If you look at some of the most successful people, most of them are driven by other motivators besides success. Many are driven to make a difference in the world (Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, etc), others were super super curious (Richard Feynmann, Neil Degrasse Tyson, Warren Buffett) and pursued / stuck with their passions, and others were at the right place at the right time (and of course people are often some combo of all 3). The thing is, very few people just are addicted to success for the SAKE of success, and some of those people have an unhealthy addiction for money. Success is what you make of it. There are many people in the energy sector driven to eradicate global warming and get off our fossil fuel addiction. Many of them will be never known to the world / famous in any way, but they are always looking to make more and more of an impact daily and be successful over time (even if many of them won't ever be rich or famous).