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 Bryan) 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?
Why did you not just stay in the space-exploration aisle? At your fingertips was humanity’s finite understanding of a perhaps infinite universe: infinite wonder on a finite number of pages, which most likely had some beautiful pictures of nebulae and stars dotting humanity’s horizon on the frontier of awe and uncertainty. “Success” is a human invention; should some other life form (perhaps an intelligent one) exist on one of the billions of worlds revolving around a seemingly insignificant point of light in “our” sky (which is immensely likely), that life form would most likely have a radically different opinion of “success” than humans do, yet that life form would gaze upon the universe with perhaps the same (or even greater) level of wonder that humans (who actually read the books in the space-exploration aisle) do. The universe may not be constant, but its existence would most likely seem so by another life form on a distant planet. Because the universe, and, therefore space, would seem this way to another life form (tangible, understandable despite its mysterious qualities), the idea of space is a valid one to consider, as it most certainly defines all life in the universe, while “success”, a human invention, disappears the moment humans do and, thus, is not constant. It is of my opinion that if something is not long lasting, such as the human race or its values, it is not worth long lasting thoughts. “Success” lasts one lifetime (humanity’s as a whole); the universe lasts billions and billions and billions of lifetimes (seeing the births of billions and billions and billions of civilizations with different values), so I distribute my thoughts to both subjects accordingly.
ReplyDeleteAlas, I do find myself occasionally thinking about “success”, and I always have something to say about everything, and “success” is no exception: I hope with all my heart that the term “successful teen” remains the oxymoron it is today when I am an adult. In this instance, I use “success” in its most banal sense; its corporate meaning: make a lot of money! Teens should be poor (money-wise), as it is in times of hardship that people grow to their most dazzling heights, and during teen years, growth increases exponentially. (Sorry, Bunje, my version of “Seven Secrets of Successful Teens” would most likely come across as morbid and discouraging.)
So, anyway, I obviously disregard the corporate notion of “success”, but there is a definition of “success” that I do accept—my definition, of course. “Success”, in my eyes, is the extent to which one’s level of genius has been used, not in a utilitarian or scientific way, but in an accidently utilitarian or scientific way. It is different than “talent” though: a genius has talent, but not all those with talent show signs of being geniuses. Arthur Schopenhauer, a philosopher almost as badass as Friedrich Nietzsche, explains, “Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target no one else can see,” and I try to follow this by not looking at the best way to solve a problem, but by not looking at the problem altogether, instead preferring to throw darts randomly at radically different dart boards (or even into open space) representing radically different fields and schools of thought, and thinking (but not hoping, as hope could produce a bias in thought) of the possibility that a dart hits a board no one has yet seen. This is success. To do this, one must be educated on other’s thoughts, but must also be willing to think on his or her own for the sake of thinking, not for the selfish reason of solving a specific problem. Think randomly and one will discover things that would not have been discovered, or even explored, otherwise. To think to solve a specific problem is to shut oneself in a box with no air holes. In short, to be successful, do not try to be successful; do not be useful; be. Too often is humanity trying to find cures to all problems he thinks of that he overlooks cures to unseen problems that may manifest themselves in the future, but, more importantly, thinking to think is more fun than thinking to be of use.
DeleteSo how does one judge “success”? One does not. To judge “success” is to efface any possibility of forging it on one’s own, as the time spent judging “success” could have been used to actually pursue it—but remember, “success” is to be pursued indirectly, as it is a byproduct of original thought thought for the sake of thinking; just think about it.
Even though “success” is essentially a measure of genius, that does not mean that genius should be measured; it does not mean that “success” should exist in the minds of thinkers, as I doubt it does in purely intellectual ones. However, “success” is important as it has an affect on the world: genius can drive the world toward peace or destruction or understanding. My brain cells are dying as I write this; I can feel it and it hurts. I am not successful because I am thinking about success not for the sake of thinking but for the sake of thinking about success, thus my time is not well spent. This is how I judge whether or not I am successful: by the type of pain my brain cells feel. If they sting, I am successful; if they ache, I am unsuccessful, as truth (and, therefore, wonder) and boredom hurt in two different ways. Boredom could be the result of disuse of thought or thoughts of unimportance to the thinker, and the latter is a much more serious ailment as a true thinker should see the importance in everything; so, therefore, I am not a thinker.
In order to be successful, one must have two things: a capacious brain and a cramped mind. The brain must be roomy in order to allow the mind the space to wander around as it pleases: the brain should have information stockpiled not in vaults or safes, but spread across desks as it is constantly looked over by the mind. Through all this looking through past information, along with darts thrown out into the darkness for the sake of throwing them, is genius found and is success measured by a brain with information locked away in vaults safeguarding it from the constant fires caused by a chaotic mind attempting to impersonate another.
DeleteRemember, in order to be successful, do not try to be successful, but it is also imperative to know (not to believe) that one can know. Famous asshole Henry Ford, whom I hate dearly despite loving his quote, spoke, “Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're probably right,” and he was right, not because of his quote’s wit, but precisely because he was thinking.
Well, the definition of success is: “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose”. And I agree with this definition. In my own words, success is accomplishment. People associate success with money, or sex, or whatever but it’s really just accomplishing a goal (that may involve money or sex or whatever else). Since everyone has different goals, it makes sense that everyone’s idea of success is different. For example, I really believe success comes from happiness for me. If I’m happy, than I’m successful. And the things that make me happy are really simple like sunsets or pink clouds or dogs or ice cream. I just really appreciate small things and small moments. I’ll be successful if I hold onto those little things that make me happy. I’ll be successful for as long as I’m happy, basically. Here’s a quote that I have totally memorized because I constantly preach to people about success and what it really is:
ReplyDelete“Success is not the key to happiness, happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing you will be successful” -Buddha (even though people claim this quote doesn’t actually come from Buddha...it’s still a good quote)
I love little things, genuinely. And I love talking to people. And I love nature. And as longI keep surrounding myself with and doing the things I love I’ll be successful, I really believe that. For some people, money might actually bring them happiness...I can’t tell anyone what makes them happy. I mean I don’t believe in monetary happiness, like I don’t think you can put a price on it, but maybe that just means that I can’t. Someone else might be able to.
Successful people are happy, period. Some rich or popular person may claim they’re successful but if they aren’t happy than that isn’t real success and they should be searching for success in different things. That’s really the only hallmark. Happiness.
I judge whether or not I’m successful based on how happy I am. If suddenly running stops making me happy or sunsets or puppies or mountain climbing or walking trails, then I know that there’s something wrong. I know I’m not fully okay, and I’m not fully happy which would mean that I’m also not successful. When I was dating that asshole you met in Wawa, nothing made me happy. I never really was. I broke mirrors all the time and walls and windows and cried and freaked out a lot and hated sunny days. The only thing I looked forward to was my own bed and pot which is really sad after a while. That wasn’t a path to success, it was a path to depression again and I just realized one day because I couldn’t even pet my dogs without crying.
There are different levels, but I don’t think they’re significant because nothing compares to ultimate success which to me would mean ultimate happiness. You can be sorta happy, or mostly happy, but in order to be entirely successful and to really feel that sense of accomplishment you have to be entirely happy. I think that’s the purpose of life to, maybe. If everyone was entirely happy imagine how positive the energy would be? Everything would be so much healthier. Anyway…
For me personally to be successful I need happiness. I find happiness in solitude, nature, music, friendship, thought. Lots of things, and lots of simple things like summer carnivals and the sky.
All in all, if I can feel myself or see myself really smile a genuine smile, that's how I know I'm a success.
