So, I'm at BAM this weekend, and as usual, I become spellbound by all of the collective knowledge that is, literally, at my fingertips as I walk up and down the aisles.
I find it absolutely mind-boggling that you can be in a single edifice, and hold the keys to the entire known universe- ( I was, coincidentally, in the space-exploration aisle). I suppose the same could be said if you are standing in a library, but there is something about those clear plastic wrappings they put on library books that makes what is contained within seem less accessible. But, as usual, I digress.
So, there I am, walking among the aisles of knowledge and I find myself in the self-help section looking at all the titles: The Success Book, How to Succeed in Business, Politics and Love (seems a bit broad to me), 7 Secrets of Successful Teens (almost picked that one up for our 204 library but I figure--one day one of you will write a way better one. PS--my money's on Vivek) etc.
All of these books, all dedicated to the notion of success.
And I started thinking about how many of them there were.
And the next thought was--how do these books ever sell? Aren't all individual ideas of what success is dramatically different?
And now, here we are.
So, tell me--what is YOUR definition of success?
What are the hallmarks, again, to YOU, of a successful person?
How do you judge whether or not you are successful?
Are there different levels, different measures of importance tied to levels?
What do you need to have, to own, to acquire in order to feel successful?
What types of things need to happen in order for you to see yourself as a success?
My mom is going back to school for nursing so she has been extremely stressed out. This week she posted everywhere, told everyone about her A on her essay and test. I've never seen her more proud. I believe success is whatever makes you feel that proud. She accomplished her goal and she felt so good about it. Success is what makes you feel proud of yourself. If you are setting goals for yourself, whether you achieve them or not, you gain knowledge. If you are keeping yourself organized and making your happiness a priority. I think that makes you successful in life. If you aren't ever motivated or if you don't ever reach out for help. If you don't make small steps to bettering yourself, I wouldn't call you successful. I don't think success can be measured. It's just relates to how much it meant to that persons life. Because someone can be so successful by reaching out to a therapist to help selves, but another person can be really successful because they got accepted with a full ride to an ivy league school. They are different but really individual. That's why I think it is how it affects that persons life. For me, I need to feel organized with everything going on in my life. I've been trying really hard to stay on top of everything in my life and influence others to spread kindness. IT's been working, people keep telling me how I make their day a lot better just by asking them how their day is or have a good day. I've been feeling more motivated to do work and end procrastination for summer. So I've been feeling very successful. Making sure I stay on the right path to achieve my major goals in life is really important to me so if I see something in the way I'll make sure its not in my life causing me stress.
ReplyDeleteTo me, success isn't based off of wealth, fame, power or social status. Unless you want it to. My definition of success can be simplified into one word. Happiness. If you are happy with your life and yourself then you, in my opinion, are successful. And whether money, or power brings you happiness is up to you. That is what I mean when I say success is up to you. Whatever makes you happy makes you successful. How I judge whether I am successful is if I had a good day and whether or not I was content with my life and what is going on around it that affects me.
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of success to me means achieving and moving forward from even the smallest challenges. How well you achieved something doesn't have to be important or worth writing a book about. Feeling relieved or motivated to continue is important to me. I can tell I am successful when the stress is replaced with confidence. The things I need for success are motivation, concentration and patience. It's easy for me to get distracted or lose motivation to continue something but I have confidence that re sparks my path to success. There aren't different importance levels to my success because achieving anything is a step forward. I can say I feel more proud when I accomplish something big. I see finishing my homework as a success because I completed something and that's a huge part of success for me.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has different definitions for success based on their own accomplishments. For instance, my definition of success is being able to manage all the challenges that come your way with efficiency. An example would be being able to study for a test without completely stressing yourself out and getting a pretty okay grade. Even if you didn’t get that A, a B could still be considered a success. I judge whether or not I’m successful by comparing the difficulty of the challenge to the result that I got. With this in mind, there are different levels of importance tied into these things as well. The importance is based on the change that occurs afterwards, like whether it was positive/negative thing and if it made any difference at all. I find myself being successful at a bunch of things if I allow myself to see what I’m actually good at, so I don’t necessarily need to own anything to see myself as successful. It really just depends on how happy I am with the result, therefore, in order to see myself as a success, I need to able to get past the things I did wrong, like on the multiple-choice quizzes. Sometimes it’s hard to notice that I got more problems right the second or third time around since I’m too focused on how horribly I did on the first one. However, when I take notice that I get better each time, I’ll consider it a success in the end.
