Growing up reading Harry Potter and watching all of the magical films, I was utterly shocked to find out how J.K. Rowling was homeless and wrote the novels on napkins. Then, she was rejected by several publishers before finally getting her books on the shelves. Now that the series is extremely popular, it is safe to say that J.K. Rowling is successful...but did she feel successful after getting rejected? The novels themselves didn't change, but the level of society's validation of them did. J.K. Rowling was already successful after writing her books on those napkins. However, she was only labeled as so after accumulating thousands of adoring fans and millions of dollars. When taking risks, getting out there, and reaching for the stars, the world will not always be there to support us. Looking for validation, awards, or other material signs of achievement may cause people to overlook their already-existing success. Success is more being labeled as "successful" because society only looks for material or surface-level cues. Many of my friends continue to face the detrimental effects of social media on their self-confidence. Seeing people portray their "effortless perfection" online causes them to long for the same societal validation. I tend to differ from my friends because I choose to ignore these distractions and false ideas of success. Going into the neuroscience field, I will use my confidence in my self-defined success to conquer big ideas and tackle difficult issues others may shy away from due to fear of failure.