Thank you for a very thought provoking post!
As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:

What is success?
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends,
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, Whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;
That is to have succeeded.