Success is different for everyone. Everyone has different goals of success, some are extreme and some are in arms reach. Success can be divided into categories or you could base your success on an overall goal you want to accomplish. Overall, success is setting a goal and accomplishing that goal in the best and quickest way possible to make you happy. If you set little short term goals you could have successes everyday, or you could have a huge goal and not be able to succeed in accomplishing that goal for a while but eventually when you do then that is true success. Success can either be a long curvy road or a walk across the street but in the end the only thing that matters is if you are happy. If you accomplish a goal you set for yourself but you still find yourself unhappy then that is not success. You need to walk away from your accomplishment knowing you did the best you could do to do it, you can’t walk away without feeling ecstatic because success is the combination of achieving goals and achieving happiness and you can't have success without both.
ReplyDeleteYou could be a billionaire and have all the money you could ever want and be consider the most “successful” person in the world but if you are not happy then what's the point? But, you could live in a box, have nothing, and still be happy. If you are happy with living in a box then you are successful. You accomplished your goal of living the way you want and you are happy, that is success. Success isn’t money. Success is happiness. Everyone has different goals and different ways they define success but if you are happy and living the life you want, then to me, that is success.
Everyday I have a goal to make at least one person smile or even laugh and everyday I accomplish that goal and that is one of my successes. Everyday I succeed. By setting daily goals you can be successful every day and not have to worry about not having any success. Success can be accomplished at any time, day, year, whenever, but it depends on what you consider a success. Small or big, it doesn’t matter as long as you are happy. Everyday I am happy because I succeed in the small goals I have for myself. If I didn’t set these small goals then I wouldn’t feel successful because I wasn’t accomplishing anything. I obviously have long term goals that I will one day accomplish and on those days I will have accomplished 2 goals, 2 successes, all while being happy.
The goals I set everyday are just little successes, 1/10 on the success scale, but my long term goals that could take years are huge success, I give them a 11/10 on the success scale. Some goals I could even accomplish in a month, they get a 6/10. Success can be small or big but the little successes are just as important to be able to reach the big success. As long as I am happy through it all then it is success. The work to complete the success could all be thrown away in the end if you aren’t happy. Success will not happen without happiness. You accomplish goals to make yourself happy, not anyone else. So if you are happy then you are successful no matter what the goal. No one is more successful than anyone else, success is something only you can judge, only you know your happiness and even if you haven’t accomplished half of the things that the next person has, if you’re happier than you’re more successful. Achieving happiness is true success, without it you’re just a person who accomplished goals, not a person who achieved success.
My definition of success is happiness that is achieved through some form of effort; it’s the happily ever after that comes as the result of an arduous journey. To me and many other people, a successful person can be described as, of course, happy. This image of success is projected throughout our society, from social media (with pictures of content couples, captioned “relationship goals”), to advertising (“if you had this product look how happy [and successful] you’d be!”), to television (when the final contestant is cheerfully crowned in a competition show). However, within our capitalist society, success has become synonymous with money; wealth is the means to happiness, and therefore the means to success as well. This blog question made me think back to our reading of “From the Frying Pan into the Fire” because it explains how having a happy life is everyone’s goal, yet people are made to think that money and materialistic things are needed to achieve this goal- which is why having a big house and a lot of expensive clothes has come to equate success in the eyes of society.
ReplyDeleteEven though I’m not old enough to have a career and be making buckets of money to project my “success”, I find that capitalism still influences my personal judgements of success. We are taught to believe that grades and test scores reflect how much wealth we will acquire once we reach the workforce, and since I want to be happy in life, I tell myself that I need to get good grades so that I can make a lot of money so that I can be happy; I sacrifice my time and energy in school much like the average employee sacrifices their time and energy in a cubicle from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday. I tell myself that I’m a success only if I receive the best grades, and mark myself as a failure if I fall short of my high standards. My need to be successful is what drives the majority of my learning experience, not actual learning itself. This is the reality the majority of students face in a system that says that we are only as redeemable as our highest test score.
The biggest struggle I face is deciding whether to focus on either my long term or short term success; “Long term” meaning getting good grades so I can secure a stable job and make money in hopes of being happy one day, and “short term” meaning spending time with my friends and making memories and being happy right now. It’s hard to find a balance between the two. I’m constantly torn between wanting a “successful” future and wanting to live in the moment- is it unethical of me to choose grades over close friends? Or will I look back in 20 years and wish I focused more on school? I know that money doesn’t necessarily guarantee happiness, but not being able to support yourself or your family definitely doesn’t make achieving happiness any easier. I just don’t want to look back on my life and regret wasting my time on things that didn’t make me happy, or “successful” in the end.
People say it all the time, “Work hard now, be successful later.” Or they’ll ask, “Don’t you want to be successful?” Sometimes there’s the occasional, “You look like the type of student to grow up to be a successful adult.” And of course there’s DJ Khaled’s ever so infamous, “Keys to success.” I never really thought about what “success” really means to me, because I just always went with the generic definition: money money money. But in actuality, no amount of money can buy a person all of the other things in life: humility, love, happiness, wisdom. So I suppose, someone who has truly achieved success will have to have everything. The best of both worlds, if you will. The right amount of love, the exact measurement of financial stability, a dash of wisdom, and a gallon of happiness. But then again, that simply would be success in regards to well-being. Congratulations! You’ve succeeded in surviving as a human in modern society! But what about personal success?
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of success, I think of goals. So if we want to win mock trial championships next year, and then we do, we will have been successful. If I want to break the world record for pie-eating, and then I do, I will have been successful. Setting a goal, and achieving the desired result, both come together in a gigantic pot of hard work, sweat, and tears, to ultimately cook up success. So I judge my success by my results. However there’s still the underlying mixture of spices that were thrown in the middle. If I succeed in my goal, but I cheated, then that’s not a success story at all. I don’t always think the ends justify the means. If one achieved success, but lied and cheated and tricked their way there, then they would have lost all integrity, and thus, taken away from all the joys of their success. And there draws the line between a person who achieved success, and truly successful people.
A person who achieved success could have gotten it anywhere. They could have stolen it from someone else, bought it on the black market, tripped over it and then picked it up off the ground. But a successful person got there on their own. A successful person stuck to their moral standards and worked hard and still came up with the desired results. A successful person has drive and tenacity, and doesn’t jeopardize their integrity in their quest to achieve their goals. And once again, I’m discussing personal success, but success isn’t universal.
What seems as a success to one person will not be a success to another. In our capitalistic society, where everything is a competition, it’s only natural that where there is a winner, there is also a “loser.” Hitler must have thought the Holocaust was a “success” in rebuilding Germany’s economy, yet the Holocaust was a failure in that it took the lives of 12 million people. So what one views as a personal success could actually harm mankind thus rendering the success meaningless. But does that mean that every success has to be measured in importance based on how it can help mankind? Or does it go: succeeding to exist, personal success, and then how much one can help society? Is it a hierarchy of success where one person’s achievement reigns superior over another’s? I actually don’t believe that’s it. I think success is entirely objective (hence this blog question) and so people can really only rate their own successes. Another person’s success is not up to be scrutinized by the collective whole. A small child feels as though learning how to add 2+2 is a success. No one is going to yell in the kid’s face that 2+2 is easy and that he shouldn’t feel successful because, “Look! This scientist and that scientist invented this and that! Your 2+2 means absolutely nothing!!!!” But there’s no doubt that people judge other people anyway, so the best way to overcome is to truly believe in one’s own success.
