what is successful life essay

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Essay on Success

List of essays on success in english, short essay on success – essay 1 (100 words), essay on success: definition and how to achieve success – essay 2 (250 words), essay on success: parameters, qualities for achieving success and conclusion – essay 3 (300 words), essay on success: what is real success – essay 4 (500 words), essay on success: success and hard work – essay 5 (500 words), essay on success: education is the road to success – essay 6 (650 words), long essay on success – essay 7 (1000 words), essay on success: intro, success in life and success for students  – essay 8 (2500 words).

The students should be able to distinguish between true success and success of ill deeds. The short essays for students shall enlighten them with the true meaning of success. The essays written in simple language are very informative and shall prove to be beneficial for students of all classes.

Success is much more than riches, power or fame. Success is simply the feeling of satisfaction and happiness one gets from leading a particular way of life or carrying out a particular activity. Success in any field or aspect of life can only be achieved through serious hard work and a little bit of opportunity. One of the most important recipes of success is determination and it might as well be the most important secret of success. To become successful, it is necessary to never give up until the aim of happiness and satisfaction in life is fully met. The happiness and satisfaction can be found in very different things in different people.

‘Success’ is a very powerful word. Many of us run behind it; most of us want to conquer it. So, what is success all about? Does this mean acquiring money or fame? Success means different things to different people.

Definition of Success

The Oxford dictionary defines success as “ The accomplishment of an aim or purpose ”.

This is the definition of success in theory, but in reality it differs according to people’s interests and goals.

It is very important for every individual to define their own concept of success rather than following someone else’s footsteps. We must analyze what makes us happy, what gives us contentment, and what motivates us . No one can list out our needs better than us.

True success means understanding our dreams and working joyfully to make those dreams come true.

How to Achieve Success

Many great people have suggested various ways to achieve success. But the real secret ingredient to nail success is to believe that we are already successful . With this strong affirmative thought, success can be easily achieved if we follow these three success factors:-

• We should follow our passion because that is where our heart and soul is. When we follow our passion there is no need for us to put any extra effort.
• The path to success is always challenging. We should build confidence to face any challenging situations.
• The third and most important success factor is discipline . When we work in a disciplined manner, things will automatically fall in place.

If we stick to these three factors, nothing can stop us from tasting success. Success is a journey which continues even after the goal is achieved.

Success is perhaps the most desired feeling that all of us want to experience in the pursuit of our goals and also in day to day life. Apparently, every individual has his or her own definition of success.

Parameters of Success

None can deny that the world blindly respects and trusts wealthy people. Money is the prime dynamic force that drives this world. The sooner we acknowledge and appreciate this fact the better. Academic success is a prime concern for all in the initial part of life, especially in the school days. For those who continue perusing studies, academic success is the epitome of everything. It is mostly observed that success in personal life becomes a tough task for those who have all the riches. Here is where the common people feel successful to have a happy personal life.

Qualities for Achieving Success

One should not regret their decisions taken in the past and must refrain dwelling in the past. We must give deep thought before taking any decisions and uttering words from the mouth. For making a successful decision one must ask questions to oneself like: What Do I Need To Do? What Will Be The Outcome? Will It Be Worth Doing? One must keep the emotions for success and failures intact and should not showcase it to others. Successful people never wait for applause or acknowledgement of their work as they eventually get it. To become successful one must keep friends close and enemies closer. A successful person never demeans the weak and never underestimates anyone.

To become successful one has to understand what is important in that instant, recognize and work on the weaknesses, take criticism and hold on to the strengths. From a broader perspective Success defines the contentment, peace of mind and sheer happiness that is achieved. One should remember that only perseverance can lead the path to success.

Introduction

Real success is something we should all strive to attain. Real success can simply be said to be achieving a higher position or very high position in our chosen field or area; it can be politics or business or even education. In the world we live in today, we have equated success to riches, prosperity, fortunes, cars, houses and so many mundane things. We believe that once a person has enough money to be able to afford what he or she wants, the person is successful. This is a total and complete misconception that will be discussed here.

Money isn’t a measure of success?

