There's more to life than success, and if you can try to be more

Hear the words of Ricky Williams, once a warrior of the gridiron, who proclaimed: “There’s more to life than success, and if you can try to be more well-rounded, you’ll be able to enjoy your success more. It won’t own you or control you.” In this saying lies a truth as ancient as the stars: that victory, wealth, and honor are sweet, but if they rule the soul, they become chains instead of crowns. To live well is not only to achieve, but to balance, to cultivate the fullness of being, lest one be consumed by the very victories one sought.

What is success without peace of heart? What is triumph if the victor is restless, enslaved by the burden of his own accomplishments? Too many chase success as though it were the summit of all things, only to find emptiness waiting at the top. Williams, having lived under the crushing weight of fame, speaks as one who has seen beyond the glitter. He teaches us that life is richer when the soul is well-rounded—when it tastes of family, friendship, knowledge, rest, and spirit, not only of glory.

History bears witness to this wisdom. Consider the tale of Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Rome. Though he commanded the mightiest empire of his time, he never allowed success to possess him. Instead, he practiced philosophy, wrote meditations, and sought wisdom in the quiet of his mind. He remained well-rounded, balancing the crown with the inner life. Because of this balance, his reign is remembered not only for its power, but for its virtue. He enjoyed his success because it did not control him—it served his higher calling.

In contrast, recall Alexander the Great, who conquered the known world yet found himself restless and unsatisfied. His victories did not bring him peace, for he had allowed success to become his master. He pursued more lands, more glory, more spoils, yet in the end, his triumphs consumed him. He was not well-rounded, and thus his life burned bright but ended in turmoil. His story is a warning of what happens when success owns the man, rather than the man owning his success.

The lesson is clear: true greatness is not found in success alone, but in wholeness of being. A balanced life, where body, mind, heart, and spirit are tended, allows one to enjoy victory without being enslaved by it. For success without balance becomes addiction; but success with balance becomes joy.

Practical steps are within reach. Do not let your labor consume all your days. Make time for family, for friendship, for learning, for silence, for wonder. Cultivate the arts as well as the sciences, compassion as well as ambition. If you find yourself striving endlessly, pause and ask: Does my success serve me, or do I serve my success? Let this question guard you against the chains of achievement.

Thus, the wisdom of Ricky Williams endures: there is more to life than success, and the soul must be well-rounded to taste its sweetness. When you balance ambition with reflection, labor with love, discipline with joy, then success will not own you—it will adorn you. And your life will not be a prison of triumphs, but a garden of harmony, where victories bloom alongside peace.