Success

What does success mean? To some people it means fame. To some it means being able to put food on the table. For every single person out there, success means something different. Success, just like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Now, do we determine success based on what we think is successful or what others think is successful? Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” This quote can also be used for success. We can’t all be Elon Musk, Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg. We shouldn’t be, because if we keep striving for that, most of us will never be happy or feel successful. You know I don’t believe in participation trophies, nor do I believe that everyone is special. Saying everyone is special takes away from the meaning of the word. But all of us do and should have our own version of success. While I might not be world-renowned or super famous, I have been told that I am helpful. That what I do is helpful to other people. I have a good job. I can pay my bills, take a vacation or two. Spoil my cats and more. To me that’s success. To you that might be just living. And that’s okay. We should figure out what success means for us and work on achieving that, rather than achieving the society’s definition of success. Unfortunately, success is not a sprint, but more of a marathon. Once you achieve one of the goals, should you stop there? That’s a personal decision.