“Shoshana Wineburg graduated from Stanford University in 2009 with a degree in American Studies. She waits tables in Seattle.”
Readers flooded the paper with comments about how sad it was that this Stanford grad was only waiting tables and not achieving something more substantial. Wineburg responds in her own blog here.
How do you measure success? What must your life look like now to be defined as successful? What must it look like when you graduate from college? What defines success?
Many people will say that a person's success is measured by money or knowledge but I think that the only thing that defines our success is the goals that we set for ourselves. I measure my success by the way I help people and by doing all my work 110%. If I do a good job with all my work and feel acomplished the I feel I succeed in the things that are most important to me. In the end we will only have our own opinions and we can either choose to acheive our goals or somebody else's and not feel successful at all.
ReplyDelete~Madison Whitman
I agree Madison in that someone's success is not measured by wealth, or knowledge. Our success is measured by whether we set manageable goals for ourselves and achieve them. I believe that to be successful we must compete against ourselves to do more and become more. Personally when I compete in an Archery competition, I always try to beat my past competition score. If I don't beat my score from last time, I try even harder to get better. I know as humans we compare ourselves to others by rank in competitions and even in society, but if you are determined to work hard and better yourself, you can be successful no matter what anyone else thinks.
Delete~Taylor Gilbert
Life is full of crazy challenges for yourself. How you look at life is how you define your success. For some it could be by helping others, for some it's reaching goals for yourself that show how you achieve things in life, for some it can just be that if you are happy in life you are successful.
ReplyDeleteTo me I find the success in my life by a lot of things. I take on the tasks in life one at a time to become successful. But I also must be successful in what I want to be successful for.
For example when I play sports I strive to be the best. I judge my success by how I my performance shows in my sport.
So far I believe I've been successful in life. But I have more goals that will require time to reach. So if my overall is to be successful I must take my opportunities in life and convert them into the best possible outcome.
Davis Nesselrode
Success is a pretty simple thing for me to measure.
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing is that I am happy with the amount of effort that I put into the work, and that I am satisfied with the outcome.
Once I graduate from college, success will be having a doctorates degree in psychology, as well as my Psy. D and my state license. Anything less than that is not success.
For now, success is completing all of my required courses and meeting each and everyone one of the goals I have set for myself by the end of my senior year.
And trust me, there are many.
~Shelby McKinney
I think success isn't measured in good grades it measured in your accomplishments and being able to take the knowledge you have and being forced to apply it.
ReplyDeleteI think if effort is applied and you achieve your goal that's success.
in my life I've always set goals that were far out and I was willing to except the challenge and be willing to go above all else in order to achieve those goals. I might sound like a goody to shoes but I don't care I never said I achieved them I said I wanted to work and accomplish them. and its heart and grit that keeps you going regardless of what tries to stop you getting through a tough event and being able to wade through the water is success to me
Robbie Olson
I do not think that success should be measured in grades; success is dependant on one thing and one thing alone and that is if you are happy with what you are doing in life. Just because you graduate from Stanford doesn't mean you have to do something big with your life because that's not for everyone. Simplicity isn't always a bad thing as long as you enjoy what you're doing and it isn't damaging your welfare, you can be as successful as Bill Gates because you're happy and content with yourself.
ReplyDelete~Amanda LeMay
According to me success is measured based on the goals you set for your self and you have achieved them. It doesn't matter how many goals or what type of goal, it just matter if you have accomplished them and you feel fulfilled, that right there is success. Now our days success is defined by your output not by how many goals you have accomplished.
ReplyDeleteSuccess can't be measured on how good or bad you do on a test. Some people may be really smart, but not good takers, while other could be the reverse of that. On my opinion success varies from person to person depending on their individual strengths,weaknesses and the goals they set to accomplish.
Nerisia Ngum
I completely agree with Nerisia on this one. Success cannot be measured, I could think one person is successful and Nerisia could think the complete opposite. But who are we to determine someone's "success"?
DeleteEveryone is different and everyone is good at different things. If we define success as reaching a goal then are all thief's, murderers, rapist's and bad people in life, then wouldn't they all be "successful" by definition? If they reach a goal and complete it, isn't that being "successful"?
Success cannot be measured. I do however believe that what you do in life- being a good person or a criminal- will lead you down paths that can make you have a better life, live life with your family, alone, or in prison. It's all who you make yourself to be and what path you take that will depend where you go in life. So, I guess you can say that I lean more to the side that the kind of person you are in life will depend on weather or not people see you as "successful" or not.
-Amber Booth
I constantly hear my father telling me, “If you did your best, then that’s enough.” However, while it may be true that, if we give it everything we got, we are more successful or we will become more accomplished, I think everyone actually measures success based on proof. Whether it be trophies, certificates, ACT scores, scholarships, or any other form of reward, we classify our successes based upon the resulting hardware. As would any other teenager, I know that bigger is better, so that is what I strive for. As an athlete, my team and I don’t travel continuously to lose, we do it to win. We go big or go home. So, while many of you may argue that success is measured by “effort,” “morals,” and “goals,” you’re kind of off; these thing help drive us towards success, but achievement itself is measured by hardware.
