What is Success?
In our lives, the idea of success has become an over-glorified concept. In elementary school, we are taught to prepare ourselves for middle school. In middle school, we prepare for high school. In high school, we prepare for college. And in college, we prepare for our future employment. Even after we receive employment, we’re always striving to do more. We are never happy with our success at that moment. Now, wanting to succeed is not a bad thing. We just need to understand what success means for us. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines success as “the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence”. However, when did one’s success start being defined by how much money they have or how famous they are. We have all been so caught up in our ideas of success that sometimes we forget to live. We forget to enjoy each breath we take, the people around us, and the importance of everything we do. The idea of going to college is normally ingrained in young peoples’ minds by the time they enter middle school. The phrase “You have to go to college to be successful!” is commonly accepted. But, does going to college make one’s life more “successful” and enjoyable? We have to take a step back and evaluate what we conform to. Unfortunately, our modern world is built on money and a system of rewards for those who “succeed”: a bigger house, far away vacations, endless closets full of designer clothes. Luxuries like a good education and extensive travel experience are things that are given to less than 15% of the world’s population. The idea of pushing others down so we can succeed has been normalized. There is a belief in American society that an Ivy League education is needed for success. After all, 16 presidents of the United States have attended Ivy League schools. Though an Ivy League education is not required for one to be a president, most people believe that because someone has attended an Ivy League school it then qualifies them to be a president. However, it is important to remember that there are a lot of successful people who didn’t go to Ivy League schools. Not only do United States citizens let others define our success, but our society also fosters this idea of “success” by continuing to pressure ourselves to fit the molds society has pre-made for us. Getting 100% on a test, memorizing 1000 vocabulary words, and getting a perfect 1600 on the SAT to prepare for college is not everyone’s definition of success. This does not mean that we shouldn’t congratulate ourselves for doing a good job on that test--we absolutely should! Most importantly, we have to realize that we are successful every day--even if it is as simple as doing something that makes us happy. We are not obligated to follow the path society paves for us. We can all define our own success. The aforementioned definition of success does not apply to everyone! As Albert Schweitzer said, “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success”. Be happy, live your life and enjoy it. You only get one try, so the principal thing is to be happy! Never let anyone else tell you how to live your life. In the end, success is not how wealthy you are or what college you went to. Your success will be what you make it!