While it is important to note that having money is a part of being successful and you can classify as rich person as being successful, money is not all that success is about and we have a lot of people around us that are seemingly rich but still count themselves as not successful. In fact, sometimes we see wealthy people and conclude that they aren’t successful. If this is true then we can safely conclude that success is deeper that money or other superficial and physical things can we might acquire or own. Money is very important to success in life but it is not a necessity and neither is it the only key to success in life.

What is real success?

Real success is way beyond the physical things we can see, real success is all about the feeling of satisfaction we get when we accomplish a task or do something, it is the happiness we get just by remembering what we have achieved and how we did it, real success has to do with a lot of positive feelings about ourselves and pride in what we have been able to do. As we can see, real success can only be achieved within one’s self and that is why a lot of people who we think are successful still believe they aren’t just because they aren’t happy with what they are doing or they feel they can get so much more out of life. From this, we can see that it is very important to attain true success in life.

How one can attain real success

For one to be successful, the first and most important thing one needs to do is to set goals and objectives. Only through the setting of goals can one really have something to pursue and claim success when we got those things or meet the set goals and target. A very important ingredient in achieving real success is determination. If one is going to get real success, one has to be determined to never give up no matter what the situation might be. Another very important ingredient is hard work as we can’t expect to be successful if we don’t work hard and do all it takes to meet all of our set goals. It is important that we get all the skills that are required for us to be successful in our chosen field.

The yardstick of success varies from people to people. The success story of an individual begins from the moment of his/her birth. A human child begins the winning streak by challenging every obstacle from the moment of conception to delivery. So no human is ever a failure, and hence confidently we can say that the very existence of every human in this word bear an element of success.

At the primary level, success lies within the parameters of cracking competitive exams and identifying one’s aptitude as to which profession the individual can flourish. On broader terms, a successful life is indeed a happy life reflecting upon how far one has reached. Success is not just related to material success.

How to become successful in life?

Nobody has ever become successful within a split of a moment. It is not an arduous task either. Strong determination coupled with hard work is the key to success. The first step to any attempt is to set the goal. There can be short-term goals, and long-term goals and both play a significant role on your road to success. Once the target set, then you have to do strategic planning. It is advisable to set a time frame as well. It will enable you to evaluate yourself on a regular basis. Fixing a time frame can also check into our procrastinating nature.

The next most important factor to become successful in life is hard work. It is the key to success. The adage rightly says that ‘no pain, no gain.’ You need to keep in mind that nobody else is going to do what we ought to do. If we put little effort and saw the seeds of hard work and perseverance, then we are sure to reap success and bounty. If you have strong willpower and the fire to ignite your dreams, then nothing can pull you back.

Stay focused on your objectives rather than hoping:

You can inspire yourself by being a self-motivator and critic. It opens room for self-improvement and appreciation. As it is said that ‘well begun is half done,’ do not hesitate to sparkle a start. Once we get a push, the rest will fall right in place. Even if we stumble down a couple of times, do not let go of our dreams. Failures are part and parcel of any successful entity. Mistakes are quite common and what needs to do is that we acknowledge them, and bear them in our mind. It ensures that we learn from the mistakes and in turn do not repeat them.

Nobody has ever been successful overnight. Patience is yet another golden rule. Just convince your mind that you are strong enough to be successful, though not today, at least some day. Never be disappointed if you lose. Trust in yourself and believe that you will reach there and you deserve to reach there. Your strength and weakness define the person you are, and the realization of it is rather important. Selfless dedication and hard work will definitely get you there.

Once you achieve your goals, you can be a strong inspiration to others. There is a warrior in you and never shut it down. You are capable of climbing higher and boom into a fantastic personality. Whatsoever, live a humble life, spread positivity and bear the torch to others’ road to success.

Saying education is the road to success is just another way of saying education is very important for all of us in life, without education there would not be a lot of progression in both our individual and collective lives as human. It is very important that we get education in order to get success in life. Most times, people generally limit education to the four walls of a classroom or a school.

Education has roots in every area of our existence; education can be said to begin from the home, parents and family members educate and train the children on good characters that they should imbibe and teach them to remove some habits and characters. All of these good characters imbibed by the child through education at home can help the child become very successful in future.

