“Pull yourself up by the bootstraps!” proclaims the fundamental American imperative. Never has there been a more befitting encapsulation of the United States than this decree, reframing success as a consequence of personal merit rather than of social caste.

The setting of new year’s resolutions is an age-old tradition that first began with Ancient Mesopotamian harvest rites nearly 4,000 years ago

One tendency I have noticed among my peers is the desire to achieve success, whatever that means to them. Almost all students chase a higher grade in a course, a better result in a competition, or something else.