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What is success? Owning fancy cars, wearing stylish clothes, having a home with a labyrinth of rooms and ceilings that reach for the sky, having trophy cases filled with awards, being on the big screen, having unlimited wealth and riches? All of these objects and titles are considered indicators of tangible success which satisfy us for only a period of time. I disagree, prosperity, happiness, goals and growth of oneself are more rewarding indicators of success. Although many believe success is only seen as a visible object which provides satisfaction and recognition, with time the feeling fades, and produces a longing for more. Intangible success has greater benefits and is more satisfying than tangible success causing you to accomplish greater …show more content…
It may seem too cliché when people say humility is the key to success, but it is. Humility prevents arrogance and self-indulgence which can be caused by obsession over success. As Duckworth remarks in her TED talk, “we have to be willing to fail, to be wrong, to start over again” accepting failure gets you on your feet (par 10). You accept the status you have fallen to and know you have, and can do better. This is the compensation of humility, acceptance of others and yourself which motivates you to succeed knowing the standing of lower individuals, appreciating more what you have achieved. On the other hand, greediness causes you to focus on self-indulgence and want to please those around you in a negative form. You’d rather be known to many for a short period of time, psychologist call this phenomena “approval addiction” where you choose to be mediocre in order to be accepted (Siebold par 10). You prefer to lower your expectations and conform to the crowd, instead of appreciating and achieving great feats. You allow society to manipulate your actions, and dictate what you say, whereas having humility allows you to grow from your faults. Leaving you with a window to see how you have progressed and succeeded. Therefore, is how humility makes intangible success feel much more
The American college dictionary defines success as 1. The favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors, 2. The gaining of wealth, possessions, or the like. This has been the general seances for the past hundred years or more. But in more modern days the prospective of success has changed slightly. It has shifted to having a good education, going to collage, getting a carrier getting married & having children. Having your own home and eventually dying and passing it all on to a child or children. Success is no longer satisfaction or personal goals. It has been supplemented by the goals society has preset for the populous that have been drilled into the minds of the young from the very beginning. To a man named Santiago in The Old Man and The Sea by: Earnest Hemingway, success was to conquer the Marlin Santiago had fought for so long. But as a cruel twist of fate his success is taken away in an instant when the prize he had fought so hard for was eaten by sharks, leaving Santiago with no spoils left to show for his hard fight. He was even so crushed by of the loss of the Marlin that he cried out to the sea "I am beaten.....hear stands a broken man" (234). Santiago still experienced success in the fashion that when he returned to port the little boy named Manolin that he had taught how to fish earlier in the novel was allowed to come back to fish with him. This was the ultimate form of success that was perceived for Santiago by Hemingway. To Jean Valjean in Les Misreables By: Victor Hugo , Valjean's success was represented in the form of going from convict to loving father of a daughter. The little girl named Cosette may not have been his true daughter, but after he had had dinner with a bishop that had seen the possibility of good in he started the transformation of his life. he met Cosettes mother and vowed to save her daughter from the place where she was being kept. The success Valjean experienced was what made his character the man that he was. But to Willa Cather in My
Success can be an extremely broad subject. There is an abounding amount of different views on what the “true” definition of success is. Personally, I believe that success is finding happiness. Success is waking up in the morning and not having to worry about whether or not the bills are going to be paid this month. Success is having a job that you enjoy going to every day. Success is having friends and family who love and support you. Success does not mean that one has to be exceedingly rich or have a lakeside mansion. As long as they are happy, they have succeeded in life.
´´ If one advances confident in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. ’’ These words were spoken by Henry David Thoreau.Success is within the mind of the individual. A large portion of one´s life is spent working to become successful. People are told throughout childhood to work hard so they can grow up and achieve all of their dreams. But success takes many different forms. Different people have different interpretations of what success means to them. It does not matter how related they are to each other in certain áreas they always have a different point of view of what success really is. For some success is measured by social status and wealth
Over thousands of years people have been driven by success, but what is success? Success to me is the ability to perform at your highest level in the path in life that you take. I believe that if you are not driven to be the very best at the things you do then it is not a calling. There are plenty of opportunities in life and you should take everyone you get. Success is a word that is on a broad spectrum, there is no single definition to the word. I define what success is for me. There is no set image of success, success is also constantly changing. The word success means achieving what I want to do in life, and to prosper in the situations my life has put me in.