To “feel” successful and not just “be” successful, there has to lie worth in one’s success. The little kid placed importance in figuring out what 2+2 was, so when he/she figured it out, it was a big deal. If the kid didn’t think math was important, figuring out that 2+2=4 would mean absolutely nothing to the child. Making it to mock trial semi-finals this year was a huge success to me, because I placed an exorbitant amount of worth in it. If I didn’t care about mock trial at all, then I wouldn’t care that we “only” made it to semi-finals, and didn’t actually “win.” Passion can breed success. Acquiring passion can lead to setting goals, which can result in a planned endeavor and a successful outcome.
DeleteThe definition of success varies among us all. For some people success is money and/or fame, while for others it is a matter of attaining some sort of stability, whether it be with their family, their significant other, or themselves. The underlying elements in all definitions of success, though, include the ability to reach set goals, accumulate victories, progress in life, and accomplish one’s desired results. Henry David Thoreau explained that, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Personally, I agree with Thoreau’s statement, in fact I would like to elaborate on it even more. I believe that success involves the ability to set goals, develop skills, and maintain a course in the face of obstacles. One who accepts setbacks as nothing more than a challenge to overcome, is truly successful.
ReplyDeleteMany people would draw the line at “good enough”, but a successful person would ask himself’/herself “How can I make my work even better?” It is easy for anyone to cheat their way to “success” and some are even handed “success”, but a “truly successful” person would never risk jeopardizing their integrity, rather, they would work harder to achieve their goal.
I judge my own successfulness based on these philosophies. For example, this week our AP Calc teacher asked us to take a practice AP exam, and this practice exam counted as a grade, we were able to take it home, and it also served as an indicator to see how well we would do on the actual exam. All of the answers were online. How do I know this? Because she told us. However, I can honestly say that I did not look at the answers online, I answered the questions I knew, attempted the ones I didn’t understand, and just about completed the packet. Some things, I still didn’t understand but rather than simply copying the answers offline, I went back into the notes, or asked her myself. I feel as though my actions were similar to that of a “successful” person.
My Steps to Success:
Step 1: Develop a dream, goal or objective, whether it is short, simple, complex, whatever.
Step 2: Ask yourself what you want in life. Wealth? Fame? Good grades? A family? A new job?
Step 3: Start planning your life around the things you know you want.
Step 4: Live the life. Don’t wait for it to be handed down to you. Don’t wait for a miracle. Begin your journey. It’s all on you.
Step 5: Be consistent with what you want in life. Don’t give up! Take it one step at a time!
Always remember that “true success” is not found in the destination, it’s found in the journey that brought you there. You must want the destination, in order to make your journey worthwhile.
Everyone has their own definition of success in life and in business. And many measure their success in their own standards. The dictionary defines the word success as "the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence." To me, success is the result of great effort one puts in. When we set goals in any area of our life, we need to determine beforehand what our intended results are and how we will recognize it when we get there. Being able to measure success and keep track of your progress helps you to stay motivated and focused. Keeping track creates anticipation and excitement. This positive energy helps you to head towards the direction of our goals which multiplies your results.
ReplyDeleteMany pursue the wrong things in life and actually live unhappy lives and even though they may have money, prominence, fame and power, they may even end their lives prematurely or they may make their lives miserable by the very things that they thought would make their lives a success. But, success doesn’t basically deal with materialistic things, it is tied with broader concepts such as happiness, overcoming hardships and achieving certain goals. The one who is determined to meet their full potential will be the one who becomes most successful. The true indicator of success isn’t determined by their accomplishments, but rather how they feel after accomplishing it, such as happiness, contentment, and satisfaction. If these feelings are the primary factors when measuring success, then the amount of money one possesses is really a smaller factor in measuring real success.
There is no specific definition to success. Some may say success is becoming wealthy with an ideal life. I believe success is simply achieving and hopefully exceeding the goals you have planned for yourself. Being human, we know it is hard to reach a point in our life where we are actually satisfied and feel accomplished, so if we one day feel this way I am certain we have reached success. In order to be successful you have to have tough goals to reach also, ones that involve putting in hard work and dedication because it is that which takes you where you want.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, one of my main fears in life is to not be as successful as I been hoping for. I have had goals set for myself since I started school, short term and long term. Some I have accomplished and some I have been very close to like getting straight A’s for all four marking periods (something not so major). I am just afraid of not being what I always wished to be. I know I mentioned that dedication and hard work leads you where you want but sometimes I feel as though I’m simply not good enough to possibly be the successful person I want to be. To me, to be successful a person needs to have the right mindset. This includes, staying positive and not giving up no matter what the case may be. Trust me, the harder you strive the further you’ll go. Also, you have to physically want it. Being lazy or acting as if nothing matters won't get you anywhere. Personally, for me to become successful all I really need to do is maintain the mindset I have of never giving up or letting anything stop me. I should continue being dedicated to school and planning goals for myself that would benefit me. I have been told over and over I have what it takes to become anything I want so maybe I should take that into consideration and stop doubting myself.
For as long as I can remember, I was taught that having a great job and being rich was “success”. As my dad likes to say, “Go to school, study hard, and work.” Or as Jessie J would say, “It’s all about the money, money, money.” Of course, that’s what society has wired into the minds of many, but I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Success is not limited. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you look like you can be successful. To me, success means starting from the bottom and working your way up. Its an accomplishment. Its a feeling of victorious, of happiness. I guess, the idea of one day being rich is so prominent among us, it just kind of stuck with the definition. But hey, if you put your mind and heart to something, you can achieve it.
ReplyDeleteI picture success as this giant obstacle course (American Ninja Warrior type course). You start from one end and make your way down to the other, with tricks and challenges along the way. It is never easy. That’s why you set little goals for yourself in order to get to the big goal, take the heat one at a time. And if you do that, you find yourself one step closer to your desired end result. What that result may be, I don’t know. It can be as crazy as being the first to finish a 12lb burrito (there’s an actually video of a guy eating a 12lb burrito. A little disturbing, but interesting) or as lame as being the top FIFA player in the school. Like I said, if you put your mind and heart to something, you can achieve it.
Because everyone has a different goal, and idea of success, you can’t really judge if one is successful or not.I think success is more personal than anything, or it should be. My success shouldn’t interfere with yours. You just do you, man. If you have a goal, and you achieve it, then you are successful. You did it. You got to where you want to be. Done. Simple as that. It shouldn’t be made out into a competition (Like how everything in this world is). A friendly competition maybe, but not one of jealousy or hatred. Stop comparing your goal to someone else’s because that will only blind you from seeing your own goal and your own success. I think a lot of it has to do with confidence. We feel like we can’t achieve our goal, or our goal is not as profound. Maybe that’s why it’s an obstacle, not an easy-pass lane. I don’t know, maybe I’m just rambling now. But just know, if you are happy, and doing things for yourself, then you are successful. As a man once said, “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”
I honestly keep forgetting that we had a blog this week even though I read about it on Monday. But, I was at BAM today, so that made me remember! So here I am writing about success, a concept so abstract as many people have their own definite definitions of this word. Success to one person can be becoming rich in the future. While to another, it can just be living happily. I believe that achieving your goal makes you successful. It’s as simple as that. Your goals are your goals. And success is success. Both ideas take time to accomplish, but there isn’t a concrete direction that one must go to achieve either. And once one achieves his goals and dreams, he will find success. But the only way he can become successful is if he shows a certain degree of determination and drive and dedication. As to me, success depends only on two things: work ethic and emotion. You can only be successful if you work towards your goals and believe in them. Because, if you’re not passionate about your work then along the way, giving up is always going to be an option when the results aren’t what you wanted. Just like love, I don’t think that success should be measured. But, sure I understand why there are “levels” to it. People like to think that achieving tiny things are nothing in comparison to bigger and better accomplishments, but the fact is is that those little things add up and eventually form the “bigger and better” success. Every little thing counts and those things that were done are big successes in the long run because without them people wouldn’t have the chance to reach and achieve their dreams. I judge my success on how hard I work and how I feel doing and finishing things. If I work on a drawing or painting for hours and feel great about it afterwards then that’s a success in my books. If I don’t study for a test and fail it then that’s not a success. Easy as one, two, three.