ReplyDeleteI define success as making your dreams come true and being happy. Whether it’s getting your dream job or passing physics, they are all goals that you work at to achieve. A successful person is someone that works hard to accomplish a goal. I judge if I am successful or not by looking at whether I accomplish my goals. I don’t think that there are levels for how important success is because success is important no matter what it is. But, I think that there are different feelings of success because if you are “successful” but you didn’t work hard to get there, it’s not going to feel the same as if you did. To feel success you need to feel relief and happiness because all of your hard work has paid off. I’ll see myself as a success when I pass a hard test or class, after stressing about it for so long. This is when I see myself as a success because I can look at everything at I’ve done and realize that it was for something.
ReplyDeleteThere is no way that success can be defined with only one factor, there has to be multiple factors that play into the overarching theme of success. But I believe the most important aspect of any success is the pride that you take in whatever thing which you were successful at. If you can’t feel proud at the achievements you’ve accomplished, then is it really a success at all? Some of the hallmarks that a successful person needs is that they need to have motivation, ambition, and most importantly, the determination to do what they need to do to improve themselves to become even more successful. Personally, I judge the success of a person based off the achievements they have completed, because it shows what they are capable of doing, and usually shows the qualities that I previously listed. However there is different levels of success depending on how big the achievement accomplished is. There’s local successes, such as passing a test or caring for yourself during a rough patch, and then there is global success, such as a cure for cancer or an end to ridiculous drug pricing. There are subsects between the two categories, however those are the main two categories of success. I don’t need to exactly own anything to be successful with my work, however what I need to do is to get on top of my work, and try to get things done quicker. I’ve been slow with my work recently, and that’s not success, so I’m going to try to improve that.
ReplyDeleteAlthough money is a good marker for success, I think success is measured by happiness. The pursuit of happiness is everybody’s goal in the end. You do most of the things you do because it makes you happy. You have hobbies because that’s what you like to do in your free time that will make you happy. So in the long run, doing what makes you happy is how you become successful in your own way. That’s why many experienced people suggest you choose a career path that you like and not one that necessarily makes a lot of money. Because you will be unhappy everything doing a job you don’t like. To judge your own happiness, you have to reflect on everything you have and see if you’re satisfied. But if you’re never satisfied, you’ll never be as successful as you can be. Sometimes you have to settle in order to be happy.
ReplyDeletePeople always seem to pair succession with money. It's always the more money you have the more successful you are. I have never felt this way. Personally I feel that if you're happy with where you ended up and you're happy with the journey that brought you there, then that's how you measure your success. Succession is a personal view. Sure, other people have an opinion on who is and who is not successful, but does how they see it really matter? If you're happy with where you are and have met or exceeded your goals then that there is all the success you need.
ReplyDeleteEveryone's definition of success might differ. My definition is when I accomplish a goal or a challenge whether it is long term or short term. For example, my ultimate goal and dream are to become a doctor, when I accomplish this goal I have basically succeeded. If you look at success from a smaller perspective I still think that accomplishing little goals still means that I am successful. Most people will measure success with the amount of money or wealth one has. While money is important in this capitalistic and greedy nation, money is not the only indicator of success. I think Happiness is. I am not saying that money is not important, it is because without money you can’t get basic necessities. But being happy at what you do is more important because you can have the money and not be happy. I judge whether I am successful or not by looking and seeing how many goals I have accomplished, but also did I give it my all. There are different levels of importance, for example, for me it is more important to get good grades than PRint in swim. I put my acai mice success over my athletic success. In order to be successful, I need to have a little more confidence in myself and to stop doubting and underestimating what I am capable of. For some reason, I never thought of myself as a success, because I am always compared to other people, whether it is my parents or family who compare me to other people. But since I was a little kid I was always taught to look at other people. For example, my cousins, if they got a higher grade than me on the final exam I was kind of a disappointment and he/she were held at a higher standard. I have always been taught to be number 1 at anything I do, which is why I never thought I was a success since I could not constantly achieve this. But fortunately, because I have gotten away from my family in Egypt, I have noticed that in order to be successful I do not have to be number 1. There will always be people who are a step ahead of me, and getting on their level is what makes me better. So to answer the last question, I need challenges and more goals in order to become a success. I need to gain confidence and not listen to whatever anyone has to say about me.
