The Race To Success: The Definition Of Success

If you had to Google the definition of success you would be find that success is ‘the accomplishment of aim or purpose, the attainment of popularity or profit, (or) a person that achieves desired aims or attains prosperity”. To every individual success has a different meaning, however each interpretation usually has three common traits: wealth, importance and contentment. By obtaining these three things the belief that we are distinguished and have gained unlimited opportunities is formed, however in pursuit of this we often lose sight of our morals. The race to success often becomes very messy in the sense that we mistreat others to reach the finish line, using success as an excuse. For example, Steve Jobs, arguably one of the most successful

To some being able to feed their family dinner for a week could mean they feel rich and happy for a week - make them feel as though they are important to the survival to all in their family. To others success may be winning an election for mayor, a process that requires money for funding, the making of important decisions and a process that can leave a winner feeling fulfilled. To most people in Greenwich the second is a much more relatable idea of success, this maybe because of the environment we live in: one of wealth and “freedom”, or perhaps it is because of the influence of the books and television shows we watch which depict success as major accomplishments. This constant repetition of success having to be a stellar achievement is a large influence on our own measurement of success. As children if we see a child being given praise for his or her accomplishment of reading an entire book our own excitement over finishing a chapter suddenly seems much less important. This kind of competitive or jealous thinking continues throughout our lives, forcing us to accomplish greater things but also not allowing us to celebrate our

Although as a society we are taught to believe that innate talent creates success, it is only “if you are willing to work to develop that ability, (that) the system will reward you”. Opportunities are presented everyday, although not all will seem important each one has a domino effect - as in it sets another opportunity in motion. Each time you take an opportunity and make an advantage you will climb the ladder from ordinary to extraordinary - but this spot as extraordinary can be easier knocked out from underneath you. Therefore you must put time and effort into achieving your success, a decision that often leads to the sacrifice of friends and family. Opportunities do not just appear out of thin air, for someone to give you an opportunity you have to earn their trust and acquire their attention, one of the only ways of doing both these things is through hard work. Hard work can result in remarkable results or hard work can lead to nothing but a lifetime of dead ends. Despite the thinking that it is more important to “care about your output not your input.”, I believe that hard work is not only more valuable but constantly working hard shows a lot about character: that you can be focused, loyal and trustworthy. Another essential, yet often forgotten, ingredient to success is advantage. Those who have a wealthy family, a physical upper hand or have much more experience