This is a question that is frequently asked, pondered upon, and analyzed. Yet – there will never be one final meaning. Success means different things to different people. Success might mean making enough of a living to live day to day for some; it might mean saving up for a fancy car for others.
“What is success to me?” The answer to this question is one that each one of us will come to answer for ourselves. Success, to me, is to authentically impact, influence, and better the lives of others. Investing in people, their value, and their will is the ultimate way to better society and the world as we know it. I believe my Dad embodied a similar version of success as described by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“What is success?
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate the beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch Or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Likewise, I aspire to meet the same face of success in my pursuits to make even one life easier.
