Success by Emma D

 

When thinking about successful people, some of the first people that come to mind may include Bill Gates, Kylie Jenner, or Oprah Winfrey. According to Merriam Webster, success is the fact of achieving wealth, respect, or fame. But in simple terms, it means to accomplish. When I think of this word, I think of someone becoming famous. This includes actors, any type of artist, scientists, and more. The way society perceives this word makes it seem as if a successful person will be adorned with jewels and gold. This is extremely rare as well as unrealistic. Success has always been seen as someone’s dreams finally coming true. It’s becoming a millionaire. It’s graduating from any level of schooling. It’s becoming a celebrity. It’s making the first flying car. It’s getting your dream job. It’s becoming the author of a best-selling novel. But success is not what society draws it out to be because success is more than fame or money, it’s improvement and growth.

Now, let's break down this word even further. Success comes from a Latin word that looks quite similar, “successus”, which means “ an advance, a coming up; a good result, happy outcome.” The Russian word “успе́х” means “luck, progress”. The Italian word “sucesso'' means “the fact of achieving something good that you have been trying to do”. Lastly, the Korean word “주효” means “...take effect, bear fruit, prove effective, be effectual…”. This tells us that success does not technically mean getting famous or becoming wealthy but it means having some type of positive progress. All of these definitions refute the idea of success that society has presented and brainwashed people with. If someone succeeds, it does not have to mean that they are at the top of their class or that they invented the new trendiest product that has been sold out for months. It can also mean that somebody got home safe or that they made their friends laugh. Success is passing a test. Success is waking up in the morning. Success is eating three meals a day. Success is finding time in the day to focus on yourself. Success is finishing your homework before dinner. It’s all the little things that really count towards one’s accomplishments. All of the situations above, and many more like them, can be perceived as insignificant and unnoticed. This demonstrates how much people truly overlook their own success. But this is it. This is what success really is.

 

To be successful is to be satisfied with what you have done. Look at what you have overcome in your life, look at what you are proud of, and look at where you are now. Even if someone is not at their ideal place in life, it does not mean they are incapable of gaining positive progress. Almost anything that is useful in some sort of way gets one closer to having success. Remember, success is not measured by materialistic things like fame or money, but it is measured by completing small goals that have a beneficial influence on your life.

 

 

https://www.etymonline.com/word/success

 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/success

 

https://en.openrussian.org/ru/%D1%83%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%85

 

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-italian/success

 

https://korean.dict.naver.com/koendict/#/entry/koen/708ada9b88ea4ac79becd62ad9106a1d