We all know that without good characters and morals, it is extremely hard to become successful or make it in life as people would not want to be associated with such person. We are also educated on good communication and interpersonal skills that are very necessary for us to make it and become successful in life.

Importance of education to success

We need to know the true value and worth of education. Education helps to facilitate our skill, knowledge and learning; it gives us a different view of the world and refines our personality, helping us to build very positive attitudes. Education is a totally essential tool in ensuring a bright future.

Education can serve as a tool in achieving anything and everything good about life. When we get a high level and degree of education, we earn respect and recognition from our family and the society at large.

Education can go a very long way in changing our thoughts and level of reasoning; it broadens our worldview and provides us with the opportunity to get knowledge and technical skills that are highly needed in life. We can improve our knowledge level and skill by watching educational documentaries and programmes on the TV, reading the news and keeping up to date with all of the happenings all over the world, reading a lot of books that can educate us. Education can go a long way to make us into more rational and civilised people. Education guarantees our place among people in the society and can help us achieve all of our dreams and aspirations in life.

Education and success

Success is the goal of all of us and it is our mission. Life can sometimes be full of different opportunities and challenges. Success can only be attained if we have all of the required and needed tools.

The most important tool for success is education because without education, we wouldn’t be able to have a wide view of the world and be able to innovate and develop. A lot of youths and children today cite the examples of the successful people that didn’t graduate from school and still went ahead to be successful in life. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook famously did not graduate from Harvard university but still went ahead to become very successful. The truth is even though Mark didn’t graduate, he was well educated and wouldn’t have been able to start Facebook if he had no knowledge of coding and wasn’t enrolled in Harvard at all. From him, we can learn that education isn’t limited and can basically be any way of widening our knowledge and improving ourselves. We should never confuse education with getting a diploma or a degree. Only education in or out of school can make us be successful in life and give us the true career we want.

Without education, life would be totally meaningless without education. The only path to true success in life is education, every one that has been, is and would be successful in life needs education to do that.

The modern world has a way of doing things, that is, modern man has his own particular view on how things should look. That view is completely different from the perspectives upheld by those who came before us, so to say. Like the ancient Greeks were obsessed with performing heroic deeds, or medieval European Christians with martyrdom and upholding saintly principles, we can argue that modern man has an obsession with success. Or more precisely, one aspect of that new worldview is to compare people between each other through the notion of success.

In a way, the beginning of the 21 st century is preoccupied with the concept of success more than ever before, both individual and collective. That fact can is seen in many aspects of our daily lives, people are not just oppressed with celebrities and successful people they want to live that lifestyle or achieve some sort of greatness. Looking at the current state of things one is encouraged to analyze the situation further and to find the reason behind these phenomena, or at least to offer a new perspective on worldwide trend.

What Makes a Person Successful?

There are many ways a person can be successful. Most people will think of celebrities, politicians, artists, entrepreneurs, etc. They will think of someone who is known the world over because of the thing they do, the thing they are good at. That’s all fine, but there are successful people who do not like to be celebrities and there are, most definitely, celebrities who cannot count as successful people.

What then makes a successful person? Is it how they do things? Is it what they get in return? Is it in the number of things they can amass in their life? Most of those things can count as some part of our overall image of such a person. But, how can we define it? What is it actually?

What I like is simple answers, they are usually correct and the most practical at the same time. Even though not all answers can be simple, this one is. When you look up the word success in any dictionary you will find that it is considered an accomplishment of an aim or a purpose.

Surely people were able to accomplish an aim or a pulpous in their lifetimes, even several, before the 21 st century. Why is it that this noun has such relevance for the classification of people in this age?

History of Success

If we take a look at history, as I mentioned before, we can see that every age has a different occupation. When we talk about the ancient Egyptians, we do not talk about single individuals who made this country so great we talk about the collective in general. But also, we do not know the names of the people who actually accomplished the construction of the pyramid we remember the person who ordered it and did nothing to build it.

Sometimes when I think about all the great artists whose names I do not know, that built humanity in the name of kings, it seems as if it was forbidden for individuals to be famous if they were not born into some sort of noble family.

