Ain’t That A VHIT
By Von C. Howard
Success has a way of changing the air around you. It can shift the rooms you walk into, the circles you move within, and even the way people say your name. However, if you’re not careful, it can quietly start changing you too. Not always in obvious ways, but in how you see yourself, and how you start seeing others.
Sometimes, we get so caught up in chasing what’s next that we forget what got us here. We forget the people who believed in us when we doubted ourselves, the ones who stayed up late helping us study, the mentors who gave us tough love, and the community that kept us grounded when we didn’t have much to stand on. Whether it’s a degree, a promotion, or a little more financial security, those wins can slowly make us forget that success doesn’t mean we’ve “made it”, it means we’ve been entrusted with a little more to give back.
The danger comes when we start believing the hype, when privilege, access, or influence make us see life through a lens of status instead of service. It’s subtle, but it shows up in how we lead, how we love, and how we live. Families drift apart when the need to be admired outweighs the need to be present. Workplaces lose their sense of team when leaders forget that leadership is more about lifting people than controlling them. Communities lose faith when those who’ve “made it out” never look back to help someone else make it through.
Staying grounded takes effort. It’s not about pretending you haven’t grown; it’s about remembering why you wanted to grow in the first place. Success should make your reach wider, not your heart colder. It should make you more relatable, not more removed.
And that means making it a habit to live with humility and gratitude.
Stay grounded, remember where you started, not to glorify the struggle but to appreciate the growth. Gratitude keeps the ego in check
Lead with humility, titles may open doors, but kindness keeps them open. Treat everyone, from the janitor to the CEO, with the same level of respect.
Invest in others, use your platform to pull someone else forward. Share what you’ve learned, offer guidance, and celebrate other people’s wins without feeling threatened by them.
Keep perspective, every blessing you have is also a responsibility. Success isn’t meant to set you apart; it’s meant to empower you to give back.
And above all, be authentic, never tradeing your values just to fit into spaces that weren’t built for your truth. You can grow without losing yourself.
When we do these things, we remind ourselves that success doesn’t have to separate us. You can be a CEO and still call your mother every Sunday. You can have degrees on the wall and still greet people with warmth and eye contact. You can have influence and still listen more than you speak.
Humility doesn’t mean shrinking; it means shining in a way that lets others shine too. Your platform isn’t a pedestal, it’s a bridge. Your blessings weren’t given to place you above people, but to bring you closer to them.
Because the real measure of success isn’t how far you’ve come, it’s how many people you’ve helped along the way. It’s how you treat people when you don’t need anything from them. It’s how grounded you stay when life keeps elevating you.
So, as you keep moving forward, don’t let the spotlight make you forget the soil that nurtured you. Remember the people, the places, and the prayers that helped you bloom. Keep your success human. Keep your purpose honest. And keep your heart connected to the ground that grew you, because that’s where your true greatness was planted.