ReplyDeleteYou really don’t need anything to FEEL successful. However, BEING successful is another story. In order to feel successful, you only need to feel. You need to feel as if you’ve accomplished something important to you. You need to believe that you’ve done something great. It’s just like seeing yourself as beautiful (even though everyone is beautiful and should ignore people who say otherwise). Even if others constantly tell you that you are beautiful, you won’t feel beautiful until you believe that you are. Well, actually I guess that the sense of belief in yourself is one thing that you need to have in order to feel successful. Really, the only things that need to happen in order for you to see yourself as successful are actually achieving your goals and dreams, or, at least, a portion of them, like the little steps that were taken that eventually lead to the big steps and big accomplishments, and a great support group. Everyone needs an awesome group of people who push them to work harder, encourage them along the way, and help them with anything. Success is a team effort. Three-fourths part you and one-fourths part others. Because without other people, it really is almost impossible to reach any sorts of success. All in all, the only thing concrete about success is the fact that it is an abstract idea. So abstract that the only way to figure it out is to go on your own journey and find your own success by accomplishing your goals.
Success in my definition, means to achieve goals that I set for myself. It can only be a success when my target goal is reached and I am satisfied with the outcome. I judge whether or not it is a success by the result in the end. If the outcomes is beneficial and favorable to me, then I would say it is a success. For me, unsuccessful means when someone fails to achieve their goal or when the outcome in the end does more harm than good. There are definitely different levels of importance when talking about success. For example, the most important part in achieving success for me, is to always have positive spirit. No matter how impossible the goal is, one must have positive energy. Another factor in achieving success is the people I surround myself with. If one surround themselves with negative influence, then obviously they might not achieve their intended goal. Always surround yourselves with positive energizing people who encourage your goals.
ReplyDeleteThe most essential thing we need in order to achieve success is friends. Not the fake ass friends, but the friends that genuinely care about each other. Those friends will help encourage you when an obstacle hits your path. The path to success will be easier with the help of your friends. In order to be successful, we must have no regrets in the end. If there are even a little lingering of regret in the end, you failed. When I do not have any regrets with my outcome, that is when I know it was a success because of what I did. Also another important part that defines success is the fact that it should be beneficial to yourself or others. Selfish goals which are intended to hurt others are not considered successful goals to me.
Honestly, success to me has changed over the years dramatically. When I was younger, success was measured in the amount of new toys I got and how many desserts I could eat in one sitting-- before dinner ;) . As I got older, pre- teens to be exact, I had this notion that success meant A LOT of money, a BIG house, LOTS of cars, a WHOLE BUNCH of jewelry and new clothes and a beautiful family. Now, as I've gotten a lot older, my definition of success has changed once again. To be “successful” doesn't mean you have to be rich or famous. To “succeed” in life you don't have to be a billionaire in a mansion. Success is intangible and can't be measured on a scale or put on a spectrum from least successful to most successful. My definition of success is someone who has reached their personal goes-- not the one society wants you to reach. Someone who has achieved success, to me, is someone who is HAPPY in life and what they're doing and how they're doing it and where they're doing it. As long as they are happy, they have succeeded.
ReplyDeleteSome hallmarks for a successful person, very vaguely, to me, is happiness as I said before. Happiness doesn't mean rich or poor, no cars or five cars, minimum wage or $100 an hour… NONE OF THAT. Yeah, by society’s definition of success, if you have one or all or even more than the qualities I listed, then good for you-- you're “successful!” But in the grand scheme of things, like I said before, happiness can't be judged or measured. If you're happy with where you're at and where you're going in life, you've reached success in my book, but of course you're not going to be successful in society's book. You can't simply “judge” or “measure” “success” or how “successful” some is because it's different for everyone. Someone who is rich and happy is successful in their book, just as a person who is barely getting by but is still happy is successful in their book. Success is more of a feeling than a status-- does that make sense? Statuses include things like lower class societies, middle class, and upper class, but there's no such thing as a success class in society-- even though plenty of people would put themselves in it for reasons like being rich. Success is more of a feeling than a status because no one is classified by success, it's all about how you feel about your life and the things and people in it.
I'm not arguing that rich and famous people aren't “successful,” what I'm arguing-- wait I'm not even arguing I'm just telling you how I define success… anyway-- is that people are plenty successful without the money and cars and houses. Of course there are different levels of success, there's always different levels because of variables like exceptions, but that doesn't mean one person is “more successful” than the other on a different level, there's just different kinds of success. You can be successful in the job you have that you've always wanted, or you got married to the person you're in love with, or you finally saved up enough for your own car ( even if it's a hand-me- down x178227), or if you have the most beautiful family you've always wanted.
DeleteHappiness is key and success is the lock. If you've acquired happiness, you've unlocked success and it's yours now baby! To be successful you must own what you're proud of. There's no list of things you have to check off to make sure you have them all before you can be successful, it's about what you're proud of owning. You must acquire everything that makes you happy. It doesn't matter how many things you own or acquire, as long as they make you happy, then hey you've already succeeded. For me personally, to be successful and to feel as if I have succeeded, I must accomplish all the goals I set for myself that make me happy. That includes, graduating high school, going to college, graduating college, get a job that makes me happy, get engaged to the guy who makes me happy, get married and have children who make me happy in a cute house that makes me happy and raise my happy family that makes me happy. I won’t see myself as “unsuccessful” if one or two of those things don't happen or if they happen out of order because all that matters to me is if I'm happy at the end of the day.
When I think of success, I think of people who accomplished something throughout their life. For example, I think of Mark Zuckerberg as a very successful person because he runs a worldwide company. Based on figures such as Zuckerberg, I think success is any accomplishment that someone does. A successful person is someone who does something that is worth remembering. Whether they are remembered in the hearts of their loved ones, or remembered for doing something great for the world, they are both still successful people.
ReplyDeleteThere are different levels of importance in things people do. To measure where an accomplishment falls on the scale, we need to come up with both ends of the spectrum. We would need to find what the best accomplishment is (maybe winning a purple heart) and what the lowest success would be (possibly brushing your teeth in the morning). I judge if I am a successful person by my actions. I think that I have done things that other people will remember, so I'm pretty successful so far on my journey.
In order for me to feel successful, I need people around me. I believe that there's no point in being a big success if there's no one to share the success with. Sure there is a sense of self accomplishment when you do something successful, but it is much more enjoyable when there is someone to share it with. In addition to people, I need the right attitude to see it as a success. If I have a bad angry attitude towards something, then I won't see it as a success because I didn't enjoy doing it.
Not a lot needs to happen for me to feel a sense of accomplishment. I try to focus on the little things in life, which is probably why I see accomplishments in my life every day. For instance, getting above a 70 on a calc quiz is an accomplishment. Many people may be discouraged over this grade, but I see it as an improvement from some of my other test scores. Focusing on the little things is where we will see the most successes in our life; and noticing these accomplishments makes every day a little better.
