A lot of people believe that if you own a business, build something successful, or reach a high position in an organisation, it must mean you are somehow different from everyone else, maybe even better or more important. But that isn’t really true. And if you’re one of those people, you might want it to be true. It feels good, it feels validating, it feels like it means something about you as a person. But when you strip it back, really ask yourself… does it?

Owning a business doesn't make someone more important. It means they chose a different path. A path that often comes with more responsibility, more uncertainty, and what people like to call more risk. But even that idea of risk is often overstated or misunderstood. I's just a direction. A set of decisions. Not a measure of human value.

The same is true for job titles and senior roles. Being higher up in an organisation reflects structure. It reflects accountability. It reflects the role someone plays within a system. But it doesn't reflect superiority as a human being. It's easy to confuse visibility with value, status with substance, outcomes with worth. But they're not the same thing.

Success, in many cases, says more about timing, opportunity, persistence, and simply staying in the game long enough than it does about being inherently better than anyone else. Yes, some people build incredible things. Some lead teams. Some take paths others never will. And that is genuinely worth respecting. But respect for what someone does should never become a belief that they are worth more as a person.

At the core of it, none of these roles make anyone more important than anyone else. They are just different lives unfolding side by side. Different choices. Different priorities. And that difference is not a flaw in society. It's the very thing that allows it to function.

Yet somewhere along the way, we built systems that push people toward sameness. Our education system often rewards conformity and compliance over creativity and individuality. From a young age, children are told there is a “right” path. Go to school. Go to college or university. Follow the expected route. And if you don't, it's easy to feel like you've somehow fallen short.

There are adults walking around today carrying that exact belief. People who didn't go to university who feel less worthy because of it. Think about how deeply ingrained that idea must be for someone to question their own value over a single life choice. It's not just inaccurate. It's damaging. Because if everyone followed the same path, society would not just lose balance, it would break. We would be missing the very people who hold everything together.

We need builders who create the spaces we live and work in. We need thinkers who challenge ideas and push boundaries. We need carers who show up in moments of vulnerability. We need teachers who shape future generations. We need engineers who design the systems we rely on. We need paramedics who respond in seconds when lives are on the line. We need firefighters who run toward danger when everyone else is running away. None of these roles are more important than the others. They're all essential. They all matter.

So yes, pursue the path you want. Build the business. Climb the ladder. Take on responsibility. Aim high if that's what drives you. There is nothing wrong with ambition. But don't confuse the path you choose with your worth as a human being. And don't make the mistake of thinking it places you above anyone else. Because perspective has a way of correcting that idea very quickly.

The moment you are in danger, the moment something goes wrong, the moment real life shows up, the hierarchy disappears. In that moment, it's not status that matters. It's not titles or income or perceived success. It's people. The ones who show up. The ones who act. The ones who do what needs to be done. And when you really see that clearly, you start to understand something simple but powerful. Worth was never something to be earned in the first place. 🩷