ReplyDeleteSuccess is, by far, one of the strongest human desires. Each person hopes for success in life, but how does one go about “being successful”? Success comes only with hard work and an uncanny sense of determination, so it goes without saying that it is not easy to attain. Success, in my personal dictionary, would be defined as one’s ability to accomplish a goal, rewarding said person with long term satisfaction and/benefits. If things in life do not help to grow your understanding of the world in some way, there is a good chance that they are not worth your time and effort. Success is not a quantitative measure, but rather a measure of one’s own persistence and willpower to focus on personal growth. The most successful people in life have dedicated their lives to making their dreams become reality, so in all honesty, that’s all it takes to be successful. In our day to day lives, we experience small moments of success that work to build up our own personal repertoires. These seemingly minute occurrences can range from handing in an APUSH packet on time, to finding the time to make your bed in the morning. These small doses of daily satisfaction push us to strive for bigger and better things, ultimately leading us down the path towards The Big Success.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my childhood I learned different ideas of success from my family. Everyone has their own agenda and idea of what it means to be successful. But I don’t think that we should base our ideas of being successful on one person's vision. The goals that I set for myself are set based of MY desires and not what someone wants for me. I think that success itself is a journey and process that requires to overcome many obstacles. I know I’m successful when I’m happy. What really matters to me, should make me happy and if I have to work my way to it I know I won’t stop until I get it. Determination is a major key in achieving success. Without determination there’s nothing really there to push you. My family really motivates me to become successful. My dad set a prime example of getting up when you get knocked down to me. He lost his job a few times but still managed to bring money to the table because his kids were his motivation. Support, especially from my grandma since she stresses on me the importance on becoming happy and doing what I love everyday. She came into this country with nothing and built from the ground up. The respect I see her get is amazing because I know she earned it yet she’s so humble and giving to those who really need it. I admire her so much in this aspect and I know the people around her look at the impact she’s leaving behind her.
ReplyDeleteIf you would have asked me to define success even a year ago I would've definitely said it depends on how much money you have. But in the past year I realized that money isn’t everything, and that true success is based off of happiness. I've always loved money and expensive things, but I started to realize that materialistic things don’t really do anything but maybe look cool. This was really apparent to me over the summer when I spent almost 300 dollars on these gucci flip flops that I was so excited to get, but after I got them I realized that nothing changed in my life and that all I had done was wasted my money. The flip flops were no different than a 5 dollar pair of flip flops, It was one of the worst decisions I ever made but it was also good for me. It brought me to realize that even if you have all the money in the world it doesn't really matter, what does matter is happiness and those who are happy are truly successful. But don’t get me wrong I still like expensive things and hope to make a lot of money in the future, I just know now that what is truly important to me is doing the things that make me happy, and that is what being successful means to me.
ReplyDeleteSuccess can be defined in numerous ways. For some it can be fame and wealth. To me the meaning of success is being happy in what you are doing and enjoying every moment in life. Yes, some may say success is not just about happiness it’s also about having money. I understand that everyone loves money. Who doesn’t? But I’ve always believed the saying, “money doesn’t buy happiness.” I believe that this is true because I know someone that believes life is all about earning money. An example of success to me is going to work everyday knowing that you are happy that you love your job, success to me is doing something that makes you happy and that to me is playing tennis. Happiness is success. If I am not happy and not enjoying what I’m doing and a moment in life, I wouldn’t find myself to be successful. For example, why be something you don’t want to be if you have the freedom of being who you want to be. To make things clear, so people will take a job that pays more over their dream job. As of right now this is how I would define success. But things will change. 5 years from now, success for me is working as a civil engineer because that is my dream job. Whenever I try something new feel good about it and feel happy I did it, that to me is the feeling of success. There aren’t really any different levels in what I view as to be successful.
ReplyDeleteSuccess isn't about money or material things at all. It's about how happy you are and how much you love what you do. If money makes you happy, by all means go for it, but it isn't the measure of success in life. The hallmarks of a successful person to me are someone who loves their life and what they do. That's all I hope for when I'm older. The only way to judge if your successful is within yourself. If you feel happy with life and are happy with what you have your successful. No one else can measure it for you. In my opinion, there are no different levels. You are either happy with your life or not. To be successful, you need to work hard and be very determined to reach your goals. You don't necessarily have to own anything though. I would follow my own words and see my self as a success if I'm happy with life and what I have.
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways people measure success and the most common is money. While money may sometimes reflect a person's success, that is not always the case. Someone could just be born into a rich family and never had to work for something a day in their life, while someone else may be working hard everyday and still barely getting by financially. To me success means accomplishing a goal and feeling proud of yourself for it. I judge whether I am successful based on how hard the job was and how good I did on it. There are some things, especially in school, that I may be harsher on myself then others. For example anything higher than a C- on a physic test makes me feel successful because the tests are really hard and a struggle to grasp the concepts. As long as I studied hard and know I did the best I possibly could have, it makes me feel like I have succeeded. However, normally in school I freak out and am super hard on myself if I get anything lower than a B. To me, there are different measures of importance for success. While getting good grades make me feel successful, there are more important things in the grand scheme of things. The things that feel the most important to my future success, are things like college, which haven’t happened yet. Judging whether or not you are successful, varies from person to person. Some people base success solely off money, and while money is important, I base it more on happiness. For me to see myself as a success in the future I need to be happy and proud of who I am and also be able to support myself and my family financially. To acquire this I just need to be determined and stick with my goals.
