Obtaining wealth, gaining fame, living your dream, or acquiring all your desires; Is this
your definition of success? According to the dictionary, success is defined as a favorable or desired outcome or the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence. If we base our idea of success in this definition alone, one can assume that a person’s success in life is measured by how much they have accomplished or how many goals they’ve reached throughout their lifetime. However, I think that success cannot only be measured on the things we’ve accomplished because most of the time in the process of achieving success, we encounter obstacles that lead to failure but that doesn’t mean success wasn’t achieved. Success is mental freedom, which means feeling fulfilled in knowing that you did your best effort in trying to reach your goals without always expecting to gain the desired result.
In life, we cannot avoid failure as it will always find its way to hunt our dreams and goals. So when it comes, it’s up to us on whether we take it as a sign to give up or use it to find our inner peace and try again. Winston Churchill, a British prime minister who once led his country to success in World War II said, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm”. It doesn’t matter how many times a person falls from trying, what matters is how they’ll pull themselves back up with the determination to do better and succeed. This highlights the true meaning of success because by getting back up on our feet we allow to build up ourselves as a whole to satisfy and finish what we’ve started instead of crumbling down into ashes.
Throughout my childhood, I used to always picture success as having a huge house with luxurious cars and a stash of cash and every time I failed to achieve my view of success, for
instance, failing to earn a load of cash. I gave up and shrugged it off. However, as I grew up and
became mature, I learned how cruel the world was through my recent discoveries and
experiences. So I decided to detach myself from the basic standards and ideals of what it takes to
be successful. Instead, I found my peace of mind, which eventually led me to appreciate more of
the efforts I made whenever I encountered failures in life. After grasping this mindset, I felt more
successful with myself as I felt no pressure or stress to achieve this so-called success; since I
started to focus more on contentment and my happiness.
Success has a deeper connotation to it than just wealth and desires. It has a connection with mental freedom and If the world learned to stray away from their vision that success is about attaining wealth and gaining fame, they’ll discover the true and deeper meaning of success. It took me a slap of reality to determine that success is not based on money, but once I detached myself from the definitions and standards that I had learned growing up, I achieved my inner peace and understood success. So remember not to be blinded by materialistic things and discouraged by failure because you’ll never be able to accomplish the real success in life.
Sources:
-“Success.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/success.
Success has a deeper connotation to it than just wealth and desires. It has a connection with mental freedom and If the world learned to stray away from their vision that success is about attaining wealth and gaining fame, they’ll discover the true and deeper meaning of success. It took me a slap of reality to determine that success is not based on money, but once I detached myself from the definitions and standards that I had learned growing up, I achieved my inner peace and understood success. So remember not to be blinded by materialistic things and discouraged by failure because you’ll never be able to accomplish the real success in life.
Sources:
-“Success.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/success.
-DeMers, Jayson. “51 Quotes to Inspire Success in Your Life and Business.” Inc.com, Inc., 3
Nov. 2014,
https://www.inc.com/jayson-demers/51-quotes-to-inspire-success-in-your-life-and-business.html.
-Santana, L. (2019). How to Achieve Mental Freedom. [online] World of Psychology. Available
at: https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-to-achieve-mental-freedom/ [Accessed 17 Oct. 2019].
Wow! You have a great definition of success! I completely agree with the things you said about success. There are so many societally-decided factors that lead to success. Just like you said, many people think of success as "Obtaining wealth, gaining fame, living your dream, or acquiring all your desires," but, sometimes, it's more than just that. One of Napoleon's famous quotes that I always remember is, "Success is not always winning, but rising every time you fall." This quote is one of my favorites because it really does show a different perspective to the idea, and you have mentioned a quote similar to that from Winston Churchill that defines the same idea. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteEveryone has their own way of achieving success but we all have other beliefs on how success should be used. Many people say that wealth and desires means you are successful, but there are other meaning behind this word. How you wrote this blog explains the reason behind the word, success and what should be put with it. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteBy: Rumjeet Pandher
I could really relate to this because when I was younger I also thought of success as just having a lot of money and a large home when I am older. I am sure many if not all of us thought of success like this but you're right as you get older you. start to realize thats not really what success is. I completely agree with what you say the definition of success is because it is truly something that comes from the inside and you can only define it yourself. People need to stop striving for things like wealth to define them as successful and they need to start looking within themselves to do that.