Angela Lee Duckworth claimed grit to be the key to success. During an interview, she defined grit as “the disposition to pursue very long-term goals with passion and perseverance.” (qtd in Raz). Duckworth also mentioned that she wanted “to emphasize the stamina quality of grit. Grit is sticking with things over the long term and then working very hard at it.” (qtd in Raz). “For the last 11 years, Angela Lee Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania has been conducting groundbreaking studies on grit -- the quality that enables individuals to work hard and stick to their long-term passions and goals.” (Perkins-Gough). Grit may be seen in several of characteristics throughout others. Although we may have different characteristics, my brother and I both comprehend grit to be the key to success.
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 triumph 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. Nevertheless I myself believe that
Every day we study and work to seek success. Everybody want to be successful, but not everybody know how to achieve success. There are a lot of elements that affect success. Usually people think that success is come from individual thing, such as 10,000 hours of practice and motivation. Those factors are personal responsibility, they are the factors in people’s hand that can make success .Actually there are other factor that is outside of our control, but really affect our opportunities and success. According to Malcolm Gladwell, Carol Dweck and Daniel Pink; I found that these uncontrollable factors are ecology, growth mindset, Matthew effect and cultural legacy can have a positive effect on opportunities and success.
As I continue to grow and mature into a young adult, I have begun to realize that the word “Success” can have many different meanings. Depending on the person you’re discussing it with, they may see it differently than you do. The media and society have convinced us into accepting a misleading meaning of how success should be defined. Many people who are rich and seen as successful are often very stressed out and struggling with everyday life. Although, this is something that society often decides to look past because the rich are perceived to be very content and joyful with the way they are living their lives, almost as if they have nothing to worry about because of their success. When talking about success, people need to take into the account that the definition can have a variety of meanings, not only is success displayed from finances, but somebody could be considered successful for other things they do as well.
Success is within the mind of the individual. A large portion of ones life is spent working to become successful. People are told throughout childhood to work hard so they can grow up and make lots of money. But success takes many different forms. Different people have different interpretations of what success means to them. For some, success is measured by social status and wealth; for others success is determined only by the amount of happiness one feels.
Success is a term used by almost every individual person on this green and blue planet that we call Earth. Whether it is parents, college professors, teachers, bosses, co-workers, and inspirational speakers, they all apply this word to everyday life, however what does it truly mean? Success is a noun that, by definition, stands for “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” Although this is the official definition, society has a different definition for the phrase success. Society has defined the phrase success as being wealthy, having quite a few material items, having a stable well-paying job, and a healthy family as a side bonus. There are members of society
'One has achieved success who has lived well and laughed often.'; This quote seems to sum up what is meant by success. If you are able to laugh often and much then you have definitely achieved happiness. The idea of living well, though, is a very broad statement. In order, then, to define success in relation to this statement, we must first define what it means to live well. There are three levels of success, in my opinion: societal success, personal success, and academic or professional success. If someone can achieve all of these three levels of success, they are someone who has lived well.
Ever since the times of the BC era, wealth had defined success (Definition of Success). A wealthy person of those times would be looked at as a superior being, they would be someone you’d show respect for. They were successful. Although that's the definition of success back then, does it mean something different now? Like every human being, and every past structure of society, the word evolves with time because society's’ values change. The definition of the word “success” was often considered as the achievement of wealth, but now it has become modernized to fit into today's society. Today, success is thought as an individual doing what makes them happy in life, generally doing their best, or even contributing positive things to the world to make it a better place (What does success mean).
The true definition of success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Although, many people have different perceptions of success. Success is judged by the individuals themselves. Success can be defined in many ways including: wealth, happiness, fame, etc. Success can be anything from material goods to concepts. It all depends on your concept and how you achieve your goals. You have to have persistence within yourself. Varying on your profession, you will need a certain skill level. Your definition of success can be suitable best for you, but not for others. It is about truly not giving up, reaching your full potential, and self-fulfillment.
Is there someone you know that is wealthy and prominent? Do they demonstrate the characteristics of a successful person in today’s society? Media today has effectively convinced our society into accepting an untrue, even possibly hazardous definition of success. Even though Webster’s dictionary defines success as “achieving wealth, respect, and fame,” the definition of success is different for everyone. Society wants us to accept that having money, having big house, and owning multiple cars is the key to happiness, and henceforth, success. This is a lie; success is not having a large amount of money nor does it have to deal with fame.
Meaning of success has become confusing. We live in the world that tells us that it is important to be rich rather than be happy. We all know examples of people who are famous and rich, but are very unhappy. For example comedian Dave Chappelle had his own TV show and became a famous and a rich person. Yet underneath he was very unhappy; He was so unhappy that he had to stop his show because he had a nervous breakdown from the pressure of being