Joyce Wang，G9王馨语 Three months ago, I dove to save a soccer ball, landed badly, and broke my left wrist. Lying on the grass, I thought: I’m failing. Not because I missed the save, but because I knew I couldn’t play for a long time. That moment broke more than my wrist. It broke the definition of success I’d lived by my whole life. I used to think success was simple. I asked ChatGPT: “Define success.” It answered: accomplishment of an aim, fame, wealth, or status. That felt like a rulebook written by grades and others’ expectations. At my previous school, success was measured in numbers. Grades were the only currency. I became a list of achievements: straight A’s, fast soccer player, never missing an assignment. I wasn’t Joyce. I was a set of statistics. Then my wrist broke. For months I couldn’t play soccer – my escape from pressure. I couldn’t keep up with AP work. My grades slipped, not because I didn’t care, but because my body couldn’t keep up. Simple tasks like typing or tying shoes felt impossible. People constantly offered help. I appreciated their kindness, but I felt dependent. I had always been the helper, not the one needing care. That confusion forced me to rethink. We tie our worth to performance. But what happens when life forces you to stop? Growing up, I was told winning is success, that “perfect” is the only standard. Yet high-achieving kids often hurt the most. If success requires sacrificing mental health, is it really success? No one is perfect. Mistakes aren’t weakness – they’re how we learn. My wrist scar tells a story: I adapted, I kept going. Failure is not the opposite of success; it is part of it. Every setback is a chance to return stronger. So yes, success is making achievements. But real success is showing up when you’re broken, being gentle with yourself, rebuilding your identity, and choosing to keep going. It is feeling lost but refusing to believe you are gone. Success is not about never breaking. It’s about breaking — and then learning to stand again, in a new way, for a new you. | 