For Stories Behind Success, I write many posts about people who are “successful” but I have never defined what success really means, or what I look for when I find someone I want to interview for their “success story”.
Through elementary school and middle school, I thought success meant being able to afford a mansion, multiple cars, servants, cooks, and living a life of luxury. I thought that graduating from a top college, earning a high position in a company, and having the money to afford practically anything was the only way to achieve success. Although that might be the definition of success to someone out there, it’s not the only definition. In fact, maybe less than 5% of the world’s population has a success story similar to that.
Success is relative. It means something different to everyone. To some, it may mean to be the first to graduate high school in their family, to others it may mean winning an award after months of hard work or getting rid of drug addiction. This definition of success varies per person and various factors play into it. Comparing one’s story to another’s is not the right measure of how successful one is because everyone is unique, that’s what makes us all so diverse. The meaning of success has many components, many factors, and many definitions. There is no one way to describe it and there is no one factor that plays into it.
Success is a continuous, repetitive cycle. It happens not once, not twice, but multiple times in one’s lifetime. You could win an award one day, graduate college another day, and start a company another day, and all of them are successes that are equally important. Every moment in your life contributes to your success and they are all as important as the goals themselves.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, there is no definition that is set in stone for what success really means and there is no one way to achieve it. You can make success what you want it to be and achieve it the way you want. Just be persistent and work hard, but remember to take breaks, relax, and set time for yourself as well! Love you all!!
Akshara Akella 