I recently began thinking about what it means to be successful here at Andover. Whether it be coaches, teachers, advisors or even ourselves, people constantly remind us of our obligation to strive for “success.” Over time, however, this word has taken on a sort of mysterious allure.

Success is often our aim. However, its indeterminacy seems to put it beyond our grasp. We strive to be “successful” but can rarely say what it is that we actually desire. We set it as our goal and embark...