Definition Of Success

So many people today are still in this error of what success is. Having a lot of money, houses, cars, etc, is a good thing but it is just an aspect of success. You can have all the above mentioned items and more but you are not close to being successful. On the other side, you may not even have a dime in your bank account and yet you are successful.

What is success? How does one achieve success? What does it mean to be successful? What does it take for one to become successful? Success is accomplishing goals that are set to be broken. Success doesn’t just come with the money that can be earned; it has to do with being happy. People make a lot of money and are considered successful, but many don’t love what they do. To me, to be successful means also loving what you are doing. Success can’t be bought, working and striving for success is how it is obtained. People need to love what they are doing in order for them to be successful to me. I believe this because if someone doesn’t like what they are doing it isn’t the right job for them, no matter how much money they make it isn’t right.

There are many different understandings of what success is. Some relate success to money, others relate success to happiness, but it all depends on the type of person.

The definition of success differs from person to person. According to the “Poolside” Cadillac commercial, success is having a large house, nice family and a new car. How is that success accomplished? According to the mainstream media, success is achieved through hard work and perseverance. Not by taking extravagant vacations, or working for only a few hours a day. Success for others on the other hand could be having a large amount of free time. The media gives examples of what they think success is, but ultimately it’s up to the person to decide what is success is.

The meaning of "success" has numerous interpretations, whether it is your own or society's definition. Within Outliers author Malcolm Gladwell explains that being successful has nothing to do with what kind of person you are, so whether you are intelligent and hardworking or lazy and aloof, it depends on your circumstances growing up. Whether your parents happen to be immigrants, you are one of the smartest men in the country or you make a habit of practicing an activity for a certain amount of hours a day, your own personal success, according to Gladwell is defined by the conditions you grew up in; the idea of being successful varies from culture to culture, therefore, there is no definite meaning of success other than one's interpretation.

 Everyone’s vision of success is different. Wealth, happiness, and fame are all the stereotypical goals of the common person’s so-called “American Dream.” My American dream includes more of the first two aspects than anything else. Happiness is the most important; without happiness, wealth and fame are useless. Without happiness, success cannot exist. If you cannot look at yourself in the mirror and evaluate your own life as a success, then why should anyone else consider you successful? Wealth can contribute to happiness. No matter what anyone says, having more material goods makes your standard of living better, which normally is a direct connection to happiness. Fame, to me, isn’t needed but rather acquired through the life of the successful person. A legacy is more honorable than fame, because after death fame is a more humble characteristic. Changing others lives, after they looked at your life in retrospect, makes fame an irreplaceable part in success.

Jacqueline Smith explains how the views of what success has changed from what it used to be in the article,“This is How Americans Define Success”. According to a survey from Boston Strayer University it stated that a vast majority of Americans believe that success is passed on happiness instead of possessions and wealth.

Everyone has their own interpretation of the word success. Individuals might even have their own personal explanation of how they came to be successful. However, these personal explanations are usually incorrect. Malcolm Gladwell, Steve Jobs, and the film, Dead Poets Society have a mutual understanding of success, making them interconnective. Although success can be interpreted in various ways, success is attained through hidden advantages, extraordinary opportunities, and significant intelligence.

A survey done by Dora Mekouar shows that 75 percent of Americans believe they are successful, but what is success? Is it achieving all one's’ life goals, (which only half say they have) or is it being rich, which only 34 percent of Americans believe is important (Mekouar).

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the word success is defined as, “The fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame.” While this definition is fairly clear, I believe that success has a much deeper meaning, one of which invokes an image of dignity, appreciation, and honor. With this definition of successful, I believe that the only truly successful man I know of is my mother, and while she is not a man, she is just as rich in success as any male in the world. My mom has created herself a tiny slice of happiness for herself and my small family, and along the way she has given away many smiles and laughs when her own happiness was not in ample supply. However, in Things Fall Apart achievement is hardly ever counted

When watching a television show, anyone might see success being portrayed as someone being wealthy, having fancy materialistic items and goes on great vacations. Yes, that might be true in certain opinions but not in every case. My extraordinary father, Matt Mills, is successful, not only in being able to support his family but, also in regards to being a role model for everyone around him. Mills provides his family with everything they need and more. When asked what success he has had in his life he responded with: “My family. My kids grew up to be respectable young adults that I love to brag about to others.” In retrospect, many other people may have mentioned money, having a good job, or materialistic items, when asked this question. Mills

The world is filled with secret formulas for a successful life. The traditional American myth of success is a conception marked by certain individuals and social-cultural conventions. It indicates that honesty and hard work will bring people wealth and good reputation. Besides, on the path to success, people are never constrained by their race, gender or low-income families and they are offered equal chances.

To begin, many people define success as making a lot of money or having a really big house, but in reality it’s so much more than that. The world today commonly associates success with money, talent, and fame. Those who do not work hard or are just merely given such items like cars, clothes, jobs, fame, or houses are actually not very successful at all. For example, people like the Kardashian girls are viewed as gods by society today and have more money then anyone can think of. In reality, the Kardashians were just handed basically everything they now have today and are not successful in the sense of the word. They are not hardworking people who have endured failures and struggles during their lives due to being financially secure from their parents.

What defines success? Is it making a lot of money? Is it getting a good education? Is it becoming world famous? Most people today define success as being these three things. Nowadays the majority of young adults are strongly encouraged to make a commitment to getting good grades, going to university and getting a high paying job. They are made to believe that is the only way they’ll ever be happy. But will that really make them happy? Not necessarily. There’s an old saying that says “Money can’t buy happiness” and it still holds true today. The Narcissism Epidemic a book written by two Psychology Professors reads “On average, materialistic people are less happy and more depressed. Even people who simply aspire to have more money suffer from poor mental health; they also report more physical health problems such as sore throats, backaches, and headaches and were more likely to drink too much alcohol and use illegal drugs. Striving for financial success, apparently, makes people miserable.”

America is recognized around the world as the land of opportunity and the pathway to success; the idea of being successful in our time however is grossly misguided. A natural assumption or belief that everyone has is that people aspire to be successful; a consensus on what that actually means on the other hand appears to be socially evading. Throughout modern time the characterization of success has become convoluted; no longer is achieving a favorable or desired outcome the customary definition. Its mainstream depiction has been aggressively promoted by the more prominent social class. To become part of this social class is the aspiration of many people. However, its pursuit is negatively affecting many lives physically and financially.