If you ask ten different Bulgarians what "success" is, you will probably hear ten different answers. From "a good salary and a car" to "to take care of my children" to "to live peacefully without counting the pennies every month". The truth is that behind the cliché "success in Bulgarian" stands much more than money and photos from exotic destinations.
Studies in recent years show an interesting paradox: many are pessimistic about the future of the country, but on a personal level, most define themselves as relatively happy. For a large part of the people, success is no longer measured only in "how much I have", but also in "how I live" - with whom, where and at what cost to my health and nerves.
Money and career: the classic version of success
Of course, financial security remains a key element. For many, "success" means:
- a stable income that allows them to pay the bills without constant fear of the next month;
- a job that is not just "survival", but gives a sense of meaning or at least a perspective for development;
- the opportunity to afford a vacation, education for the children, some "luxury", without falling into debt.
For years, "success in Bulgarian" was associated with a relatively clear picture: your own business or a good position in a large company, a new car, an apartment in the big city. Since the beginning of the transition, "to succeed" often means "to rise above average" - to break away from the insecurity in which most of society lives.
But even when we talk about money, a clarification is heard more and more often: "I don't need millions, I want a normal life". That is – it's not about luxury, but about peace of mind.
Apartment, own home and the feeling that "you are on your feet"
The apartment is one of the strongest symbols of success in our country. For the older generation, this is associated with the memory that "whoever has an apartment is provided for". For the younger ones – with the feeling that they have "come out" of their parental home and have built their own space.
Expensive rents and the boom in property prices in recent years have turned a home of one's own into an almost unattainable goal for many young people. That is why those who manage to buy or inherit a home - whether in Sofia, by the sea or in a smaller city - often perceive it as the "big step" towards success. Not because the bricks themselves bring happiness, but because they mean security: "I have somewhere to go back to, no matter what happens".
Working abroad: a ticket to success or a temporary escape?
For decades, "real success" for many Bulgarians was associated with abroad - Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Scandinavia. Higher salaries, better organization, more opportunities. It is no accident that at one point almost everyone knew several people who "sorted themselves out abroad".
Today the picture is more multi-layered. Many people left, managed to get on their feet, and then began to ask themselves: "So what now?" Some return – because of the family, because of the calmer rhythm, because of the feeling that here they can be "their own", and not just a "foreign worker". Programs have also appeared that encourage the return - with financial support, help finding a job, assistance in the adaptation of children in school.
For a part of Bulgarians, "success" today is precisely this: to have a choice – to be able to work abroad, but to know that they can also return, without this being perceived as a "failure". To know that they are not "trapped" either abroad or here.
The peaceful life here: the new version of success
More and more people – especially after the pandemic and the years of constant crises – are starting to talk about success in other words: "to be able to live normally, to have time for the children, not to count every lev at the end of the month".
Sociological studies in recent years show that:
- family and time with loved ones are a leading value for over two-thirds of Bulgarians;
- financial stability is important, but is most often placed alongside peace, security and personal freedom;
- many people define as a "successful" person the one who has a good education, profession, family and the respect of their children – not just the one with the most expensive car.
In this sense, "success in Bulgarian" more and more often means: to be able to live here without entering an endless race. To have a decent job, your own or stable home, time for loved ones, a little peace – and the feeling that you are not forced to run in order to breathe.
One success, many faces
There is no universal formula for success – neither in Bulgaria nor elsewhere. For some, this will remain the high salary abroad and the global career. For others – a small business in their hometown and the opportunity to take their child to school every day. For a third – a stable job, your own apartment and a garden with tomatoes in the village on the weekend.
Perhaps the most honest answer to the question "what is success in Bulgarian" today is: to have the freedom to choose your own version – without having to prove to others that "you have succeeded", and without living in a constant race with foreign criteria.