Success is the goal for everyone; we all want to succeed in life and in everything we lay our hands on, which is of course a good thing to wish, but then it's worth knowing that just as humans have differences, so do their definitions of success differ. Yes, you read that correctly. While we all have unison in saying we want to succeed, that success varies because our goals, desires, and ambitions differ, and that's what often goes on to become the definition for each person. To some it could be living happily with their family; to others it could be owning a house, car, or even becoming financially free. Looking at these topics, what then is being successful to me, and what stage will I get to and say that I'm successful?
Before I proceed, it's essential we understand what success means or what it means to be successful, but then as I rack my brain to give it a definition, I can't help but be brought back to the fact that being successful can't be pegged to just one thing, because it's personal and depends on what matters most to each individual, but just to put it into words, we can say that success is a state of achieving one's dreams, aspirations, or goals, be they personal, spiritual, social, or professional.
I'd also like to chip in the fact that each individual can't just have one definition of success; it should change per time and season depending on the task we've got at hand at that moment or our age at that point in time. Now, before you raise an eyebrow at that, let me explain. I know we all have different definitions of success, such as personal fulfillment, growth, and improvement in different places, such as emotional, financial, or impact on others, or even achievement of goals, such as maintaining a happy family, building a house, and the like. So what I'm saying is that it's possible for an individual to have all of the above as a definition of success, just that it varies depending on the stage of life they're in.
Take for instance when I was in primary and secondary school, my definition of success was to get good grades and be among the top five students in my class so I could get the gift my parents promised to give me when I did. Fast forward to a few years later, my definition of success changes but is slightly similar to having a good GPA. And after that it changes to getting a good job, earning cash, and acquiring different things. It also changes to feeling that being successful for me is building a house of my own, being financially free, rising through the ranks in my profession, and many more things, and that's why I said being successful, although different for each individual, can be negated through the same thing depending on our stage of life.
All that said, am I living my dream? My answer would definitely be yes, because at one point my dream was to have a job with great job security. Also, what then is my definition of success at this point in time in my life? Well, the truth is that it's not pinpointed to one thing. Take, for instance, some of those things I currently envision, dream about, and set as a goal for myself to make me feel like a success currently: starting a family of my own, building a house of my own so I'd have a place to call home that's mine, being financially free, and advancing in my career. Achieving all of these will make me feel successful.
But does it mean achieving them would make me stop craving more success? Absolutely not, because we humans are bound to crave more, want more, and advance in different ramifications of life, so achieving one success in goals doesn't mean I will stop looking for more. Just as I've achieved a lot in the past and still embark on new goals, it's the same way I'd still delve into other things when I achieved the ones I have on the ground at the moment.
All photos are taken and edited on canva.