ReplyDelete-Destiny Hyatt
I have to agree with a lot of people, when we say success isn't measured by your grades. Just because you can't perform well on a test doesn't mean that you aren't intelligent or you haven't grasped the material. Honestly grades are the worst indicators of success, we can succeed in so much more than school, such as athletics, in the workforce, and personal goals. When you set a goal and achieve it, isn't that a small success in itself?
ReplyDeleteI would have to that your life doesn't have to "look" like anything now or in the future to deem yourself as successful. If you are happy with yourself and what you do, then shouldn't that be enough?
-MacKenzie Jones
I agree with Nerisia and MacKenzie. Success is measured on how you push yourself. I believe that if you are happy with your life, and love where you are at, then you are in your own way successful. I don't like to put labels or stereotypes on how I think things should be. If you think you are successful, then so be it. You are successful to yourself, and your opinion is all that matter. I do think though that you should have some sort of goals and expectations of yourself. You should be that person who sits at home abusing taxpayers' money and living off welfare.
ReplyDeleteEvan Montgomery
It’s funny much I want to be able to say that I am like Stanford graduate, who measures success based on her own parameters and no longer subscribes to the value system that measures success by achievement and income, not character.” I could write a beautiful comment about how I measure success solely based on my character and the small things in life and happiness but then I’d be lying.
ReplyDeleteTruthfully I am like the majority of society. I measure success based on my grades, my predicted future, my athletic achievement and of course, whether or not I’m reaching my parents goals for me in life. Obviously this isn’t the way to go about life, that much is clear from the comments above, but yet 98% of US citizens based success off achievement, income, and status. It’s funny how most of us are scared to say we measure our success based on, arguably, the wrong things. Yet none of us question why we do that. Why is it that society cares so much about status, wealth, and achievement?
I won’t be a complete pessimist. I measure success based on achievement, status, and grades but I also measure my success based on whether or not I’m happy, whether or not I think I’m doing the right thing, whether or not I’m fulfilling my role in life. I think we, as a society, need to find a compromise between the two extremes to truly measure success
Harper Jones
I have to agree with you, Harper. I would love to say that, if I'm happy with who I am and where I am in life, then that's all I need to feel successful. However, that's not completely true. While I do feel some sense of success when I know I've put all my effort into a project or activity, I don't feel as successful when I don't see positive or expected results. It's sad, but I feel that most of our society has conformed to this same idea, which is supported by the statistics in your comment. I also agree with you in that we need to find balance between finding success in positive results and finding success in our effort and happiness. It's OK to find success in one's achievements, but we should also feel just as successful when we put all of our effort into our endeavors.
DeleteWill Grasch
After reading the previous posts, each dealing with the controversy on how we measure success, either based on our academic or personal achievements, I have to wonder whether or not we truly know how to measure success at this point in our lives.
ReplyDeleteWe're highschoolers, for the past 16 years we've only had the option to attend school and to participate in extra curricular activities, including anything from sports teams, jobs, and even extensive focus on academics, but each of us has had a choice in how we spend our time. With these activities we are constantly comparing ourselves to others or deciding if we're happy or not, neither of which make a long term impact on us. We've yet to be faced with extreme pressures awaiting in our future, such as completing college, pursing a career and raising a family, at which point we will be able to determine the measure of our success.
Grace Higgs
I have to agree with Grace! As juniors in high school, our success might be measured on a report card, a trophy, a sports medal, a certificate claimin you're outstanding in some aspect. In elementary school, success for me was measured by winning a pizza party at the end of the month, or getting our "cougar cash" for the school store. In middle school, my success was on my report card, in hopes that I could keep my newly gained cellphone with the good grades I had achieved. In high school, my success is based on my happiness and how content I am with how I am improving, socializing, behaving, etc.
DeleteAfter high school, success can be measured by various means, and I don't think those can be determined by US as juniors. Right now, our images of success are implemented onto us by our parents, entertainment, popular common ideals of what success SHOULD mean, and I don't believe that we can develop an appropriate definition of success, when we haven't experienced the majority of our lives.
Morgan Gay
Success to me is whether you are happy and can provide for yourself. Which is true, that is how it should be. The reality is that society puts the idea that success is money and money is happiness. Emerson says in Self-Reliance that “society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.” Society has lost focus on what success really is.
ReplyDeleteTariq Onodu
Perhaps the issue at hand here is not the definition of success, but the question, "how content are we with not succeeding?"
ReplyDeleteLet's be frank. Any of us can look at the compiled achievements of a person and determine if that person is successful. We do it subconsciously all the time. Few of us can see the wealthy businessman in a thousand-dollar suit, driving a Mercedes, and legitimately call him unsuccessful, regardless of how miserable he looks talking on his bluetooth headset. Similarly, there are few among us who would truly call a very happy drug dealer a successful person.
Similarly, each of us has that gut feeling that tells us whether we've been successful or not. We don't receive a graded test, look at the score, and then ponder whether or not it is a successful score. Our subconscious makes that decision for us. For many of us, the dividing line between success and failure lies somewhere in the upper 80s. For others it is higher and for others it is lower.