That drastically changed with the return of democracy to Europe and the liberation from the old-world view that separated people into casts, genders, and races. The new perspective born from revolutions gave every man the right to control their destiny and therefore the right to become successful, to achieve one’s dreams and ideals. Celebrating success can be seen as a collective celebration of the boundless human potential to do incredible things. Is it always so shiny? Or is there a dark side to the story?

Can Success Harm us?

We all know that being successful has its price and the people on the top can often be alone, because of the many sacrifices they had to make to get there. There are also countless examples of people who have achieved success professionally but their health and social lives fail because they cannot handle the strain that comes with maintaining that image of perfection that is expected of them.

Then there is also the psychological pressure any person can experience when they become obsessed with succeeding in the things they do. This emotion can cause such discomfort for people that they can freeze in key moments when they should be at the top of their game. Not to mention the depression some people experience when they come in contact with the images of people that exist on social media. There is a lot in being successful that we put under the carpet, or we just consider it as part of the game, something that we should bear. It does not have to be that way.

Sharing Success

People are made to be in a group and therefore everything they do they should do for each other; however, this fact of human existence has also been a breeding ground for nationalism and other group-oriented ideologies that made the 20 th century so dark. The striving to be successful, the best, the most dominant will make people perform incredible and inspiring things but it will also make them give legitimacy to the worst monstrosities. How do we draw the line between the good and bad aspect of wanting individual and collective success?

Maybe we should stop looking at success as part of domination and make it part of what makes us authentic as human beings. What do I mean? If we start celebrating everyday people when they express themselves or make something that is fulfilling for them and makes other people grow we will support others to develop this aspect of their humanity and not concentrate on domination and subordination. We should support the celebration of collective endeavors that strive to enhance the human race as a whole and not adore individual examples as if they were the meaning of life.

The secret to success is not in money and fame, but in reaching that feeling of fulfillment when you know you have accomplished something that truly matters to you and other people around you. Dreaming big and then having it, it’s not impossible.

If you’ve been feeling a little low lately, this essay on success is sure to boost your motivation levels and set the goals right for you! We hear about so many successful people from all the areas. Some of them may be our favorite singers, actors, scientists, writers, social workers, politicians, and what not. Their achievements inspire the hearts of many and urge them to do better.

While we tend to focus on the sensation of the final outcome, the journey toward the goal is what matters the most. Sadly, human nature forces us to look at everything through the eyes of instant gratification. But the stories of success are not created overnight. In real life, any small big achievement demands tons of efforts and sacrifices.

If success is a building, consider each effort to be a brick, that has to be put in day and night tirelessly. Dreaming about achieving a goal in life is a lovely idea. Nonetheless, working on it every day is more than just a fantasy. You have to make it happen.

Do you pray or meditate? What happens at that moment? You sit quietly and focus all your attention and energy into the prayer or in watching those thoughts. Prayer commands sincerity. True worshipping is when the heart is pure and honest.

In the same way, success is a conscientious phenomenon. It asks for dedication and ethical diligence. For a real success, there are no shortcuts and there is no quitting too! Yes, we all get tired and hopeless. That doesn’t mean we have to give in to those feelings and quit. Keep working no matter what!

At times, when you feel that you can’t go on anymore, take a break. Rejuvenate yourself, talk to your loved ones, rest a lot, create a fresh perspective. And come back again with a greater force and zeal. You never know when the efforts will turn into the sweet fruits of success. One thing common in all the great personalities was that they never quit!

Personal Definition of Success

There is no fixed definition of success. You see, success is quite a relative term and its meaning changes from one person to another. However, it is sure to say that being able to feel content with your life and achieve what you dreamed of, is what makes you a successful person!

A prosperous life is not strictly about having all the materialistic comforts around. To some extent, this may be true. But, all in all, it’s only a microscopic way to measure someone’s success.

Let us introduce you to some of the most powerful quotes on success given by the different eminent personalities.

