Definition Of Success Essay

Booker T. Washington says “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” Before I define success what do you think success is? What are some goals you set in your life? Success isn’t just some old result, it is achieved by efforts, hard-working, having optimism. Success is something that will not be handed to you. You will have to go get it; figure it out your self.
The truth is success doesn’t have a definition. With each person success means something different so there is no real definition for success. I have an example that comes from the book Scratch Beginnings Adam Shepard says “It’s about finding happiness and solace in your present lifestyle.” He means happiness is a part of being successful in life it plays a big part in pushing you forward to do what you want to do in order to meet or exceed your goals in

life. That is really how you achieve success. Adam also says “I learned that we are the product if our surroundings our families, our peers, and our environment.” What he means by this is the things that are around us is what makes us who we are. It’s what really has an impact on our definition of success. Another quote from Scratch Beginnings says “Could be worse. I could be moving for a living.” I was thinking, “Could be worse. I could be broke.” The people who were broken were thinking, Could be worse. I could be locked up.” Which is saying never take what you have for granite remember it could always be worse than what it is for you now. Happiness comes from appreciating what you already have in life.
(Shepard)
Studies about the relationship of happiness and money seem to be a dime a dozen. Money increases certain types of happiness that other things don’t. University of Michigan professors sound that more money means more happiness. Happiness increases along with income up until $75,000, after which point it plateaus. If money can’t buy happiness, happiness just might generate money. Everyone has a different impaction on what success is either that’s with money or without money. (Poppick) Lets take The Great Gatsby for example. “The poor son-of-a-bitch,” he said. Even though Gatsby had money he called him poor because no one showed up for his funeral. Meaning that he was poor with his relationships with people he let his ego get the best of him. Yet he was very wealthy with money he wasn’t truly happy he had no friends and he never got the girl he wanted. Money couldn’t make him happy no matter how much he tried. (Fizgerald)
You don’t have to be happy to be successful.

Sarah Vermut asked What criteria do you use to evaluate yourself? Could it be your bank account, Degrees Collected, Relationships with friends, family? Look up the meaning of Success. Success means Accomplishment, fame, prosperity. We understand that real success is about happiness. This is true because if we achieve the goals we set for our self of course we would be happy. (Vermut) Another way to look at success is to look at what failure means. Failure means failing to achieve aims or objectives. Everyone fails and is unhappy at times that’s why you can’t define success with happiness or how you haven’t failed because even wealthy people go through the struggle. (Mueller) Near the beginning of Adam Shepard says “A shower was not at the top of my priorities.” He is explaining that we have to ignore what is not important for us to complete our task to not let anything get in the way of our goals. Its important to have drive, perseverance, an attitude that focuses on the positive so that success can be achieved.

(Shepard)
Don’t think just because you’re not happy or you don’t have money that you are not successful just ask your self what you wanna do with your life. You don’t have to be better than anyone else. Personally define success and personally define happiness. (Vermut) Adam makes a good point when he says “I opened a bank account where I deposited my entire paycheck.” This shows he was making progress but it tells you that success isn’t something that you gain all of a sudden it takes time and you have to work hard to achieve it. Shepard didn’t have any money and he wasn’t happy yet he was still successful with his experiment. (Shepard)
You can be successful in any way you want it doesn’t matter what money you have or what kinda car you got, you can be happy, sad or mad and still have success. It matters where your heart is and where you have been and if you are satisfied with your life. You define success for yourself you are the only person that can answer that question everyone has a different interpretation of success.