Definition Of Success

Success is an interesting word to all of us, from the earliest age even to the grave’s edge we cannot be indifferent to it. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines success as the fact of getting or achieving wealth (“Success”). However, an

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.

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.

Being successful in life is not always easy, because of different ways that success can be achieved. With many theories out there on success, it is hard to figure out what is needed to be done to gain success. In everyone’s lives there are many different beliefs out there that can lead to it. In the book “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell, there are numerous theories that are covered with examples of successful people. They clearly show how success can be done in not just one way but in many others. The most known people that are considered to be successful are billionaires and celebrities. They all have gained success in their lives in their own diverse ways. A good set of successful people in the world today to talk about are Mark Zuckerberg, Whitney Houston, and Nicholas Sparks. These people all come from different backgrounds before gaining their success. Malcolm Gladwell discussed many theories in the book “Outliers” that can relate to the success of the people mentioned above. The true knowledge behind success can be achieved in numerous ways.

Success, as described by Winston Churchill, is “…going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” This has taken on greater meaning in our modern day, as the path to success has seemingly become more complex. Is the American dream still valid? I would say yes, considering that we are currently in a recession. The term “American Dream” is used in a number of ways, but really the American Dream is an idea that suggests that all people can succeed through hard work, and that all people have the potential to live happy, successful lives. Many people have expanded or refined the definition of the American Dream. This concept has also been subject to a

When you think of the word successful, there are many things that come to your mind defining it. Inevitably, the word success in some way means some kind of positive progress; in a world where we stereo-type everything though, there is a perfect picture idea of what is expected to be able to fit into the category of what is known as successful. For this reason the people you think of being successful are those who are the most well-known and wealthy; those we classify as celebrities or famous. Margaret Mead says, "For many Americans, the concept of success is a source of confusion. As a people, we Americans greatly prize success. We are taught to celebrate and admire the one who gets the highest grades, the one voted

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

Success is, in many ways, a branch of perspective, and yet societal norms seem to dictate what many view as success. Through my personal experience, and through the reading of Frederick Douglas I believe that the idea of personal success in correlation with perspective is a subject worthy of debate. Dissecting the difference of what many view as success and what may actually be success is essential for growth personally, and for people collectively. For example; currently many in our society view success as the acquisition of a copious monetary status, usually preceded, or followed by recognition for actions, ideas, etc… whether or not one views these actions or ideas worthy of widespread recognition(IE, success of socialites who may have not actually contributed to their own success). Many would believe that figures such as Paris Hilton, and Kim Kardashian, who are viewed as successful women, are successful based on who they are, instead of what they’ve done, while others believe these women are role models for business and personal marketing in the 21st century. I myself believe that success is not based on how any group views you, but on how you view yourself, and measure your own success; based on where you started in life, your goals, and your level of pride in your actions.

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.

Webster defines success as “achieving wealth, respect, or fame.” However, my definition of success revolves around much more. Personal success, in my opinion, is achieved by the amount of happiness experienced by others around you. Being the good in an otherwise bad day, bringing a smile to a depressed face, or encouraging someone around you to try something new are all ways I feel triumphant.

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.”

Everything present in the universe is a relatable term just like the word ‘success’. Like most of the definitions, the interpretation of success varies with the people’s perception so it is rather impossible to understand success in a simple way. In the present era, most of the people relate success with the materialistic achievements such as wealth, power and fame while some prefer to evaluate success by assessing the contribution of the person to the society. Many great poets, politicians, writers and songwriters have inked their own version of the definition of success and one of the great many quotes by Bob Dylan is “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” Dylan

Albert Schweitzer once stated, “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful”. If you ask different people what success is to them, you would most likely get a variety of definitions. Some might say that success has commenced when one has finally gotten that $200,000 dream car in one’s garage. Others might say that their belief of success has established when one has found true happiness in life. Someone could be extremely wealthy, but at the same time, extremely destroyed and confused inside. Would you still consider this success? Success can be interpreted in several different ways. However, true success should not only be based upon wealth and materialistic goods, but rather on bliss and contentment.