We make these subconscious determinations of success in other areas as well. In sports, we either feel disappointed after a loss or we don't. We either feel gloomy when rejected from a job or we feel indifferent.
What defines success, therefore, is the basic feeling that comes from a result. Perhaps there are some people who do not feel successful until they reach the highest levels of that company, and then upon reaching that level they feel successful. Other people might feel satisfied simply by attaining a job in the first place.
And, most significantly, there are still others who might attempt to find a job, fail, and still be content with the alternative. These people may not have achieved success in its truest terms, but because they do not feel let down by failure, they feel the satisfaction of success.
To conclude, regardless of the actual outcome of one's endeavors, success per se is determined by the subconscious reaction of each person separately. If one feels success (or feels no disappointment), success is attained whether one wants it or not, and if one feels disappointment, then no matter the apparent accomplishment, one cannot be truly successful.
Andrew Bates
I disagree, I don't think success is as cut and dry as you make it. Success is not a "basic feeling". Success is a complex idea.
DeleteYou said that in sports we either feel disappointed after a loss or we don't. That is were you are wrong. Success is not simple, a person could have a very good performance, but their team still lose the game. To that person they might have had a successful game but they are still disappointed that they lost. They did not have a gut feeling to determine if they were successful or not, they looked at the stat sheet and saw they preformed well. They are successful. This was not a subconscious determination, this was based on their own knowledge and opinions.
Emily Crowe
I think both of you are right. Success isn't something we can just wrap our heads around in 20 minutes. It is a life time study of a complex idea as emily put it. But success could also be a basic feeling. After you get done doing the dishes or doing your homework you feel the feeling of relief or the amazing feeling that comes with an acomplishment. This in of itself is a small form of success.
Delete~Madison Whitman
For me I think that success is doing what you were meant to do. I don't believe in destiny, but I do think that every person is put here on this earth to serve a purpose, whether that purpose is to be a wealthy businessman or be a bum on the street. Often people relate success to the amount of money they have, but in fact it is how well they are doing their job of fulfilling their purpose in life. In Shoshana Wineburg's case, she is not being successful, but it isn't her fault. Everyone knows that the global economy is tanking which means for thousands of Americans each year have either no job at all or are forced to do something that is extremely unsatisfactory and definitely not what you were meant to do. Shoshana falls into the latter category. Because of the terrible economy, she is forced to accept a job which she is not meant to do but she must do it anyway, because in order to have her basic food and shelter she must work for money. So, maybe now when it is hard to find a vocation which corresponds with your purpose you aren't successful, but later on in life the clouds will part and you will be vastly successful in what you do best. Being you.
ReplyDeleteSimon Holden
To me, the only way to measure success is by knowing that you have left a positive, inspiring, and happy impact on society when you are gone. An example of this would be one of my closest friends that not only me, but my whole family has ever had. He recently passed away while in his late 80's and unexpectedly 900 to 1,000 people showed up to both his funeral and visitation. I began wondering why so many people knew him and why so many people showed up? then I realized that while he was here, he had helped and participated in more things that I thought was humanly impossible; he was never ashamed of doing anything for anyone who needed help no matter what the circumstances were. All those people didn't show up because of their generosity but because Poppi left with a positive and overall happy impact on not only the community but the people within and most importantly, a successful man.
ReplyDeleteSydney Sell
When it comes to measuring success, I would advise one to measure their success based on whether they're happy with what they're doing and are meeting the goals they set for themselves. However, when it comes to how I measure my own personal success, I would have to say that I measure my own success similarly to how Harper and Will have said they measure their success. I take into account my grades, test scores, what chair I am in band, my ranking in tennis, the approval of my parents, friends, etc. I know that these things shouldn't matter as much as they do and arguably aren't the best, most accurate measurements of success, and it may be hypocritical of me to tell someone else to measure success one way while I measure my own success differently, but feeling successful in these areas does bring me my own feeling of happiness. Of course, I do believe in the value of hard work and learning from your failures, and that the knowledge and experience gained along the way are their own form of success, but I have yet to get out of this mindset of only looking at the achievements I can list on paper as an accurate measurement of success.
ReplyDeleteDiana Rudic
I think that success should be measured on a individual basis by the person that has be successful. if we grade everyone on the same scale for something that not everyone likes then of course were going to have people that score lower because it does not interest them and there not going to try and be successful at it. i think if we aloud everyone to have there own measure of success and not what society determines to be successful we will have more happy and achieve self-actualization because they will be able to focus on there own potential.
ReplyDeleteDrew Dearborn
Success is defined differently for everyone one because we all have different goals we wish to accomplish. For me, I define success as the fact that I am truly happy with what I have accomplished in my life and the effort I have put out there to gain my success.
ReplyDeleteIn most students eyes, success refers to the number of games they’ve one, that their 1st chair in their instrument section or that they have all A’s. That’s not the case for me. I was raised to give a 100% effort and that the results don’t matter in the end as long as I put out the required effort. I am okay with myself if I studied my butt off but didn’t get an A on a test. I know deep down that I tried my hardest. That B is my success because I know I worked hard for it.