ReplyDeleteYour take on success is very refreshing to read and truly shows how hollow the dictionary definition and often the general perception of success can be. -Cameron Hunter
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading how you personally view success and I can definitely agree with you! I also think you could have instead connected the two sentences in the third paragraph with comma, but still was nicely put together. Good job!
ReplyDeleteIncorporating your view of success adds a touch to what you are trying to say. Everyone has their own journey on how they get into to success and how they achieve it. Stating the rough part of getting that shows the true definition of success.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your perception on success and how you define it beyond just physical items. I loved your emphasis on failure coming along with success, because that truly is the reality of it. Your piece was well executed in reiterating your point of how you believe success is attainable. I can also relate to how your picture of success has changed as you matured. - Lauren W
ReplyDeleteSuccess is a subjective idea that everyone I would say has a different take on it. Your idea of success however I agree with and that it is our faults and failures which build us the most. Though as you bring up when we are younger it all appears success is having anything and everything plated in gold living the Scrooge McDuck lifestyle however that is not the case majority of the time. Excellent writing and definition of success.
ReplyDeleteYour view of success is unique, as is everyone else's. I enjoyed reading how success is like mental freedom and us feeling satisfaction which I totally understand. Success is truly based on one's own perspective and it was nice to read and follow along with your views on this term. Great work! - Jaeyeon Romero
ReplyDeleteI used to feel the exact same way! I used to believe that in order to be successful I had to be the best or I wasn't good enough or successful. However, over time like you said it "took a slap of reality" to show me that that wasn't the case and that sometimes I'd have to accept failure and that I didn't have to be perfect in order to be successful. Great Job! - Isabel Quintanilla
ReplyDeleteAmazing way to define success! I also had the same definition of success too, as I grew up I realized I did not have to be perfect and I would still be able to succeed. I believe everyone should be able to succeed in their own way and find their happiness like you. Great work!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you provided an example of what success is versus how you portray it. Everyone has different views and definitions of success, but this description was done well.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your piece, I completely agree with your point of view on what success is. Everything happens for a reason and we learn from our mistakes and that's what makes us who we are today. I liked how you related it and made it personal. Very well written. -Aneika Madrigal
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your definition of success! I love how you connect your experience from when your were young and how you’ve learned over the course of time. In addition to that, I like how your structured your blog: You started from the expectations from our society, then in your childhood to what you have accomplished and learned. I also agree that people should stop relying on the expectations from our society, but rather focus on their own success. Overall, your essay was very well written and constructive! Great job!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this piece. When it comes to your definition of success, I truly believe that the older people get, the more they realize that the materialistic things, like cars, houses and money, as you said, are not the most important things to obtain. While being able to support yourself and your eventual family is obviously incredibly important, whats also important is to understand how you use your existence to make a difference in this world. I really liked your inclusion of Churchill into this piece and how you let your readers know that it is okay to fail and to not also hit your goals, but it's about how you react, pick yourself up and improve that truly matters.
ReplyDeleteI really admire your outlook on the idea of success because it shows that happiness can be achieved without the materialistic things that society glorifies. I liked the way you structured your paragraph, as it adds emphasis to the points you are trying to make.