Dammit my whole life, success has been based on monetary things and my whole life my parents have forced me to always worry about money-whether it'd be them telling me or the way they let money control their lives. It is crazy that my parents for a really long time had a lot of money, like tons, but even then I would never say they were successful. They were wealthy and I think success can definitely have some wealth, but dammit they had no success. My parents aren't happy. My parents always worry. They have no comfort in their lives. They are poor. They are at loss of some many great things. Success comes in self evaluation. You see success in yourself and you determine it, you feel it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe success comes in two levels, the ones you feel and the ones that society deems successful.
I see success in people who live their lives with love, who don't have to stress about things like money and selfish issues, and who are completely content with the world around them and the life they live. That is success.
Maybe I have such a hard time figuring out what I want to do because I want to expect so much from my future. I want to find success as if that'll solve all my problems, but my future has no path. I have no where to go but expect so much. I don't even know if expecting a lot is bad.
Anyways, you don't need to own shit to be successful, you just need to feel successful. You just need to feel like coming to wherever pays your ass makes you happy and pays you enough to live comfortablely. I mean if you want to live on the edge and struggle that beats for a hell of story. I don't even think you need much money at all to have success, I think you just need to feel and give love. Which, especially from me, is the weirdest corniest jack shit I've ever said, but it is true. I don't know when I started to believe in love so much and it has nothing to do with anyone in my life...but I think it is a really important thing. Success is in family. Success is in who you surround yourself and who raises you and how much love you got. It isn't about the struggle or the story because everyone has that-it is about the thing that most people dont have, a home. Not a house!!! (peep reference to ts/td thing)
"A successful woman is one who can build a firm foundation with bricks others have thrown at her.” – David Brinkley
ReplyDelete”IF PEOPLE ARE DOUBTING HOW FAR YOU'LL GO...GO SO FAR THAT YOU CAN'T HEAR THEM ANYMORE.” – Melanie Ruiz.
Every person has a different definition of success. My parent’s definition might be something along the lines of making good money and marrying a doctor, but then again they grew up with almost nothing. Often success is overshadows happiness, which to me is the real success. It seems in life we only pursue the idea of happiness and never fully grasp it. Or on the contrary forget it is something we deserve and desire, so instead we stay focused on how life is “supposed” to be. Wealth and the social bracket aren’t the only things in life one should strive for. There is emotional, physical and spiritual success. Peace and balance with all three should be a primary goal, which is often not the case. The two quotes above come to mind when discussing the topic of success as well as the ten plus sayings hanging in my financial literacy class with Wise. Which ironically enough, that class is all about saving and earning money which in Wise’s eyes is the key to success. But then again we did watch the movie ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’, so maybe he believes in both.
If my parents and life has taught me anything it’s that never allow waiting to become a habit. And not because they outright said that but because I was a stubborn child who liked this a certain way and didn’t accommodate to change very well. So when I didn’t get my way I always wondered why I couldn’t change it, because there HAD to be something someone could do. So that’s why my motto of life is to never settle for anything. Whether it be clothes or a career choice, I choose happiness to conquer all which inevitably should lead me to success. There is no real judgment of success or anything because judgment is just criticism brought upon from prior stereotypes and upbringings. Success like art has no limit. Levels is society’s invention, otherwise everyone is successful on their own terms.
In the type of world we live in, if we choose to fit with society one must graduate. Graduate from high school, graduate from college and maybe even grad school. That is what is called successful. But it’s nothing without a job that pays well enough to pay all of the debt you’re in from pursuing the same “success”. I want all of that, a good family one day that I am genuinely happy with. I want not to be bored with the average routines and be spontaneous for once. I want adventure, excitement and surprises that never end. That is my definition of success. To live each day to the fullest while providing for the future and the future success that will follow. Success isn’t limited to money, but to have big dreams an even bigger wallet is needed to fulfill them. However going against the mainstream, success can be found everywhere and anywhere. The biggest dream you have, once accomplished that’s known as a successful person. To complete all you’ve ever want to do in life exactly like planned or unplanned and even better, is the greatest success of all.
My definition of success is reaching a point where you are happy. I think it's an important thing to be able to say "I'm as happy as I have ever been" because most people cannot say that. Although I believe money is always an important thing to have, I don't think it's what really makes a person happy. Happiness comes from something different. It comes from the nights out with your friends and the rainy days where you can sit and drink tea and look out your window. It's something unexplainable and different for every person. The hallmarks of a successful person are realizing that you are not happy, working towards that happiness, and finally finding that happiness. I believe sometimes you may have to repeat this process because you don't always get it right away.
ReplyDeleteTo judge if you are successful or not, think back on previous weeks, months, and years. If you can easily say that you are happier than you used to be, you are successful. Even if you think that you haven't reached your happiest yet, you're still happier than you were before. You will just continue to become more and more successful if you continue to become happier and happier.
I don't believe any level of success is more important than the last because they each mean something different. You reach each level by doing different things and they're all important.
In order to feel successful, I need to have taken a break to think about where I am now and where I was before. I sometimes don't realize how my mood and motives have changed. Once I sit down and go through everything that has occurred recently, I can come to a conclusion. Either that I am successful or that I am not and that I need to work on being successful. It's a constant process for me and I'm always working on it and I hope that one day I will be able to say that I have reached my happiest.
Success is the idea that a person accomplished what they set out to do. Everyone has different goals, so success has many faces. A common goal is to be financially stable, so getting a pay raise would be considered a success with that goal in mind. In order for a person to be successful, they have to achieve whatever steps they planned for themselves before. Therefore, success is a very personal thing and people should not judge others based on their own goals.
ReplyDeleteIf I’m going to evaluate myself right now, I would say I’m successful at this point in time. I’m involved with extracurriculars that really matter to me, I am surrounded with good people, and I am finally getting an idea of what my future holds. I am content with what’s going on with my life right now.
Not all successes are the same because not all goals are the same. Finishing Chemistry with an A average seems arbitrary compared to one of my more important goals to raise children when I am older. Seeing a grade on my report card makes me feel good for a while, but it only affects the academic portion of my life. Having my own family is going to be one of the biggest parts of my life for most of my life. While I am impressed with myself for pulling off good grades with such a demanding class, I won’t ever think about that particular A as much as I will about my kids.
As a 16 year old, it is difficult for me to envision myself as an independent adult living on her own. Eventually, it would make me feel good about myself if I could afford to pay for my own living space and car and gas and food and clothes. When I get to that point, that’ll be a huge success for me.
When it comes time for me to raise a family, I envision myself working less hours and/or working from home. In some way or another, I have to be my own boss so I am in control of how much I am working. I want to be a fully committed mom. So maybe that means I will be an older mom, but that’s fine with me.
A successful older Melissa will be fully trilingual (at least). She will be attending Broadway shows on the reg. She will be cooking up some mean empanadas and chorizos and arepas. She will be playing with her adorable kids. She will be the best Melissa Vargas I can ever dream up, and I am so proud of her already.