Same way with my grades overall. I have all A’s and a C in math. Just because I have that C doesn’t mean I don’t have success. I honestly think it’s a success in that class when I pass on a test. Yes, that may seem sad to you students with a 100 in math but I think of it as an accomplished goal. Math comes easy to a lot of people but unfortunately I’m not one of them. But does that bring me down? No! I work hard in that class every day and have never missed a homework or class assignment so I’m okay with having a C. Do I wish it was an A? Of course, but as long as I’m trying my best, my parents and I are okay with the outcome.
Hannah Smith
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” – Booker T. Washington
ReplyDeleteMany people measure success by someone's wealth. Or their job or position within their career. I think it's the complete opposite. I measure success by a few different points; Having a sense of purpose in your life, making a difference in someone's life, believing in yourself, and achieving goals you set for your life. I think that every person has an equal opportunity to be successful because it's based on your life. I might become successful by reaching my goal of becoming a college softball player. But someone might become successful by publishing a top 10 book. We are both successful but one of us makes more money and has more fame. That doesn't mean I'm not successful too. That's why you can't measure It on wealth and recognition
- Makayla Hawkins
Success is defined differently for everyone one because we all have different goals we wish to accomplish. For me, I define success as the fact that I am truly happy with what I have accomplished in my life and the effort I have put out there to gain my success.
ReplyDeleteIn most students eyes, success refers to the number of games they’ve one, that their 1st chair in their instrument section or that they have all A’s. That’s not the case for me. I was raised to give a 100% effort and that the results don’t matter in the end as long as I put out the required effort. I am okay with myself if I studied my butt off but didn’t get an A on a test. I know deep down that I tried my hardest. That B is my success because I know I worked hard for it.
Same way with my grades overall. I have all A’s and a C in math. Just because I have that C doesn’t mean I don’t have success. I honestly think it’s a success in that class when I pass on a test. Yes, that may seem sad to you students with a 100 in math but I think of it as an accomplished goal. Math comes easy to a lot of people but unfortunately I’m not one of them. But does that bring me down? No! I work hard in that class every day and have never missed a homework or class assignment so I’m okay with having a C. Do I wish it was an A? Of course, but as long as I’m trying my best, my parents and I are okay with the outcome.
Hannah Smith
The moment we've all been waiting for. The lovely and always wonderful opinions of the great and mighty Josh!
ReplyDeleteWe are all looking at success as it pertains to our lives.
How are WE going to succeed? It’s a fairly simple matter… Don’t die.
Being dead is pretty much the only way to truly fail.
Most of us are so guarded from the harshness of the world that we have been taught to impose on ourselves “goals”, milestones towards this tippy top of society. We are to say “I am going to get my degree, then this, then this.” I find this strange, we are young and new. How can people set goals, and map out a world which we have barely experienced? Why are we to limit ourselves to certain paths when a man free of goals may walk freely between them? Life is not short; we are just in too much of a rush. We don’t stop to see actual issues, actual problems. We worry about grades, school, getting a car. This is just a part of the rat race we are all forced to participate in. If we as a collective would stop worrying so much about the future, we would be much better off. We would see the things that matter, we would be able to take time to really look into ourselves, really know how things are and develop our opinions on life, the universe, and everything.
We are all successful, if you’re reading this, you’re probably breathing, and your organs are most likely functioning (one would hope). This means we are alive, at least for a moment longer, and that’s more than a lot of people can say (there are a lot of dead people, if you weren’t aware, many of them who would certainly kill to be alive again).
Don’t get my wrong; in a sense goals are important. We need to direct ourselves in some fashion, can’t just wander aimlessly about with no money in your pocket. But long term, concrete goals are just silly, especially at this point in life. Many would say “I want this sort of house, in this sort of town, with this many children, and this sort of car.” That is pointless. I would like a house, and a car, and children, but would I be heartbroken if I didn’t get them, not in the least. Would I be devastated if I never marry a model, or have a car? Of course not, it would be unrealistic to think otherwise.
I have goals, after high school I want to join the military. I know for a fact that is what I want to do, and hopefully everything works out. It is my goal, but if I don’t get in, would I be a failure? If I had not made my goal flexible, if it was concrete. My life would be thrown asunder. Which is why this goal is very flexible, I will work towards it, even if I don’t make it I will be just as content knowing I know get to experience faucets of life that would otherwise be closed to me. I will still be successful.
I hope the above makes sense, because it sure did in my head. The loud music and sleepless nights have undoubtedly skewed my message.
For those of you who have actually managed to read down this far, here is a joke:
Where do you find a no-legged dog?
Right where you left him.
Based on what many people say what success is, wouldn't it just be another word for achievement?
ReplyDeleteThere are people who are happy and content to just wake up next to their significant other and that is what they define as success in their life. Others can't say that they have achieved success until they change a third world country or are recognized for something. Others are just happy that they can wake up and live another day as they're dying somewhere in the hospital with no cure to their disease.
The way I measure my success is by actually believing in myself, no matter if no one else does. I then complete a small goal when I have the confidence that I will do so, and I feel successful. It doesn't need to be big, and is usually something most people would find mundane - get caught up in the TV show Sleepy Hollow, finish watching the very last episode of three different animes that aren't even thirty minutes long, get the new pokemon game, or even just get out of my bed.
