What the ancient Greeks can teach us about success

Many of us are looking for success these days. Whether that be something in our professional lives, like career development, or something to be proud of at home. Success can be different to many people, but should we be looking to history to show us what it really means? This is what the ancient Greeks can teach us about success.

One of the greats

There is a reason why we are all aware of the ancient Greeks, because their civilization was one of the greats. Greece had built an empire through its military dominance, before contributing a lot to the world. The Greeks were one of the first civilizations to develop a substantial language, something which still inspires many of the words we use today.

People in ancient Greece were smart and deep thinkers, which is why many philosophical and medical breakthroughs were made. Alexander the Great took over from his father and continued conquering parts of the world during his reign in which he united the people.

What Greece brought the world

There are many great things to have come from the ancient Greeks. Without that civilization, humans may never have figured out democracy to give citizens the power to vote for their leaders. Ancient Greece also brought amazing advancements in medicine and architecture, which have had lasting impacts on all of us.

The ancient Greeks had a passion for the arts and theater, influencing later playwrights like William Shakespeare. Of course, the ancient Greeks also gave us a celebration of sports thanks to the Olympic Games.

Going wrong

All good things come to an end eventually though, and unfortunately for the Greeks, that happened pretty abruptly. It seemed as though ancient Greece had made a success of its civilization, but things began to go badly for them when Alexander the Great passed away. He divided up the empire to his generals, which only made each of them power-hungry and covet what their rivals had.

This led to divisions among the country, and soon Greece was no longer a united civilization. Instead it was fractured, and these new divisions began fighting with each other. Instead of trying to consolidate what Greece already had, things began to crumble beneath it.

Not only were the ancient Greek rulers after Alexander the Great blinded by greed, but they failed to notice a threat on the horizon. The ancient Romans came along and took over Greece, all thanks to its unity.

What we can learn about success

The first thing we should learn about ancient Greece’s demise is that success is only temporary, and we shouldn’t take what he have earned for granted. Greece was in a position where it could have gone on to dominate the world, but instead, it was conquered by the Romans. This was because Rome came together as one unit, while the Greeks were divided and unwilling to put their rivalries aside.

There was a real disparity between the poorer classes and the wealthy, something which is common even in today’s society. If we compare the divisions in today’s society compared to the ancient Greeks, we can see that fractured relationships are not ideal between classes.

Greece’s early success should have ensured its safety, but it did not. Instead, that success is now a part of history, and a lesson to appreciate what you have before it’s gone.