pitching my abilities to businesses, I would never, EVER, believe it. I used to be the quietest person in any room, like debilitatingly shy. I’ve overcome most of my shyness with age, but in the last year, I’ve become someone I don’t even really recognize—in the best way. As these things become easier, I want to keep pushing.

I’m making connections and building skills.

I remind myself that the advantage of starting in my 20s is that I have the time and limited responsibilities. I’m currently—and want to continue—building skills and connections that will hopefully compound exponentially. Working at the gym, stadium, and with local businesses, people now tell me they see me everywhere, and I think that’s a good thing.

I’m shaping the identity of Syd the Muralist as an artist.

Finally, as I define myself as an artist, I think about what fascinates and inspires me—what my driving force will be. I’m discovering that what inspires me most is connecting with people. I love when someone feels comfortable enough to share a deeper part of themselves, offering a glimpse into how they think, so different from my own. I love when someone trusts me to teach them to swim when they’re scared or when I smile at a member in my class, and they smile back. It’s that moment of “I see you, and I’m happy you’re here.” Finally, I love finding that detail, that one element, that makes a mural special for my client. That piece that makes their art theirs.

Maybe it’s the shift that happens in your mid-20s, but for the first time, I feel calm(er). I’m starting to find the puzzle pieces and even putting some of them together to make shapes. The image of what my life might look like is starting to come into focus. I am so fortunate to say my life is rich in people, experiences, and work I’m passionate about. While there are milestones and relationships I hope to have, I’m healthy, relatively happy, and making decisions every day that are shaping the life I want. I would define that as success.