There are also many people that base their success on what they love doing. For example there is Gavin Free, a young adult who works at the wonderful company RoosterTeeth, who is very smart - he knew the diameter of the earth from the equator off of the top of his head - and he plays video games for a living which is a phenomenal job if you ask me. He graduated high school with, I'm sure, excellent grades because he could have gone to college. However, he chose to stay back and work at a company where they pay him to goof off with his friends (sometimes getting himself hurt in the process) and play video games.
I'm pretty sure that he thinks he's very successful (I personally think that he is).
What you measure as success depends solely on you and what is inside or what you set your passions to.
- Aurora Strider
When asking any random person on the street, I guarantee that the majority of them would define success as the amount of money you make in life, the titles you earn, or the power and influence you hold. This is a form of success, but it's not how I view it.
ReplyDeleteTo me, success is leaving a positive mark on the world. I have goals in my life to be an attorney and ultimately, politician. To me, these are both jobs where I know that I can help better society and citizenry whether it be through legislation or the justice system. Sure, everyone strives to live well and afford luxuries in life, but that's not real success, that's just fueling this feeling of self-entitlement.
At the end of my life, if I can look back and say that I tried my hardest and did all I could to ultimately better the life of not only myself but my fellow man, then I'll have known true success. Success is using those tools of wealth and power to leave a positive mark on the world. Because in reality, once we're dead, money and titles are forgotten, but the impact we made on others and our surroundings is static.
Cam Newton
I believe that success is the ability to do what you want with life and accepting that failures are a part of it. I believe that my favorite quote by Albert Einstein "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new" supports this. We can't learn new things nor achieve success (no matter what we believe true success to be) without making mistakes first.
ReplyDeleteSuccess is reaching your goals and loving the changes that are made to you along the journey. Success isn't material goods nor what others think of you. If you believe that you are successful you are. The most successful person may be the poorest and the richest the least successful. Love for yourself and others is the true definition of success in my eyes. There's a reason that greed is one of the deadly sins... you can never reach the success of love with it.
Hannah Metzger
Success, succeeding, being successful, etc. is one of the most greatest accomplishments in the world (to me). Being able to achieve something is just a great feeling. Achieving something that most people fail at is even better. I am a very sore loser. If I do something or play a game; and I fail or lose, I'll just give up and complain about how "stupid" it is. But, if I try again, and I either win or succeed it, I'll brag about how much I love it. That's just who I am. As awful a this may sound, I absolutely LOVE succeeding in things other people fail at. That's honestly my opinion of success. I don't think the amount of money you make has anything to do with it. You can be dirt broke and still be successful. I really think being able to achieve what others can or can't do makes you successful. There is a difference between being wealthy and successful. If you are both, well whoopy-doo for you.
ReplyDelete-Hannah Hyatt
To me success is just an opinion. Success is when you meet the goals that you've set for yourself. Everyone has their own set of goals that they wish to achieve in their lifetime, this is why everyone's views on success are so different. To be successful is when you've reached your goals. Everyone's goals are different which is why some people may not view your achievements as "success".
ReplyDeleteI believe that the key to success is being happy with what you do, whatever that may be. Taking pride in the hard work and effort that you've applied to something, that's success in itself. For example, growing up and getting a job that you hate but staying for the money, is that really success if you hate what you're doing? Success is taking pride and being happy with what you're doing. I believe the effort of your work defines success. Becoming successful is hard work, but when you put the effort into achieving your goals, you will always be successful.
Whitley Bardroff
I very much agree with Whitley in the aspect of saying that success is an opinion and you must meet your goals. Some people may define success as money or college degree while others would say getting married or having a family is success. Each person seems to define success in their own way but most all people have one characteristic that makes them achieve being successful, the characteristic of being content and happy with what you do or what you've done.
DeleteI don't define success as money or status, I think that is a huge misconception with our society in saying that. I also don't think working hard always makes you successful. I like to compare success in my life with playing soccer. Recently our team played against a state ranked team and we were all so intimidated cause we were no where close to their skill level. However we worked hard through the whole game and although we did end up losing by one goal we still felt very successful because we were happy with our effort and play.
For another example you could be a total workaholic and spend every minute trying to achieve more at your work but in the end your unhappy cause you hate what you're doing. Showing pride in what you do and being happy with what you do is real success to me. To be successful you don't have to be a CEO of a major company you just have to be you.
Lexie Richardson
When I think of success I personally think of achieving something that once seemed impossible and making the impossible-possible. I measure my success currently by what goals I wish to achieve and what I want to achieve in the future. For example I am currently taking AP Chemistry I measure my success in that class not by my grade but how hard I am working and how much I completely understand. I may not have the best grade in that class but that does not mean I am unsuccessful. If I manage to complete this class with at least a C average I will be successful in my opinion. I will also be successful because this class will help me in the future.
ReplyDeleteAs other people were saying that success should not be measured by grades or tests I completely agree. Although our society has made us conform to the idea that to be successful we must have good grades and do good on our tests to be successful. So yes-although we do not like the idea of our success to be measured by grades and tests we must follow along with society to be "successful" in their eyes so that we can become more "successful".