ReplyDeleteMany people have different views of success but I feel that out of all of the meanings there is a common ground which is goal achieving. Some people may have one big goal others may have many little goals. My goal is to achieve comfort in any way possible. So I would see myself as pretty successful right now. I’m comfortable in my friendships, my home, and most importantly myself. In the future I could become more successful by having a nursing degree and working at a hospital where I get paid decently. I would have my own place and not stressing over not being able to pay bills and I could hang out with my friends and family on the weekend. That is max comfort; which is extremely successful.
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ReplyDeleteThe idea of success varies from person-to-person. Some define success with a large sum of money while others signify fame and reputation. I believe that if someone is happy and satisfied with what they have accomplished, that is success. They don’t need to be the wealthiest individual in the world, nor do they need to be the biggest celebrity of the modern era; if someone enjoys what they do and is satisfied with where they are, they are successful. The only ingredients required for success are joy and a sense of satisfaction. Nevertheless, there are different levels to what people may view with satisfaction: an individual who feels accomplished for becoming a more avid reader can feel the same sense of accomplishment as someone who faced their fear or got their dream job. Ultimately, these different levels of success are determined based on individual values. When I contemplate what I need to be successful, I realized that I overlook the little things, whether it be completing homework, participating in activities I enjoy, or even keeping myself from getting sick; thus, I also believe that in order to be successful, using my definition, hard work and effort must be employed.
ReplyDeleteSuccess is about accomplishing whatever goal and gaining a sense of happiness from it. You have to have the drive to achieve something and really put effort into it. If you haven’t earned it than it can’t possibly be a success. For me, sports are my prime example of becoming successful. When trying to score during hockey, you can’t just walk the field and place the ball in the net. You have to sprint, dribble around defenders, pass, communicate, and have control over the play. There isn’t a moment where no energy is being exerted, or your feet stop moving. The same goes for softball. In order to score you have to hit the ball and strategically make your way around the bases until you reach home. Whether it’s from stealing, another person bunting to move you over a base, or running like hell when the ball is hit, there has to be effort put into returning to home plate. An unearned win makes me even more miserable than a loss. If I didn’t do all that I could have done to help the team win, than I didn’t do my job. I would feel like I let the team down as well as myself. Earning a win makes players happy because the work that they put in during practice, transferred to the game and made the difference. Of course there are some successes that might not seem to hold the same importance of others. Graduating college and learning to ride a bike aren’t exactly on the same level. One took at least four years while the other may have taken a day or two. Both will result in joy and accomplishment, but they aren’t quite the same. My dream in life is to become a veterinarian. I’m going to need to go through college and vet school, and then go through the many steps of being certified. Although it’ll take a while and most likely be a pain in the ass to wait for, in my eyes it’ll be well worth it. I’m unconditionally happy when around animals at home or at a zoo. Helping wounded animals and caring for them would just have me oozing out happiness. When I can wake up and smile because I love what I do, only then will I say I am a success. I don’t need to make a crap ton of money or have a huge house to be considered successful. I just want to live life with a purpose and be happy.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, success means progress. Every step you’re making towards whatever goal you have means success. And I think whatever you do with your life, as long as you’re happy- that also makes you successful. Setbacks happen, but as long as you keep moving forward I think that’s what really matters. In my eyes, my sister is someone who I view as very successful. She’s disciplined and works hard for what she wants. She makes opportunities for herself, which is something I really admire. Is she rich? Definitely not, but I don’t think money is a valid measure of success. You could be wealthy, but if you stepped on people, or exploited them while trying to be successful then I don’t really think you are. To figure out what I have to have to be to consider myself successful is kinda difficult- I don’t think I’ve reached that part of my life yet. But for me, to get to success I feel like I would just have to be productive and make sure I get my stuff done.
ReplyDeleteSuccess is solely based off happiness. If someone is happy living under a bridge, even though they are low standards, they are successful in their own way. Even though having ton of money may seem successful in the public eye, many wealthy people haven’t found their true happiness and are unhappy in some way because they haven't fully succeeded in finding happiness. Personally, if I get a job I hate, but I get a lot of money for it, I would be so sad everyday. I couldn’t imagine doing something everyday that doesn’t make me happy. I believe there are two levels of success, one is personal success that makes you happy with yourself, and then there is success with your family, where you will do anything to help your family grow and stay together, maybe even giving up that thing that brought you personal success. In order for me to be successful, I need to go into a career with soccer, have my own house, and start a great family and raise my kids very well.
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