Everybody’s favorite, the great feminist and poetess, Maya Angelou says, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

Winston Churchill quotes it as, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

Not to mention, America’s former first lady, Michelle Obama who expresses her own views on success. According to her, “Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”

In the words of Albert Einstein, “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

Anne Sweeney, who remained the president of the Disney Channel from 1996 to 2014. In her words, “Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.”

It is evident enough how these miraculous and charismatic visionaries have described success in various terms and that there is no particular way to define it. The only authentic parameter should be your own satisfaction and happiness.

What is Success

We have understood that success is an abstract notion. Now, it is time to get to the bottom and explore some basic questions about it. Have you ever tried to inquire into what success means to you? What are the things that would make you convinced that you are a successful person now? Does your heart yearn for fame, money, peace, joy, love, or something else?

These questions are crucial. They make your mind clear and set your priorities more effectively. Always remember that a virtue that appeals to you may not mean the same to another person. Everybody has their own preferences and goals in life.

The bottom line is regardless of what the goal is, we can each be successful in our lives as long as the achievement makes us happy and content. It could be your education, a well-paying job, having a loving family, social security, or freedom to live the way you want to.

Anything, no matter how small or big, that fills us with a sense of purpose and gratifies the heart leads to success. If you are a happy person and love your life, then success is yours! For a long time, our minds have been trained to believe that money is the greatest source of joy. However, it’s not true!

Undoubtedly, wealth is a strong means to create comfort and security for us. But if it was the only thing needed for success, why do the richest people still deal with depression, anxiety, fears, and failures? Have you ever thought about it?

Physical wealth does not guarantee an insusceptibility to dissatisfaction and failure. Thinking otherwise would only create a bottomless void within you. People madly run after money and career. And yet when they are well-established, they still may not feel the joy and peace within. What is the missing piece in their lives?

Success in Life

Life is a rollercoaster, isn’t it! We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. Overcoming your flaws and frailty is a victory in itself. If you are thinking of coming out as a winner in life, don’t confine yourself to monetary values. With money, you may feel “technically” rich and yet have no access to the truest joy.

There are many dimensions to success. But everything depends upon our ability to recognize them. What are these dimensions, by the way! Let us explore a few of them.

You must have heard the famous quote, “Health is Wealth”. We need to understand the hidden value of this quote today more than ever. Ask yourself, if you would be able to enjoy anything in the same way if you were suffering from an acute or chronic illness? No, but such physical ailments are a bitter truth to many. To these people, achieving a partial or full recovery, having a long and respectful life is a success.

For the emotional souls, having their loved ones around, giving them a quality life, and taking care of them is what counts as the real victory. A person who cares about the whole society, for him/ her the true meaning of succeeding would be providing the basic amenities to the underprivileged, fighting for human rights, or creating awareness.

And yes, the biggest of the aims could be as simple and meaningful as leading a peaceful life. It could be about not having regrets and ill feelings toward others. They could also be as big as winning a gold medal in the Olympics, breaking the stereotypes, getting out of a toxic relationship and having a stable life.

The point is, success cannot be put into a singular category. And comparing one’s goal with the other person would be like comparing apple to an orange, or fruits to vegetables. Each person is unique. Their journey of life is different and so are their goals and parameters of success.

Success for Students

The keys to successful academic life are open secrets. As a student, your progress depends on the level of self-discipline, dedication, and hard work. If you are able to pull off these habits in long-term success would never leave you. Right? Nonetheless, the matter is not so simple.

In today’s time, students are looking for “success” more desperately than ever! Considering the cut-throat competitions, it is quite understandable also. The pressure of family’s expectations makes things even more complicated. The students have no option except to excel in their studies, but at what costs?

First of all, academic success is dependent on a limited number of subjects. The true potential of a child or a young one cannot be fairly measured based on such a narrow line. Moreover, somehow we have come to believe that excellent grades are a must for a student’s survival in this world. Fortunately, that’s not completely correct.

The practical life is much more than a few subjects. Most of the things we learn at school and colleges are plain theories. The bookish knowledge hardly proves to be of any help in the real world. What makes you rich is the experiences you gain on a daily basis.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that grades and books shouldn’t be taken seriously at all. You need to understand that these things play a partial role in forming the ladder of success. The better word to focus on would be ‘growth’.