As we grow up our view of what successful is will not always be getting good grades or doing well on the ACT but other things that seem unachievable. How we see ourselves in the next 10 years plays apart on what we think is successful.
-Bailey Bishop
I personally think that success is measured by the completion of personal goals and the effort put into each thing we do. Even if you complete a goal, but you don't give all of your effort, then i think that you aren't successful because you cheat yourself when you don't try. For example, if you take a test and cheat off of someone, you may get a better grade, but you didn't gain knowledge and experience from it.
ReplyDeleteHannah Webber
Success will be described differently for everyone. To be successful you have to set and reach goals for yourself and be happy with yourself. You have to become the best you can be. For success the only thing that should matter would be your happiness and if you achieved what you wanted. I don’t think that you have to be rich or run a successful business or have an amazing job. Being successful is all in the eye of the beholder. All our lives are limited whether we live only a few more years or into our old age. Between our birth and death we need to live our days to the fullest and that is what it is to be successful.
ReplyDeleteRachel Wallace
I think that success is dependent on peoples goals that they have for themselves and how they reach them or attempt to reach those goals. Everyone’s life can be seen differently and still be considered success to them and others. I think if you are pushing yourself and getting better and better each day, or when possible, then this is considered success. Some people may not even graduate from college and still find themselves successful. The person behind the success defines it.
ReplyDeleteFor me success is reaching my goals for life and becoming the person that I want to be which could change at any moment in time.
• Caroline Cunningham •
I think that success is dependent on peoples goals that they have for themselves and how they reach them or attempt to reach those goals. Everyone’s life can be seen differently and still be considered success to them and others. I think if you are pushing yourself and getting better and better each day, or when possible, then this is considered success. Some people may not even graduate from college and still find themselves successful. The person behind the success defines it.
ReplyDeleteFor me success is reaching my goals for life and becoming the person that I want to be which could change at any moment in time.
• Caroline Cunningham •
Success has a pretty simple definition for me. I feel successful whenever I accomplish something that makes me feel good about myself. Usually, this happens when I put in a decent amount of effort into something. This can range from accomplishing something trivial to accomplishing something of importance.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as many others have said, success depends on the individual. Everyone has different standards for themselves. You can't tell someone if they are successful or not, the definition of success belongs to that person. For example, you can't say Shoshana Wineburg is unsuccessful for waiting tables if she believes she is successful. The same goes the other way, too. A wealthy businessman could be considered successful by most people, but if he doesn't feel that's he's successful, it's irrelevant. What others think of you could influence your own opinion of how successful you are, though.
Ethan Aldridge
I think success is measured by how well you meet your own personal goals. However, I personally take into account the way others look at me to gauge my sucess. I take into account things like my parents opinions and my grades. Success also could be measured by the amont of effor you put into something. If you acieve your personal goals but use little to no effor to do so, that's not success. that's lazy.
ReplyDelete- Courtnie Carr
Success is an interesting topic, there are many ways one could describe it. the way I typically see it expressed is in that cliche sort of way. It's represented as "making a million dollars and raising a nice family in a big house" sort of way. I find this label to be generic and overall unsatisfactory. There is no way to accurately describe success so that it makes sense to everyone. Success specializes to the individual.
ReplyDeleteI've found that many people define success as an all-encompassing happiness and content feeling. However, I view it as the opposite. I think success occurs ever single day of our lives and acts as a motivator for our behavior. Success can be compared to a drug. It provides happiness and pleasure when we achieve it. After one discovers these pleasures, they thirst for more of it. They set bigger goals and influence more people, all in the search for success.
Success acts as small building blocks in our life. Each successful thing we do lays the foundation for more to come. Eventually, your endeavors will instill more and more success in you, all you have to do is find it. This is how
people like Rockefeller, Carnegie, Gates, and Jobs became the people we know then as today.
Conclusively, success acts as a recipe for success. Small, seemingly meaningless successes can spark the flame that leads to an overall sense of self fulfillment.
Chris Hughes
I would define success as your happiness in the things you have accomplished in life. It's not all about money or power or possessions. It's more about your personal feelings and how you work to accomplish something. I think that if you work hard, and learn a skill or earn pay or something like that, that is success. Sure, you can have wealth, but if you didn't earn or work to earn it, how can you feel successful?
ReplyDelete-Evan Hatter
As cliché as it sounds, I truly believe a persons’ success is based on their happiness. Although society would disagree by saying it is based on your wealth, status, house, and cars. Are wealthy people truly successful? From what I believe, many wealthy people are satisfied with the materialistic things they have obtained but while gaining those they more than likely lost touch with close family and friends. When I grow up, have my own job, house, and family I will judge my success solely on my happiness. I would rather have a job I enjoy rather than a job that pays a lot but have zero interest for. At the end of the day I will feel more successful if I’m completely happy with the life I am living. Success is measured by intangibles such happiness, job satisfaction, close family and friends.