ReplyDelete-kyler lovett
I completely agree with your definition of success. Especially the part where you said that success is connected to mental freedom. Like I feel if you are not happy but making a lot of money, are you really being successful and actually enjoying life. I feel that it is better to not make so much money but to have that clarity we all seek. A balance of both to me is my definition of success.Overall, I loved your piece and how you said basically that as you matured, you realized how cruel the world is and how it wouldn't let you achieve your childhood goals. I feel that this really connected to me because when I was younger, I too wanted to seek a career that paid good money, however, I figured if I'm going to do something for the rest of my life, might as well make it enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, I don't think success should be measured by wealth or materialistic things. I think success is all about being content in life and knowing that you have worked hard for everything you have. and like you said "in life we cannot avoid failure" everyone fails at something in their lives its how they learn and recover from their failures that will help them reach success. -Kate Sainz
ReplyDeleteI like your view of success and how it is unique compared to others' view on it. Everyone has their own individual beliefs and views. Personally, I enjoyed reading about your take on success. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHaving a good definition of success will bring motivation into life and help you get up when hard times hit. I really enjoyed reading your perspective and how inspiring it is. Getting older does involve getting more responsible and choosing exactly where we want to go in life and I’m glad you’ll head in a good direction- Hannah Colunga
ReplyDeleteThis piece had many truths behind it, most people when trying to obtain success only care about the goal and achieving it rather than caring about the process. What you do in order to achieve that goal is what's most important. Simply building a goal won't make you achieve it, an effort must be made in order to complete that goal and truly feel "successful" -Yishai Renteria
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your hook at the beginning, I thought it was a great way to draw in the reader. I also thought your employment of Winston Churchill’s quote was both creative and appropriate for your definition of success. Moving on, your definition of success is so unique and interesting, I never would have thought about it that way if it was not for your blog post. Thank you for enlightening me! I really enjoyed your post. - Eddie Yanez
ReplyDeleteI like how you chose one word for your topic and just emphasized that and how much meaning it has to us and in this world today. We can all relate to this currently and in the future with our careers, so basically this piece is open to a wide audience. Success means alot to an individual and you definitely defined it in way that we could not perceive it. Love this idea, Good Job Andrea!!
ReplyDeleteThis entire piece gives a great and actually unique opinionated description of what Success, I really enjoyed the mentioning of success being like mental freedom and satisfaction and that I've read it I can say that I actually agree with that statement, overall, good job!-Jacob Higgins
ReplyDeleteThe definition of success for individuals can be perceived in many ways. However, your definition of success taught me as a reader that it's not always the fancy things in life that allow you to show how successful one can be. For example, " In life, we cannot avoid failure as it will always find its way to hunt our dreams and goals," without failure comes no success. I believe that you live and you learn and in your piece you did a great job validating the definition of success, which was interesting. Great work! -Ariel Gutierrez
ReplyDeleteI love your definition of success and your personal story of how you came to that definition. It´s true that we all tend to view success as an abundance of tangible things, and not as being happy or at peace with yourself. I also love the quote by Winston Churchill that you used. A personal favorite of mine comes from Booker T Washington, who said "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.”
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you began your piece by questioning what success is to the reader. You then went through the basics of explaining success and the word by definition which gave a base for the reader. I liked how you then quoted Winston Churchill who was very successful himself and gave a good example. I also enjoyed how you gave your own perspective of success and I really related to how you explained your meaning of success as a child and I think in general everyone thinks that way. As we grow older and go through our own experiences we find our own meanings to things and I really liked how you showed and developed your meaning of success.
ReplyDeleteYou defined success in a creative way. I love the quote you used because it is true, in life, it doesn't matter how many times you fall down, it just matters on how you move forward from there. You gave us a positive outlook in life when it comes down to success. - Breana P.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your standpoint on the meaning of success. I feel like in today's society all we focus on is making tons of money and buying nice things to showcase our success when really it means so much more than that. I also enjoyed how you explained your experience with the word success and its meaning. Well done! -Halie Montes
ReplyDeleteYour definition of success is perfect. Great job explaining different ways to become successful. Very inspiring piece!
ReplyDeleteI admire the fact that you chose to add what success means to you. I relate to your idea of it because when I was younger I thought the same and that success only had to do with wealth and a fancy life. While trying to achieve things I’ve dealt with a lot which changed my idea of success as I grew up. Overall, this is very well written!
ReplyDeleteThe way you evolved from viewing success as a materialistic concept to a state of contentment with ones failures is truly awe inspiring and is the main reason I admired your piece.
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