If winning the race and grabbing a seat in some reputed college takes a toll on your mental, physical, and psychological health, then, we are seriously doing something wrong here. After all, these are the same factors leading to the rising number of suicides among the youths.

Not getting good marks doesn’t mean that you are not good enough for anything. It just means that you haven’t explored everything yet. There are many great personalities like Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, J.K. Rowling, who were a failure on the scales of conventional methods. But they proved everyone wrong.

All you need to remember is that never lose faith in yourself. If you really love what you do and consistently pour all of your energy into that task, then, definitely success is waiting for you! Make a routine of your choice and follow it religiously. Stay punctual. Fix your eyes on the goal and keep working.

Success and Hard Work

You can only work hard when you are fit overall. A good health is not just about having a strong body but also a strong mind and willpower. For all these things, you need energy. So, pay attention to things that you are feeding to your sensory organs. This includes from the proper diet to releasing stress, stay positive, working out, having those around who believe in you.

Don’t just work hard on your curriculum only. Take charge of other aspects too. As much as possible, include healthy foods in the diet. Staying positive induces good hormones in the body and the effect clearly shows in your performance. To strengthen your mental health, meditate every day.

Sitting around greenery, talking to your loved ones, reading positive books, are some of the other ways to replenish your energy levels. Make sure to work out every day, or at least go for a 30-minutes walk. Keep yourself hydrated. Drink plenty of water and other fluids.

Apart from focusing on the positive steps, be careful of the negative factors too. For instance, any negative conversation or toxic people in your life may suck away all your energy and charm. Try your best to avoid these triggers. Not only that, distractions like television, online chats, social media, parties, etc. should not be underestimated.

Keep your body and mind clean like a temple. It will help you work harder and with more effectiveness. There are no shortcuts to success. However, prefer to work smart rather than work hard. Never ever neglect the amount of sleep you get. There is no substitute for proper sleep.

Lack of sleep makes you cranky. Your concentration and memory become poorer. The learning becomes slower. So, a million dollar advice would be to get sufficient sleep, that means up to 8-10 hours. A few hours may be up and down depending on the person’s body requirements.

It is okay if the hard work makes you tired. However, the whole idea of hard work should not suffocate you. They say that if you love what you do, you don’t have to work a day in your life! If the set goals don’t well-align with your heart, explore something that does. Your goals should be set by you and not anyone else.

Success and Failure

Do you fear failure? What is the definition of failure according to you? How important is a failure for success? Let us find some answers to these amazing questions and doubts that we all face within us. To make things easier, here are a few great quotes for you!

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

“Giving up is the only sure way to fail.” – Gena Showalter

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison

Must have changed your perspective a bit! Well, it won’t be wrong to say that failure is a part of success. It is an inevitable part of that process. Like two sides of a coin. You cannot expect to taste success until you have learned to embrace the failures.

There is an interesting story about it with a strong message. There used to live a guy who owned a grand and luxurious car. That car always stayed inside the house. The man never drove it. One day, one of his friends visited him and asked the reason for not taking the car out on the road.

Do you know what the man replied? He said that he would take the car out when all the traffic lights are green. He was waiting for an impossible thing to happen! Can you believe that? It’s ironic but yes, we all do the same metaphorically.

When we don’t take steps due to the fear of failure, subconsciously, we are waiting for everything to be perfect. So perfect that there would be no tiny scope for failing. That means there would be no red lights at all. How is that even possible!

Leave the fear of failure behind. The only thing you should be scared of is not making efforts. Because that kills even the slightest chance of success. Be humble and embrace failure. Learn from your mistakes. These lessons are valuable. No book would teach you the way your experiences will.

Success is a cumulative and relative term. Without peace and love, money and fame don’t count as success. True success would satiate your soul. It would fill your life with joy. Shrug off the idea of comparing your life with someone else’s. Every person follows a different path and journey. That is why the meaning of success also varies from one individual to another.

No matter how difficult or impossible seems the goal, never quit. Keep working and one day you would succeed. Don’t confine your ambitions to just making money. Listen to your heart and follow it. The voices within us are our guiding lights!