ReplyDeleteHeather Fry
How can you really measure success? How can you be successful when everyone has a different idea of what it means? There is no scale, no grading curve. There is no simple answer. Success can be measure by possessions, the money you have earned, your status in the world, the amount of friends you have, your level of happiness, or personal goals accomplished. Maybe success is all of that, or none. We all search for more in life. We are constantly striving to be better, to accomplish more, but could this be holding us back from becoming successful? We all spread ourselves thin trying to reach something that has been programed into our minds but has no clear definition, when we should be living for personal fulfillment by reflecting on and appreciating all the goals we have accomplished, as well as all the gifts we have been given. I believe that being successful is based on self-fulfillment.
ReplyDelete-Madison Wallace
Hannah Tice
ReplyDelete"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome." - Booker T. Washington
I feel that this quote best describes the way I feel about success and how I hope I measure it in my life. I try not to become defined by grades, courses and activities that I participate in and how I perform. I choose to view my personal success by hard work and perseverance. I also choose to measure my success by the personal obstacles I have overcome. I think the way I view success shapes the way I view others and their success.
The way I measure success is by the way I am feeling. I know if I am unhappy, or constantly am having an uneasy feeling, then I am not living the correct way. I am not fulfilling my purpose in life, which is to be successful. To live successfully and to feel accomplished, is happiness is a nut shell. We all want to make the best of ourselves, to succeed as much as we can and to push ourselves till we feel as if we cant anymore. So obviously, being happy and satisfied with the way I am living is success to me. I have my own expectations that I know I will need to meet in order to feel accomplished and as if I am being successful. For example, if I am making all A's with the exception of a few B's, that will fulfill me and make me happy. It will make me feel as if I have succeeded in school. With basketball, I have been playing since I could walk. It is my go to whenever I need a pick me up. I know when I have had a good practice, I know when I have had a bad practice, and I know when I have had a great practice. That goes along with games as well. Having a good or even great game is an awesome feeling, however I still know I could have done something better next time, and that right there, is success to me. Even if there is still room for improvement, I am aware there always will be and I am proud of myself for recognizing this. Many athletes get comfortable with their "success" and that becomes a problem. The first step to improvement is seeing it and tackling it. So by the time I get to college, if I have lived a happy life during my college years, and if I graduated with a GPA that is both satisfying to me and my family members, then I believe I have succeeded. This is cliché to say, yes, but to me, happiness is without a doubt the key to living a successful life. If you only made it through high school and make minimum wage and might not be able to have all the name brand clothes or the finer things in life, but if you do not let those silly things define you and your happiness, and if you are okay with this, then that right there is living a happy and successful life.
ReplyDelete-Samantha Roberts
To me success is based on results; not necessarily scores or grades, but on how much one has improved.
ReplyDeleteLike Andrew Bates says; we can't call a business man driving a Mercedes unsuccessful. But then again we can't call someone driving a beat up Camry unsuccessful if they started off homeless.
Success shouldn't be measured by how you compare to others, it should be measured as how you compare to yourself however long ago. If we measure success based on those around us we will never truly feel successful, seeing as someone will always be better. If we compare ourselves to how we were a year ago we can truly judge our success and finally feel successful.
This can be applied in sports, school, jobs, or any other aspect of life. If we improve substantially in what we are doing then we should feel success although we may not look successful.
Keenan Jones
I agree with the majority on this. Success is measured differently by each individuals own goals. Whether it be graduating college, running a multi-million dollar company or joining the military. As long as the person has met the goal they had in sight then they have succeeded. Success should not be defined by what others think your goals should be but what you set for yourself.
ReplyDelete-Sharon Hockensmith
Judging from this blog, a lot of people think that success comes from your happiness and pride that you completed one of you goals, and they are absolutely right. Really, money is just gravy, if you are doing something you really love to do and are proud of.
ReplyDeleteI also think that success can be considered anything that is appreciated by society. Was Vincent Van Gogh considered a successful painter during his lifetime? Certainly not, people hated his paintings; they thought they were hideous and poorly done, and that he was wasting his life on them, yet through his depression and people telling him he should give it up, it was his escape from a cruel world up until the point of his untimely death. Today people adore Van Gogh paintings and some consider him the greatest painter that ever lived, which would be a great success on his part considering he just wanted to be appreciated. His goal to be a respected artist depended partially on the public and not just himself.
For small things, like doing well on a test, that depends on your effort and if you think you got a good score, in this case and many others what is successful for you may not be for the person next to you, so it shouldn’t be compared to others to determine if you were successful or not. Success doesn’t mean getting a 100%, it means being happy with the score you got and knowing you gave a 100%.
Certain goals and successes depend on you and how you feel about your accomplishments, if you want to be smart, or fast, or artistic, etc. then that all depends on what you think makes you that way. Other goals depend on data or the public, if you want to be the best singer, artist, actor, in the world then that depends on how the public reacts to you, which may not be in your lifetime, if you want to be the fastest runner, or fastest swimmer, or best goalie, or quarterback, or pitcher, etc. then that really depends on your statistics and how many points you’ve gotten for your team.
So yes, your success does depend on your happiness and self-fulfillment, but in certain cases it might also be a matter for the people around you and future generations. It all depends on the type of goals you set.
