Success.
Such a sweet word for most of us, and yet we feel it’s so hard to get a taste it. But why? Why do we believe that only a few “lucky” people find this sought after gem?
In order to find an answer to that question, we must first ask us this:
What is success?
I don’t believe that success is far as unachievable as many others might think. I think success, and what it is, is very individual, and the only person who can decide whether or not someone is successful, is the person in question. Why? Because success is probably something very different to me than it is to you.
To me, success doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve got an amazing career with a high-paying job, or that you’re well-known by people in your industry or people in general (althought this can also make someone successful, of course).
To me, success only means that a person is working hard (it has absolutely nothing to do with luck, as some might think) to get to a place he/she wants to be, and then reaches that place; success is doing something you want to do, something you love; success is being good at it, and having fun with it. Money or fame or the amount of people working for you, don’t really have anything to do with it.
If you ask me, that is.
But now I’d like to ask you:
What is success to you?
Let me know in the comments! 🙂
Endless love,
Jo
Create your life 
To me, success has nothing to do with a career or job. It’s not based on money or recognition from your peers. I have a far simpler attitude to it … success is living a happy life. I think happiness is a common goal we all strive for, and leading a life that achieves that is a sign of success.
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This is such a great attitude! Love it! Being happy certainly is successful 🙂
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To me Success is making others around you feel important, That makes me happy and I then feel successful
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That’s a great one, Katie! 🙂
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I think too many people associate success with fame and money. But as you rightly point out these things are a by-product of success not success in itself. To me success means waking up every morning being able to make a positive contribution to this world. It also means being a better person today than I was yesterday
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Yes, yes, yes! That’s a really good one, Steve! That’s the essence of success 🙂
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Success is the essence of joy. Usually coming from doing what we are passionate about, putting us in a place where we are able to give to others.
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You are so right, Maria! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Thank you for a great post!
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To me success is living the life you want, doing the things you want, and being surrounded by the people you want.
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And being able to make a difference in other’s lives.
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A great answer, Traci! I couldn’t agree more!
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Success is a funny concept. I don’t think we dare define it in terms of “what we want.” There are millions of people who feel successful and don’t get a lot of chance to do what they want. I read a description of happiness once that put it in these terms: “Happiness is being able to enjoy the things you have to do.” And isn’t it true that while we all have to work, not all of us enjoys our work. Not all of us find satisfaction in our work, and yet we must needs DO it. The dictionary stresses two veins of thought — accomplishing a goal or achieving prosperity — and those two don’t necessarily have anything to do with each other.
Personally, I don’t use the word success. It’s a word that summarizes one’s entire life as if it were a single thing and I don’t know how many so-called successful people really are successful. There are many who make loads of money but aren’t happy, there are those who are happy and contribute to society who make a pittance. Relationships tend to get beat up the more obsessed one is by contributing to society or helping others. There has to be balance and most of the people I know who are worried about their success aren’t very balanced.
For me, success / satisfaction lies in knowing my place in the world and embracing it. I grew up with more of a love of art than of business. My parents wanted me to succeed in ways that THEY counted successful — I wanted nothing of their success and only wanted to create. When I created I was both successful and happy. I never made oodles of money, I never cared about money — I still don’t. But if I could create something beautiful then the whole world was in harmony.
Just one person’s take on the topic.
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Thanks for sharing, Peter! And I’m so glad you went and did what you wanted to do rather than what your parents wanted for you! Success is something so personal and objective, and only when we follow our own needs and wants do I believe we reach true, heart-and-soul fulfilling success.
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