Americans are rethinking how they define career and personal success. The traditional national definition of success has been largely a male definition based upon the notion that success is best measured by salary, title, position, and number of levels from one's position to the top of the organizational hierarchy. Such a definition of success doesn't make sense anymore. Salaries have become highly variable. Titles have disappeared or become meaningless.
Every position is, at best, insecure, and now everyone is just a few levels from the top.
Today, success must have more to do with how one feels about one's career and one's future prospects than about salary, title, position, or the other traditional measures. A true definition of success today must be more holistic and, yes, more subjective. Not so long ago, the American hero was adrenaline pumping and career driven. The prevailing wisdom was that you couldn't work too hard or too long. Sixty hour work-weeks gave you warrior status, and exhaustion for overwork could be worn as a badge of honor.