Dove DeNigris
I consider myself successful when I have pleased everyone whose opinion matters to me. The person at the top of that list would be my mom. For her I'm successful when I do my best. Many of you think that may be easy, but I promise you, it's not. I'm expected to study and practice at any open time. The main things that are important are: performance at school, academic team, standardized tests (PSAT, ACT), acceptance into programs (Youth Salute, Governor's Scholars Program), instrumental auditions, volunteer service, and archery. This is extremely difficult and I'll be honest and say that I'm not giving it 100%.
ReplyDeleteI strive to be perfect, even though I know it's an impossible task (depressing isn't it). I figure that if reach for the stars I'll at least make it off the ground.
To me improvement is success. My main goal is to be better today than I was yesterday.
Todd Stetler
Some people may measure success as having good grades and passing tests in school. That does not necessarily mean that you are successful. Yes, you are doing well in school and you aren't failing but grades don't really mean anything once you start working. One should be happy with how they live their life. If they don't do so well in high school but they move on in life and are content with it, then I would consider them successful.
ReplyDeleteAll that some people care about is getting a good job that makes a lot of money and they consider that success. I personally think that if you are happy with your life then you are successful. You could go through college and focus on getting a job that you like but still live with your parents, your life may not be perfect but you still have time to make it better, I think you are successful. People should judge their success on what they have achieved in life that makes them happy.
~Ashleigh Johnson~
Personally, I measure success based on how happy I am with the outcome of whatever I am doing. Say my goal was to get an A on a test. If I did get an A, I would feel that I was successful and I'd be happy that I achieved my goal. If I got a B, I wouldn't feel as happy, but I would be okay with it. If I got an F, I would be very angry with myself and would not feel very successful.
ReplyDeleteI believe everyone measures success in similar ways to mine; maybe with material things, such as an award or trophy, or they may have higher or lower standards than me. Maybe there goal is a C on a test, so they can pass a class. Maybe their goal is a 100% and anything less is unacceptable. These all depend on the individual.
Darby Taylor
Success is simply measured in the effort given by the individual. With little effort you are not going to get very far but with great effort and determination you are very likely to succeed.
ReplyDeleteSetting goals for yourself is a good and easy way to succeed. You then know what you are striving for giving you further and further determination.
Success always leads to happiness, you have worked and strived to meet a certain goal. With the accomplishment of an individual succeeding their goal you gain confidence in yourself.
-Brooke Spaulding
I believe that success is difficult for us to define because everyone's idea of success is different. For some it's as simple as you make good grades, you get into college, you succeed. But for others it's more complex than that. Some believe success is based on happiness and emotion. Some believe it's how far you go in life, how much money you make and how big your house is. Others it's how big of an imprint you leave on the world. People assume that we all have an universal idea of how success works which is why an unhappy but wealthy businessman is more successful in society than a high school dropout who enjoys the minimum wage job they are pursuing.
ReplyDeleteIf you try to fail and succeed, what have you accomplished?
In my opinion success is measured by the goals you set for yourself and how well you accomplish them. If your goal is to fail, and you succeed you did not meet your goal. Just as if you try to succeed and you fail. If you want to fail and you do, ultimately you have succeeded.
In what way do you want to be successful?
Courtney Woodyard
I believe success can be measured by your amount of happiness. You aren't truly successful if you aren't happy. All the success that you have had in your life has led to you being happy in some way. If something doesn't make you happy then it wasn't successful. -Emily Evans
ReplyDeleteThe world defines success as having material possessions however my belief says that success is defined is contentment.
ReplyDeletePhilippians 4:11-13 says "i am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know in any and every situation, whether well fed it hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." No matter how many material possessions you own, you can't take that to the next life. You can't take money, cars, houses. Once your gone, your possessions that defined who you were, won't matter in the next life. But measure yourself in the good you do for others, that matters in the next life.
Rachel Blackwell
I think that the degree to which one measures their success simply depends on what you choose to be successful in/with. If you're ultimate goal in life is simply to be happy, healthy, have friends and a relationship then you're success is as easy as living your life. "You're your own worst enemy". I think this quote fits here somewhat nicely here. We as a society measure success in money, status, appearance. But one should never measure their own success on the proclamations of others. One's success lays solely on how successful they feel, and how far their willing to go to get what they want most. If you just wanna live a nice life, then live one and you will succeed.
ReplyDeleteGabriel Warren
I believe that success is measured by how happy a person is with their life. Success shouldn’t be determined by how many certificates you have on the wall or how much money is in your bank account. If you have no money, no home, and no job- but you’re happy- then to me you are successful. Success is also not measured by how many times you fail, as long as you accomplish your goal. To me, you have succeeded in life when you have accomplished your biggest goals. You don’t have to live in luxury to be successful. If you are happy, you have succeeded in life.
ReplyDelete-Olivia Leathers
I think that success is whatever you define it as. If you want to grow up and become a teacher, and you accomplish that, you’ve reached your success, if you want to become an athlete and you achieve that, you’ve reached your success. Success is what that person defines it as. Everybody has different versions and views of success, it just depends on if that person has believed they have reached their success.
ReplyDeleteIan Teasley