What does it mean to be a SUCCESS??
{I guess I scared you away from the racism paper. Bummer.}
What does it mean to be successful in today’s society? How do you measure
whether or not one has become successful? The American dream is to be a success
and to make it in this world but how is this accomplished? Most people today
would agree that success is based on how much money you have and is measured by
how much money you earn. Therefore these people are assuming success is all
about money and material things and that there is nothing else to it. However,
this notion does not due do justice to the term success. Success is about leading a positive life and working hard to reach the goals you have set for yourself. Someone who is happy and satisfied with themselves is a successful person. Success may mean different things to different people but it does not have to do with wealth.
We have all heard it over and over again. Being successful means making a lot
of money. This is wrong. There is more to success than making a couple of
dollars. Many people falsely believe success has to do with a persons social
status. When you’re at the top you are succeeding and when you’re anywhere else
you’re not. Contrary to this belief there are people who are “at the bottom”
who still consider themselves to be a success. If they’re supporting their
family and are satisfied with who they are as a person they are considered
winners. Just because they do not drive a Mercedes and live in a mansion
doesn’t mean they’re not happy. You may be able to find people who have these
material things and yet still live miserably. Maybe some of these people with money were born into wealth, so does that make them lucky or are they considered successful as well. It is clear success cannot be measured by something like money. Obviously, there are going to be people at the top who are happy and people at the bottom who are not, but does how successful they are explain this?
Another definition of success is the gaining of fame and prosperity
(www.dictionary.com). Now this is also not accurate. This definition clearly
assumes that the public associates success with being famous. Therefore,
everyone wants to be famous and will then be living the American dream that we
are all striving for. However, we can look at some people who we would all
agree were once famous, and see how they didn‘t end up being too successful.
For example, let’s talk about Kurt Cobaine. He was a lead singer for a
famous rock band and was making a lot of money. However, Cobaine ended up
committing suicide. How could he do that if he was successful and living the
dream. Obviously, success consists of more than simply being famous. You have
to be comfortable with yourself as a person and have a lot of self-confidence.
When one is satisfied with themselves they can then begin to take the
necessary steps to seek whatever goals they may have.
For one to truly succeed they must work at accomplishing their goals. Going through this hard
work and getting what one wants will, in turn, make someone feel better about themselves.
Nothing in this world is given to you and so you have to go out there and get it. Undoubtedly,
this hard work will not be over a short period of time either.Once you have a goal that is set,
you have to work hard to obtain it. This process is where the success comes into play. Let’s take
someone who has won the lottery for example. If they’re playing the lottery their goal is obviously
to get rich. However, they simply bought a ticket and luckily got rich. There
was no hard work in achieving this goal and this person is not a successful
person but rather a lucky person. If this person tried to say they were a
success in this world they would not be using the word correctly.
Success is a long process and it can be compared to a 100 yard dash. The goal here is to get
to the finish line. Winning the dash is not only crossing the finish line but actually getting to
the finish line. And no one is going to run for you so you have to do it
yourself. You have to work hard (in training) and prepare yourself for
finishing. Again, just because you didn’t earn money for finishing doesn’t
mean you didn’t succeed. You set a goal and you went out there and achieved
that goal. After accomplishing your goal, you will be satisfied with you accomplishment
and consider this a successful experience.
In conclusion, success is about self-satisfaction and reaching goals that you
have set for yourself through hard work. Success is not about fame or about
money. Success is about being in touch with ones self. There doesn’t have to be
any type of money to show that you are in fact a success. Success includes the work,
time, and effort you put in in order to get to that goal. There is no better
feeling than working hard and knowing you have earned what you want. I have set
a goal of getting an A on this paper. I’ve worked hard and went through the
process of writing it with confidence. I am happy with my work and proud of
what I’ve written so hopefully it will be a success and earn me an A on this assignment.
Sources:
"Succes: Define it, Plan it, Become it". Paradigm Associates. March 31 2004. <http://paradigmassociates.org/ParadigmSuccess.html>
O'Brien, Shannon. "10 Secrets of Success". New York Times Company. 2006. <http://seniorliving.about.com/od/lifetransitionsaging/a/secretsuccess.htm?terms=success10 steps>
Wright, Rusty. "How to be Successful and Satisfied". Probe Ministries. <http://www.probe.org/content/view/888/162/>
Peebles, Noel. "What does succes mean to you?". Market Leaders Limited. <http://www.eazigoal.com/what-does-success-mean-to-you.html>