Success comes in many different forms, and everyone defines it in their own, unique way. Success is what you are granted when you meet your goal. When your goal is met, and you worked hard to achieve it, and everything around you is turning out well, you’ve reached success. The most popular way to describe success for most people is money. A majority of the population considers success the earning of a lot of money and for example, a large house, or huge important job. That is what most people associate success with. To me, success is not money. It is not some big, fancy mansion or some huge job for like the government or something. Success is all about your meeting your goals and how you feel about your own self-being. A truly successful person does not revolve everything around money. They revolve around their happiness, their family, how hard they work, etc. Money does not ever automatically equal success. There are people out there who hold a ton of money, and are not successful because of their actions and personality traits. Yeah someone could live in a mansion and have everything they want, but if they are alone because they are such an awful person, they are the complete opposite of success, they’ve failed. I believe I will grow up and be successful. I will be successful because I will work hard to achieve all of my goals, I will be happy, and I will have a great life and family because that is all you really need to be successful. Right now I am successful because of how I am living. I am working as hard as possible in school under the conditions of stress, ocd, lupus, soccer, all that dumb stuff. The important thing is that I work hard and am happy. One of the main parts of success is happiness. You could be a millionaire, but if you aren’t happy who really wins? To be successful you need to live happy or it will never truly result in success. There are not really different levels to success. You either feel successful and live happily or you do not. To key to seeing myself as a success would be to achieve all of my goals in my future. And for right now, get a job. I know I said money has nothing to do with success but you do need to have a somewhat job with some money because otherwise you cannot provide for yourself. Now, I really am not contradicting that you do not need money to be labeled successful, however, without any money you would end up homeless and no matter how happy you are, homelessness is not really a successful life. But as long as you have some money to put a roof over your head, you are happy, you achieve your goals and work hard, you will be successful.
ReplyDeleteSuccess varies for different people. All of us have different goals, and different steps to achieve success. My definition for success is happiness and motivation. Cliche, I know. But, in order to be successful, you need to find happiness. Without happiness, life is so dull. I have a better time achieving success when I’m cheerful. First: you need to list your goals. I have a list of goals in one of my drawers and it has about 10 things on it. I want to accomplish all of them, but I need motivation and happiness. I have happiness, but I’m still trying to find that motivation.
ReplyDeleteMy second step is: find ways of achieving your goals. This varies for everyone. I’ve been finding many ways to achieve my goals and it has really helped me. Lastly: you have to be patient. All goods things happen to those who wait. I believe I’m successful. I have been through an abundance of things, and achieved many things. I successfully achieved Varsity Scholar, Varsity swim, karate medals, good grades, etc. Being successful doesn’t mean you have everything; being successful means you have everything you have ever wanted.
I love hearing, “do you want to be successful?”, but I never know what they mean. Successful in what? In general? Absolutely. But, I want to be successful inside and out. Having a caring heart and a healthy body is what I want from the inside. On the outside, I want a long career, a loving husband and family, good friends, and a lifetime of happiness. As I’ve grown I became more aware of what I wanted. Back then I didn’t really know what I wanted, but ever since I’ve set up personal goals, I’ve known. This makes it way less stressful to think about the future and it gives me hope. Something I believe in,
Success is completing your goal. Success is setting out to do something and going through with it no matter the obstacles. Success is hard but worth while. Success means you went out and did what you had to get done what you had to get done. A successful person must be determined. To be successful like I said before you have to set your goals and go through with them no matter what is in your way. You must be determined if you want to be able to go through obstacles. With determination you also must be patient. Patience will come in handy because success does not come in the blink of an eye. Success comes after lots of hard work and you have to be patient enough to wait and persevere through the long hours to become successful. You must also be strong/strong willed. This is helpful because with being patient you have to be strong enough to put yourself through the obstacles to become successful. Success is not easy so you must be strong to put yourself through whatever and be determined enough to say "keep going". The very last feature of a successful person is hopefully happiness. Happiness is the ultimate form of success, it is what we all want and work towards. For levels to success I guess there could be a few. The lower levels of success would be success in things not as important. The lower levels consist of success in work or with money while the higher levels consist of success in recognizing self worth and finding happiness in yourself as well as your life. There is quite the difference between working success and making money and then happiness success and being comfortable in your own skin and with your life. For me to consider myself successful I would have to be happy with where I am in life. I have set goals for my future self involving finishing high school and college, having a well paying job, buying a house, etc. However my more important goals include falling in love, getting married and building a family with the person that I love which hopefully is my best friend. Being happy with a family to surround myself with is the ultimate form of success. To be successful I would like to be surrounded by happiness, joy and love. A smaller goal of mine is to travel the world in its entirety. By this I do not mean visit every freaking place in the world (although I would not complain if I could) I only mean traveling the world and seeing many if not all places. Doing this I could possibly call myself successful. Traveling makes me happy and at peace so going through with this would make me happy in the end making me successful.
ReplyDeleteSuccess is hard to measure, but I would say that it is the amount that you achieve in your life and contribute to society. A successful person is someone who had many good achievements in their life, such as having children, finishing college, etc. I don’t think it is a question about if you are successful or not. Everyone finds success in something, but it is about how successful you are. Success is measure by how much you achieve and contribute, so a person who achieves more and contributes more to society is more successful. Some things that you do count as less points of success. For example, volunteering at a local food bank is very good, but curing cancer is obviously much more beneficial. Both are good, and somewhat extreme, but there are obviously things that are more beneficial and less beneficial.
ReplyDeleteIn order for me to feel successful I need to get my engineering degree, and get a good paying job. Then start my family and basically live the rest of my life, maybe write a novel. There are so many ways I hope to be successful since I am still just 17. Other people have to acknowledge that I am successful before I see it. It’s not that I need other people’s approval or anything, but when many people see you as a successful person, you know that you made it. In my opinion everyone is successful in their own ways, they just need to find that thing that they excel at.
What is my definition of success? This is probably the toughest question (at least for me) that has been asked in a blog. In all honesty I’ve been thinking about how to know if I am actually successful. After a couple hours of thought and a three hour nap I have finally come up with my definition. So, success is simply when you’re able to do something you’ve always wanted to do or at least have fun doing. There are plenty of people that have money and the means to be “successful” but often despise what they do, how can you really be “successful” if you hate what you did to get there? You simply can’t, you have to have joy in your life in order to be successful or otherwise is pointless.
ReplyDeleteAm I successful? Well right now I am, my two passions writing and running are happening at the same time which brings great joy into my life. I personally don’t think society would agree with me because how much money you make determines your amount of success, at least which is what I would imagine most people would say about success. But hypothetically speaking, if the government were ever to collapse, paper money would have no value. Therefore, in the eyes of society there would be no value in success that is if money equals success. If you have pride in what you do, and enjoy what you do then you’re successful.
4 Steps to success:
1. Find your passion.
2. Find your pride.
3. Find you’re what gives you joy.
4. Then do what gives you all three.
Success in my opinion is simple. Just find what makes you happy and do it, love what you do. If you love what you do then how can anyone say that you’re not successful?
There will always be someone better than me. At anything. Ever. The only thing I am the best at is being Kassia Doukhnai. Otherwise, I am not too successful in anything, really. The way I judge success is based around my own goals. For example, my goal for this week in Track practice was to clear 7 ft. Unfortunately, I did not accomplish my goal and thus was unsuccessful.
ReplyDeleteSuccess is different for each person because everyone has their own goals. While one’s goal may be to win a Nobel Prize, another’s may be to earn a certain amount of money from working at a job. Of course, there are varying degrees of success. Earning a High School Degree is much easier than graduating from Harvard University with a Doctorate, in any given subject. The amount of time and effort put into completing the task at hand determines the degree of success.
In order to see myself as a success, I need to set reasonable goals. It’s nice to dream and all, but let’s be real. I’ll never be on Broadway and I’ll never have the money to go to NYU for Physical Therapy. By setting realistic, tangible goals for my future, I can be successful through the accomplishment of those goals. After accomplishing these goals, there may or may not be a physical reward. If the success deals with money, than money is the reward for accomplishing the goal. Though, if the goal deals with clearing a new height in pole vault, the reward for achieving success is pride and confidence.
