The Definition of Success

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The Definition of Success What is success? Is it the process of doing a task and receiving a positive result acceptable amongst the community, or is it simply achieving ones own personal goals? Success to me can mean many things. Although I am successful in school, that does not necessarily mean I will lead a successful life. According to The American Heritage Dictionary success is, "the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted." Even over the course of history, the meaning of the word has not really changed. In the Webster's Dictionary from 1828, success was stated as, "the favorable or prosperous termination of anything attempted; a termination which answers the purpose intended; properly in a good sense, but often in a bad sense." The word success itself has an interesting background. First used in 1537, the word was derived from Latin. Succeed entered English in the 15th century from Old French succeder, which itself came from Latin succedere. That word is a compound verb formed from sub- "under" in the sense of "next under" or "after," and cedere "go." The meaning of "getting near to something" changed in Latin to "doing well, prospering," hence the meaning behind success. Success to me is setting personal goals, and following through with them. Whether you achieve your desired result or not, you have succeeded just by trying. "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or whe...

Success in Willa Cather's My Antonia
2593 Words | 6 Pages
The American college dictionary defines success as 1. The favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors, 2. The gaining of wealth, possessions, or the like. This has been the general seances for the past hundred years or more. But in more modern days the prospective of success has changed slightly. It has shifted to having a good education, going to collage, getting a carrier getting married & having children. Having your own home and eventually dying and passing it all on to a child or children. Success is no longer satisfaction or personal goals. It has been supplemented by the goals society has preset for the populous that have been drilled into the minds of the young from the very beginning. To a man named Santiago in The Old Man and The Sea by: Earnest Hemingway, success was to conquer the Marlin Santiago had fought for so long. But as a cruel twist of fate his success is taken away in an instant when the prize he had fought so hard for was eaten by sharks, leaving Santiago with no spoils left to show for his hard fight. He was even so crushed by of the loss of the Marlin that he cried out to the sea "I am beaten.....hear stands a broken man" (234). Santiago still experienced success in the fashion that when he returned to port the little boy named Manolin that he had taught how to fish earlier in the novel was allowed to come back to fish with him. This was the ultimate form of success that was perceived for Santiago by Hemingway. To Jean Valjean in Les Misreables By: Victor Hugo , Valjean's success was represented in the form of going from convict to loving father of a daughter. The little girl named Cosette may not have been his true daughter, but after he had had dinner with a bishop that had seen the possibility of good in he started the transformation of his life. he met Cosettes mother and vowed to save her daughter from the place where she was being kept. The success Valjean experienced was what made his character the man that he was. But to Willa Cather in My
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Staircase Lady By Christie Mclaren's 'Suitcase Lady'
774 Words | 2 Pages
Success can be an extremely broad subject. There is an abounding amount of different views on what the “true” definition of success is. Personally, I believe that success is finding happiness. Success is waking up in the morning and not having to worry about whether or not the bills are going to be paid this month. Success is having a job that you enjoy going to every day. Success is having friends and family who love and support you. Success does not mean that one has to be exceedingly rich or have a lakeside mansion. As long as they are happy, they have succeeded in life.
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Deffinition of Success
888 Words | 2 Pages
Imagine yourself ten years from now. From now till then, you will have short and long-term goals that will either be achieved or ignored. The achievement of success is by accomplishing goals with the happiness that comes along with it. Achieving goals is an ongoing process throughout the lives of humans until there is no more to gain. Although, society makes people believe success is measured by money and monetary items.
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The Definition of Success
926 Words | 2 Pages
'One has achieved success who has lived well and laughed often.'; This quote seems to sum up what is meant by success. If you are able to laugh often and much then you have definitely achieved happiness. The idea of living well, though, is a very broad statement. In order, then, to define success in relation to this statement, we must first define what it means to live well. There are three levels of success, in my opinion: societal success, personal success, and academic or professional success. If someone can achieve all of these three levels of success, they are someone who has lived well.
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Successful Success
985 Words | 2 Pages
Success only truly comes with being happy. Happiness and success are the accomplices of one another. Someone cannot have accompanies without the other. Happiness brings success, and success brings even more happiness. Success, in the dictionary, is defined as the achievement of something desired planned or attempted. Therefore, success cannot be judged by anyone than oneself. It is a personal thing. It is the realization of goals, desires or plans made by one 's self. It is not measurable and yet is something we always use to compare others or appraise someone 's worth. Success, in one form or another, is something that someone should always be striving for. For some people it is something they will do subconsciously, and for others it will be something they will constantly labor for. Because success is something that is different for everyone, it is best that they measure their personal success by their sense of self worth instead of others. To have succeeded is to have lived, as someone wanted; ' it is to have lived well and laughed
