Everyone hopes to be successful. Its basically the American Dream. However, for every person, its different. I don’t believe there is any correct or incorrect definition of success. Which brings me to MY definition of what success is.
I’ve never been much into needing “things” to be happy. Growing up my parents couldn’t give me lots of things I wanted, and I think it really helped me not getting everything I wanted. Seeing my sister’s kids getting 500 presents for every birthday and Christmas has shown me that. For me, success has always just been about finding the one thing you want to do more than anything and doing it, happily, and being able to provide the essentials for life of course. No one NEEDS the fancy cars, high-tech cell phones, name brand clothes, etc. If you need those things to feel successful, good for you, but for me those things are just extras. Real success comes with being happy with yourself the way you are. Happiness in the friends you have and the things you do in your life. Anyone can deem anyone else “successful”, but that person might not think themselves to be so. For example: most people think of moderately known actors/actresses as successful, but the very actor/actress might think themselves not much of anything. They may feel that they are missing something huge in their lives; be it family, career choices, or the ability to do as they please without being judged for it by most of the world. When I was younger, my idea of success was being rich enough to buy whatever I wanted. My dream was to buy my own island and live on it. haha As I grew older, I realized that wouldn’t make me happy, and my idea of success changed.
What was the point of having an island? what would the money do for me? money can’t comfort you when you’re upset, make sure you get home after drinking too much, or be there to celebrate precious moments with you. An island won’t do you any good if you’re there alone…
now don’t get me wrong, I realize you do need money. I’m just saying making enough to buy all the things you want isn’t really necessary. I would be lost if I never had any money. I’m a self admitted movie junkie, and I tend to buy an average of 6-12 movies a month lately, but I don’t just go to the store with a budget and grab some movies… I search prices and often buy them for under $5 on eBay or amazon. When clothes shopping I wait until sales and use coupons whenever available. I even get mad when I feel I’ve spent too much the 2 or 3 times a year I do shop for myself.
So basically, I’m saying success is being happy with who you are, what you do and the people that surround you. If you are unhappy with any of those 3 parts of your life, it becomes very hard to be successful in your life.
Thought Provoking Questions 