My definition of success is setting a goal for yourself and then working hard to achieve this goal. There’s obviously no real way to measure success. To be successful you have to accomplish something. It doesn’t have to be big. Accomplishing little things can make you successful. Everyone has their own goals. And then there’s two levels to people’s goals. There’s little everyday things that people try to do and if they succeed in doing it then they’re successful. Then there are goals that people make for themselves that they work really hard for. These goals are harder to accomplish but if they accomplish them then they’re successful. You are successful whenever you are able to accomplish something whether it is a goal or an everyday thing.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think that waking up and getting out of bed for school makes me successful. Sometimes when I’m laying in bed and I really don’t want to go to school, I force myself to get up. I’m half joking when I say this because there are definitely people out there who dread coming to school. The idea terrifies them. So being able to get out of bed and face whatever fears they have about school is brave of them. That is what makes them successful. So maybe this is another way someone can be successful. It’s not always about accomplishing a goal, you can be successful when you can face your fears and overcome them.
The things you need have in order to be successful are goals, a willingness to work hard, and the ability to overcome anything. Goals are a big part of being successful. The definition of successful is literally “accomplishing an aim or purpose”. When you set goals for yourself, you’re setting up accomplishments. Goals make you work harder for what you want. When you work hard you will eventually be successful. Having the ability to overcome anything makes you successful because you are able to face certain things and not let it affect you.
I definitely have goals. And I have fears that I have yet to overcome. For me to be successful I have to feel like I actually accomplished something. Sometimes it doesn’t even relate to my goals or my fears. There’s little things that make me feel successful. Like getting out of bed, eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep. These little things make me feel accomplished. Whatever I do, as long as I feel like I did something I know I am successful.
In this world success is measured by how much you gain. If you earn more, you are more successful. Success is also directly related to what we believe our purpose in life is. The real purpose in life is to love and be loved. Therefore, success is being happy and loving others genuinely. The hallmarks of a successful person is genuine happiness, wisdom, and strength beyond imagination. They have been through the ups and downs yet came out on top because they saw something to look forward to, love. These people never stopped fighting and never stopped their climb so they could gain the maximum amount of love.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, there truly is not a measurement of success in a person’s life. Everyone has a different journey in life and as long as they felt they loved the everyone in their life with all their heart, they are successful. Doesn’t matter how many people were in your life, it only matters that you did all you could with the materials provided. You can not reach a maximum level of success because is unmeasurable for the individual.
The only way to obtain and feel this success is to open yourself up to love. Share your love with someone else. Yes, it can be scary but it is worth the wild because life was meant for the living and loving people. We were meant to care for others. You will see yourself as successful as soon as you open your heart up. It’ll make you feel good and brighter every morning up. The atmosphere will change around you and you will happy and loved in return.
Success? According to the Wolf of Wall Street, the key to success is drugs and money. That’s a little true. About half, and if you’re sick and want to succeed in getting better, the other half too. Yeah idk why I felt the need to add that reference and bad joke, I just saw a tweet about. Great movie btw, if you haven’t seen it you definitely should. Oh look, another pointless intro paragraph.
ReplyDeleteThe google definition of success is “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” I completely agree with this definition. This may seem as taking the easy way out (using google’s definition) but it’s really what I believe is success. Achieving what you want to achieve. People seem to believe that a successful person is the guy with the big house, all the money, is a doctor blah blah all the material things. I think what would make someone successful is simply happiness. If someone is happy with a minimum wage job then personally I might look down at him if I have a very good job, but in the end if he is happy he is succeeding. TO put it simply and concise, success is completing the goals you have set for yourself, and being happy. I still don’t know what I’m gonna do with my life, but if I’m happy, I’ll succeed.
Happiness is the key to success.
Success has no fixed definition. It can be interpreted in many ways with everyone having a different, yet similar, understanding of success. Starting from birth, we have been told by the society and our parents that success is achieved when you get a good job and earn lot of money. In our capitalist society, money has become the symbol for success. More money = more successful.
ReplyDeleteAccording to me, success is achieved when a goal or task is completed with all honesty (and sometimes hard work). If my goal is to climb the ranks for the chess team so we can be champions again, and then if we come in first again, then I have completed my goal with all honesty and hardwork. Therefore, I have been successful. If my Academic Team’s goal is to win a trophy, and then if we do with the help of the proctor, then I have completed my goal to win a trophy but I have not been successful because we cheated our way through the contest. If my goal is to get good grades in math, and then if I end up getting an A+ without studying or doing practice problems, then I have completed my goal without doing any work. That says that I already knew the material so I just took tests and aced them. I don’t get the feeling of being successful because I really wasn’t now; I was successful when I first mastered the material. Reinforcing the same knowledge of the same topic to achieve the same goal without any hard work is not being successful. If one of the variables in the equation of success is not there, then the equation falls apart and success is not achieved.
Success can come in different sizes with different importance. One can achieve success by simply learning how to ride a bicycle while other can achieve success by reaching the summit of Mt. Everest by climbing. Success can mean the whole world for someone like trying to get a good job or get into the dream college, or mean nothing much like trying to figure out the answer to a complicated math problem.
There is a difference between feeling successful and being successful. In order to feel successful, one needs to pretend to do, or actually do, the “subtask” leading up to the task and victory. For the Academic Team, the subtask could either be to study more or to contribute to the team folder by adding more information to it.
In order to see myself as a success, I, first of all, need to get rid of all my bad habits that would interrupt me from doing my tasks or subtasks. One of my biggest and worst habits ever is laziness and procrastination. These would interfere with my task by delaying it until the last second (whenever that is) and decreasing the overall quality of the result from the task.
My parents usually associate “success” with a good paying job that gives money to support myself in the future. “Work hard, get good grades, focus on school, etc." Usual things a parent would say to their kids to become “successful”. So if you earn a lot of money in the future, my parents would say you are successful. I view success as something a person gets by overcoming obstacles that block their path of life and feeling confident when achieving it. Judging success lean toward a personal thing like no one can truly say you are successful so only yourself can decide on that. In order to achieve success, one must rise up and battle against anything that blocks their path. One must have a goal or target in mind while battling their obstacles. After overcoming those obstacles , one might feel stronger and more confident in their skills. That is when you are gaining the feeling of success little by little. Once you reach your goal, you fully achieve success.
ReplyDeleteIf I am still unclear, I will create an example. I want to play tennis while I am in my best state, physically and mentally. In order to achieve that goal, I must play against others, work on perfecting each of my skill shots, increase my swing speed, and think while under pressure. While working each obstacle at my pace, I start to feel stronger and more confident in my own abilities. Day by day, I am working towards my goal and becoming stronger as I progress. Once I complete my goal of playing tennis in my best state, I achieved success and feeling a sense of accomplishment. I work hard to get where I am, but I still have ways to go. That is what I see as a form of success.
