Success Defined

Success Defined 

What does success mean for you? Does it mean being wealthy, a big house, jewelry, cars, lots of friends and parties to attend? That seems to be the American version of success but would all that make you happy?

That’s the big question because we’ve all heard about the celebrity, sports figure or CEO who by all accounts seems to have it all and yet the person succumbs to depression, drugs and even suicide. Why? Why would this person do such a thing to their self? Perhaps the person couldn’t emotionally handle the demands of his or her profession or was trying to live up to someone else’s expectations of who they are. Who knows?

The meaning of success is relative in that it all depends on an individual’s definition of what it is. In some cultures being able to provide for your family is success in another it might be how selfless you are in your daily encounters and deeds.

The best definition of success I’ve found is the following;

To laugh often and much

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends

To appreciate beauty

To find the best in others

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch...

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived

This is to have succeeded.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Notice it has nothing to do with material things or your status in your profession but more about how you’ve conducted yourself and treated others throughout your life, not just when things were good but particularly when things were bad. Amazingly none of the above criteria costs a dime. It’s what you and I already posses and if we don’t then we need to work on our self to achieve it. It’s possible.

When the above criteria are met we’ll have a sense of accomplishment in that we’ve lived our life well. The smiles come easier, the heartfelt joy exudes from our bodies and we can whole heartily grin and be happy because we did achieve our goal of being a success.