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A Successful Essay: The Definition Of Success
758 Words | 2 Pages
Successful is a simple word, however, the meaning of this word changes quite often. Each person has a different definition of success and that definition can change depending on the situation. Bob Dylan once wrote, “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” This a very broad definition of success and should not be used. The definition of success should be “the pursued goals have been adequately accomplished.”
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Definition Essay On Success
568 Words | 2 Pages
Success is a term with many definitions. Many people think that success is determined by the amount of money one makes, or how many people they manage daily. Unfortunately, this is the opposite of how success is defined. Success is setting a goal, and doing what you have to do to achieve this goal; it is about being happy with a result and doing something correctly, and feeling accomplished when something is finished. Actually, making money is a good example of reward for success.
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Defining Success
624 Words | 2 Pages
Success is within the mind of the individual. A large portion of ones life is spent working to become successful. People are told throughout childhood to work hard so they can grow up and make lots of money. But success takes many different forms. Different people have different interpretations of what success means to them. For some, success is measured by social status and wealth; for others success is determined only by the amount of happiness one feels.
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Definition Of Success
316 Words | 1 Pages
What does success look like to you? The term “success” can look different to all people. One may perceive it as the amount of money you have, while another person may define it as the amount of education a person has gone through. For me, success has no correlation with money. I believe success is based on how happy you are and if you have achieved all of your goals and dreams.
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Definition Of Success
365 Words | 1 Pages
If you're looking to define success, first define your priorities and passions. Whether or not your career helps you fulfill your passions is a major determining factor in whether or not you feel successful. Think about when you were younger. What did you want to be when you grew up as a child? What were your goals in college? Are you using your degree? Why or why not? Oftentimes, people fall into a career path and lose track of their true passions and interests. Conversely, people who feel stressed over their career feel successful when they realize their work truly reflects their passion. Do not fear change. Sometimes, defining one's passions can help with a personal definition of success. Acknowledging what you're doing in
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Definition Of Success Essay
536 Words | 2 Pages
The definition of success itself is unique to each individual; it can be defined as achieving what was set out to be done, obtaining wealth or position, or attaining personal happiness. The act of completing a set task is considered by some to be a success. When a person has accomplished a goal that they’ve set for themselves, they can say that they were successful. In situations such as this one, the person in question has fulfilled their wishes.
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Definition Of Success
537 Words | 2 Pages
Winners are not people who never fail, but people who never quit. In my own opinion, the definition of success would be a person who has accomplished something that is very spectacular or amazing. Accomplishing great milestones in life could title someone as a successful person because they are things that are very important or useful. Second, the people or items that have earned the title as a world record could possibly be some examples of achieving milestones. Last, somebody that does something that, in present time, would be unusual to have, such as a good running family, wealth, or a world record, could be very beneficial.
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The Definition Of Success In Today's Society
794 Words | 2 Pages
Ever since the times of the BC era, wealth had defined success (Definition of Success). A wealthy person of those times would be looked at as a superior being, they would be someone you’d show respect for. They were successful. Although that's the definition of success back then, does it mean something different now? Like every human being, and every past structure of society, the word evolves with time because society's’ values change. The definition of the word “success” was often considered as the achievement of wealth, but now it has become modernized to fit into today's society. Today, success is thought as an individual doing what makes them happy in life, generally doing their best, or even contributing positive things to the world to make it a better place (What does success mean).
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Success Essay: The True Definition Of Success
1097 Words | 3 Pages
The true definition of success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Although, many people have different perceptions of success. Success is judged by the individuals themselves. Success can be defined in many ways including: wealth, happiness, fame, etc. Success can be anything from material goods to concepts. It all depends on your concept and how you achieve your goals. You have to have persistence within yourself. Varying on your profession, you will need a certain skill level. Your definition of success can be suitable best for you, but not for others. It is about truly not giving up, reaching your full potential, and self-fulfillment.
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What is Success?
583 Words | 2 Pages
Success takes many different definitions. People have different interpretations of what success really means. For me is as simple as: living well and laughing often. The idea of living well is a very broad statement. Living well, in my opinion is getting success in personal, social and professional life. If I can achieve all of these three levels of success, I believe that I have lived well.
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The Definition of Success

Success in Willa Cather's My Antonia

Staircase Lady By Christie Mclaren's 'Suitcase Lady'

Deffinition of Success