To be successful is to be content with your life. I don't think success is determined or defined by money. Sure the celebrities with millions of dollars are "successful". But are they really? A lot of celebrities aren't always happy. Money can't buy happiness, no matter what anyone says. Whether you're homeless or a millionaire, you have to be happy with what you got. The hallmarks of a successful person to me is: someone who is happy, like genuinely happy. Happy with their life, happy with their friends, work, everything. To determine if someone is successful, is up to the person. Someone has to ask them self "Am I happy with myself?", and until they can answer that truthfully and come to realization that they're happy or not, then they can be/ become successful. I'm not sure what things you'll need to be "successful", because successful to me is happiness. I don't think that there's anything you "need" to be happy. There's something in life to be happy about. It can be the smallest thing that makes you happy. Your dog can hiccup and that makes you happy, or you can get a 100 on a test, or you just got a car, ANYTHING can bring happiness. People need to do whatever it is that makes them happy. And when they do that, they will be successful. (Sorry I know this technically should be longer, but this is what I got)
ReplyDeleteEveryone has a different definition of success. In general, most people think of success as being rich, famous or living in a mansion but personally, my definition of success is reaching your goals. Whether you're a teacher, millionaire or even a Disney princess, if that profession is what you've always dreamed of, then you've been successful. Success is just a measure of how have fulfilled your goals. Extravagance nor salary determines how successful a person is. If you want to know how successful a person is, ask them what their goals were/are and see if they've reached them. Otherwise, you can shallowly judge them and think to yourself, "oh they're not successful because they don't have a nice car or a nice house." Success is a personal feeling for everyone and is not to be judged materialistically. Although success seems pretty immeasurable, society finds ways to put success on a scale. In many cases, success seems directly related to salary and things. We always praise famous people and millionaires because we envy their "success" when really, they're just rich. Rich and successful are not synonyms. In effort to be successful, all you need are goals and plans. Once you've reached your goals, you're successful. In order to feel like a successful person, all you need to do is focus on yourself. Of course you can sit there and compare yourself to others and how far they've come but, they have no relevance to your own success. Success is personal, not a standardized path. It's not like you need a certain wage, certain car, certain house, or certain relationships to be successful. Successful is too abstract to be pinpointed. Recognize that you're successful in your own ways. You are the only person on this journey and you're creating your own definition of success. So whatever success means to you, make those ideas into plans. It's hard to conceptualize what "needs to happen" in order to reach success because it will happen differently for everyone. I think for most people, the first step should be realizing who you are and what you want to do with your life. Having a good self-concept will make it easier to realize what you want in life. In return, it will help you formulate your idea of success. It's hard for me to imagine what those books in BAM even say about success. Knowing our society, I would imagine it giving you steps to make money. In my life, my goals are pretty general. First, I want to live as happily and optimistically as possible. I want to go to college, possibly study abroad in España ;), become a dentist, buy a nice whip, marry the love of my life, have some kids here and there. If I meet these goals then I'll be successful.
ReplyDeleteSuccess is happiness. But happiness is made up of many different things. So in order to be successful, I know I'll defiantly need a solid 10 people in my life that will always be there for me and I know how to make me laugh. Friends and family are so important to feel loved and know you are loved. When I'm with these people, I automatically forget about everything and anything and just focus on that moment and I get so happy. I also think that having animal in you're life is when you reach success because my dog was the best thing ever and now that I don't have him it's so hard. He was the best thing that's happened to me and no matter what made sure each day was a happy day in his little world even if it wasn't the best in mine. Sports and good grades are pure self succession itself. You have to work for that and that's something that comes from inside. If you don't have the willpower to push yourself, you will never be successful. For me, college is the biggest thing and as much as a geek or ridiculous I sound I need to make money. I need to make money doing what I love at the same time. I need to support a family, which is my ultimate dream. I need money. Many people will say that too. Untimatley my #1 thing to be successful is a family. My dream is to have a little boy and girl running around with my husband in our beautiful house. I don't care what it takes I just want a happy family and kids that feel loved. That's what I revolve my whole life around which is kind of bad since I can't even get a boyfriend to have a crush on me but I'll get there. To know if you're successful, you must be accomplished with yourself. To be confident is the main idea of succession. After all the work you put into something you would want to feel like you achieved something and be proud of it. There is different levels of success but I guess the same concept. Like I can eat all the food in the world and call that successful but someone else might want a Nobel piece prize but they seriously are equivalent. You put you're mind to something and you do it and you feel great after. In order to see success failure is a must. Just like learning. You need to fail, in some cases you don't, to actually understand what is being presented. You never really 100% understand anything until you've seen the complete opposite like the struggle. Those that are given everything in their life don't know what others who don't have to go through. Not saying that not everyone has a struggle but we don't understand the opposite side of things until we've seen both. So with success, failure is needed.
ReplyDeleteMy definition of success would be accomplishing a goal or dream you have. Success is different for all of us because all of us aim for different things, dream different things, and set different goals. But one thing we all have in common is that the definition of success, to me, is accomplishing that dream, whatever it may be.
ReplyDeleteThe hallmarks of a successful person is them being happy and content with their success. Accomplishing your dream is not worth it if the end result was you not being satisfied or happy. Therefore set a dream or goal that makes you happy, because you will be happy in the process of accomplishing the goal, and you will be even happier once you accomplish the dream.
Considering yourself a successful person is all personal opinion. You are the only one to call yourself successful or not because you have your own personal dreams that only pertain to you, therefore no one can judge or rank your success but yourself.
You can not rank or compare different types of success, because everyone is different and everyone has different dreams. Whether those dreams are big or small, all dreams are important, and no dream should be thought less of than anyone else’s.
In order to be successful, which everyone can be, you simply need to want to accomplish something so badly that you would do anything to achieve it. Having a dream is the easy part, but accomplishing it is the hard part, but the best part because then you can consider yourself successful.
To feel successful, you need to have that wanting feeling of accomplishing your dream because if you do not, then you will never feel the sensation of success.
To see yourself as successful, you need to work hard. Working hard is the key to any success and without it you will never accomplish anything. Also, after working hard for something you want creates an amazing feeling of success once you achieve your goal.
Everyone’s success varies because everyone has different dreams, but the things that everyone has in common is that you need to want to be successful and you need to work hard for it. If everyone in the world does this then everyone will be successful, happy, and content.
I thought 3 questions were a good amount to do :)
ReplyDelete2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
Never trying is SO much worse. I am living proof. Since freshman year, I have been too afraid to run for class office and have regretted it. I feel like I have so many ideas and I am very limited or not able to contribute them to my class. I am so afraid to try and run that I will lose, that I never ran. Now it’s going to be my senior year! I am also really glad that I joined lacrosse before it was too late. The real reason I didn’t join lacrosse sooner was because learning a brand new sport scared me! But when everyone starts a sport, no matter how old, they are learning how to play the game. It’s really cool now to see myself grow much more as an athlete and I regret not trying it sooner.
6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
I think that playing the role of Sebastian for little kids would make me the most “happy money”. For one, I felt the happiest playing that role, even though it wasn’t my dream role! And then after the show, the kids’ faces lit up as I talked in my Jamaican male crab voice. I loved meeting them, taking pictures with them, and making them laugh. It’s something that I literally could do for the rest of my life.
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Always be kind to yourself and others. You never know what another human could be going through. Be nice to everyone, especially if they are not the nicest to others or even to you. Kill them with kindness! Also be kind to yourself. Other people will not be as kind to you! You need to not be hard on yourself and love yourself. It is the key to a happy life. You are good enough, and you don’t need anyone to tell you otherwise.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
Here’s how I would plan out my day with different people:
Surprise trip to FloridaaAAa! Kassia, Elena, Melissa, Sammy Haley, my sis, and my parents and I would all take the plane to Florida and go to Disney World! I would also bring along my dad who lives in Florida. I’d love to spend time with him because we don’t really get to see each other that often. We’d just have the best day all together. Go on all of the rides, take lots of pictures, (stalk cute boys @jenna lol), and just talk and laugh together and blow all of our money! I want to get so much Disney merch, that I drown in our hotel room. We’d also go to one of the best hotels at Disney, and use all of the cool amenities. Money won’t even matter after that day, so why not just have fun and blow it all?! It would probably be the happiest and best day ever, because Disney World is literally the happiest place on Earth for me (kinda having withdrawal from spring break *crying emoji*) :)