Question: Why do some people think money is the best way to measure success?

We often associate success with money and hard work. For example, someone who studies diligently, graduates from university, completes postgraduate studies, and lands a high-paying job is typically seen as professionally successful. They are perceived as reaping the rewards of their hard work. This mindset is common and makes sense to many. However, I doubt it's entirely accurate because if it were, we would have as many bosses as workers. Success isn't just about high-paying jobs. People who aim to have a family or run a small business and achieve these goals are also successful in their own right.

I suppose that we connect money with hard work. I mean, if a person studies hard all the way through school, goes to university, goes on to do a postgraduate degree and then gets a high-paying job, we think that, professionally, they are successful. They have worked hard and now are getting the fruits of their labor. This is the way we are brought up to think and it makes sense to a lot of people. I'm not sure it's true though as, if it were, we would have just as many bosses as workers, so I don't think it's the best way. Some people just want to have a family or run a small shop and if they reach their goal, they should be considered successful too.

Conditional clause: "if a person studies hard all the way through school, goes to university, goes on to do a postgraduate degree and then gets a high-paying job" This conditional clause lists a series of steps leading to the traditional concept of success, adding detail and logic to the sentence. Passive voice: "They have worked hard and now are getting the fruits of their labor" The use of the passive voice emphasizes the relationship between hard work and reward, adding objectivity to the sentence. Contrastive sentence structure: "Some people just want to have a family or run a small shop and if they reach their goal, they should be considered successful too" By contrasting the success standards of different groups of people, the diversity of the concept of success is emphasized. Present participle phrases as adverbial clauses: "I'm not sure it's true though as, if it were, we would have just as many bosses as workers" This present participle phrase as an adverbial clause raises doubts about the traditional concept of success, showing the author's deep consideration of this viewpoint.

Some people view money as the best measure of success due to the societal focus on material wealth. In many cultures, financial achievement is often seen as the primary indicator of a person's success, overshadowing other forms of accomplishment. This perspective is reinforced by the visibility and tangibility of financial success, making it a seemingly straightforward and objective metric to gauge one's achievements.

The perception that money is the best measure of success can often stem from a societal emphasis on material wealth and the limited recognition of alternative success metrics. In many societal narratives, financial prosperity is highlighted as the most definitive and observable sign of success, overshadowing achievements in non-material realms. This focus tends to reduce the complexity of success to a quantifiable and easily comparable financial metric. Consequently, other forms of success that may not be as immediately visible or tangible, such as personal fulfillment or social contribution, often receive less attention and valuation in comparison.

Nowadays, present participle is used as an attributive in "highlighted as the most definitive and observable sign" to describe the prominent status of financial prosperity in social narratives, adding complexity to the sentence. The complex noun phrase "a societal emphasis on material wealth" combines multiple concepts to enhance the depth and complexity of the answer. In the non-restrictive relative clause "other forms of success... often receive less attention and valuation", a non-restrictive relative clause is used to increase the description of different forms of success and enhance the depth and detail of the answer.