In Chapter 4, the authors further discuss the issues of identity by exploring how sub-Saharan African immigrants perceive and define success. The major reason cited for immigrating was education, which was also perceived as a definition as well as a criterion of success.

Analogies have a way of expressing thoughts that the plain word cannot. The common analogy related to success in a hierarchical place like the United States is that of “pulling oneself up by the bootstraps” and having a strong work ethic. This is not only a contradiction in terms, as it is impossible to raise oneself by tugging on the loops of one's boots, but also a myth given the many systemic barriers that make it difficult for some groups to succeed, no matter how hard they work. The idiom incorrectly presupposes that we are all given the same chances on a level playing field and the environment is the same for all, that we all start at the same point, as in a race, and end at the same place called the “finishing line.” The huge responsibility placed on the individual and the multitudes of factors that the individual has no control over are totally disregarded. It is like expecting someone to pull themselves out of a six-foot hole without any assistance. If the person succeeds, there is usually no recognition and appreciation for managing such a feat, especially if they belong to any of the minoritized groups. At the same time, factors and privileges extended to some individuals in the dominant group that allow them to thrive are downplayed.

Conditions for human development may be explored from a psychological approach and might include dimensions such as physical, biological, and cultural, as well as individual and social potentials and the immediate and external environment and their influences. Gone are the days when nations used to be measured by gross domestic product (GDP) and gross national product. These days even the bottom line has been replaced by the triple bottom line. Human development and well-being have been incorporated into the index of assessing a nation's success.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) understands human development as “expanding the richness of human life” (UNDP n.d.a.). The approach goes beyond simple measures of the richness of an economy. Instead, the UNDP's human development approach looks at people's lives, their opportunities to gain skills and use those skills, and to have choices in how they fulfill their potential.