Try to be a good person before becoming a successful person. Only an individual who has earned the love and respect of all has achieved the truest success.

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✍️Essay on Success in 100,150 and 200 Words: The Power of Positive Mindset

• Updated on  
• Oct 26, 2023

The concept of success is very simple; if you invest your time wisely and work hard, you will achieve success in no time. But success is not as simple as it sounds; what might sound like success to one might not be the same for another person. It embodies the realization of one’s goals, aspirations, and desires, often accompanied by a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment.

Success is manifested in different aspects, such as career achievements, personal growth, or even the pursuit of happiness. It is a journey filled with determination, perseverance, and often a willingness to learn from both triumphs and setbacks. Ultimately, success is a subjective pursuit that reflects the unique path and definition of achievement for each person.

Table of Contents

• 1 What Makes a Person Successful?
• 2 Essay on Success in 100 Words
• 3 Essay on Success in 150 Words
• 4 Essay on Success in 200 Words

What Makes a Person Successful?

Being successful is very subjective and can vary from person to person. Therefore, here are some common factors which contribute to the success of a person.

• Hard Work and Persistence: Success requires effort and dedication and one has the ability to face challenges.
• Setting Clear Goals: It is very important for one to have specific and attainable goals which will provide direction and motivation. 
• Networking: The person should have the capability to build relations and at the same time be open to opportunities which strike. 
• Time Management: Managing time effectively and priorities is essential for productivity and progress. 
• Self-Discipline: One should be very focused and maintain self-control which will help them achieve long-term goals. 
• Management of Finances: Having a basic understanding of finances and managing them wisely is also very important for attaining financial success. 

Also Read: Essay on Water Conservation

Essay on Success in 100 Words

Success is the culmination of dedication, hard work, and determination. It is not merely the achievement of material wealth, but the fulfilment of one’s goals and aspirations. Success varies from person to person; for some, it’s a thriving career, while for others, it could be having a harmonious family life. 

To attain success, individuals must set clear objectives, persevere through challenges, and learn from failures. Success often involves learning, adapting, and embracing change. It’s the result of resilience and the willingness to keep pushing forward. Ultimately, success is a personal journey, and its definition is unique to each individual.

Essay on Success in 150 Words

Everybody wants to be successful in life, but are they willing to put in all their efforts? Success is not solely measured by wealth or fame but by achieving one’s goals and finding fulfilment. True success is often the result of determination, hard work, and resilience. Setting clear, achievable objectives and being persistent through challenges are crucial components.

Education is a common path to success, providing knowledge and skills that open doors to opportunities. Embracing failure as a stepping stone, learning from mistakes, and adapting to change are essential to achieving success. However, it’s important to recognize that success is subjective and can encompass a broader spectrum of achievements beyond material possessions.

Personal growth, happiness, and a sense of purpose are all part of success. Balancing personal and professional life is key to sustaining it. Ultimately, success is a journey, not a destination, and it’s about realizing your full potential and making a meaningful contribution to the world.

Also Read: Essay on Nature: In 100 Words, 200 Words, 300 Words

Essay on Success in 200 Words

Success is a multifaceted concept, often defined by achieving one’s goals and aspirations. It is a subjective and deeply personal notion, as what constitutes success varies from person to person. However, a common thread in success is the continuous pursuit of one’s ambitions, combined with determination and hard work.

Success is not solely measured by material wealth, but rather by the fulfilment and satisfaction that comes from reaching one’s objectives. It is the result of setting clear goals, developing a plan, and facing all the challenges. The road to success is rarely smooth; it is often marked by setbacks and failures. These obstacles are crucial for personal growth, teaching valuable lessons that contribute to success in the long run.

Moreover, success is not an endpoint; it is a continuous journey. It requires adaptability and the willingness to learn and evolve. Success can be found in various aspects of life, from career achievements to personal relationships and self-fulfilment. It is the balance and harmony between these different facets that lead to a truly successful and meaningful life.

In conclusion, success is a complex and individualized concept, rooted in determination, hard work, resilience, and personal growth. It is not defined solely by external markers but by the fulfilment and happiness, one derives from their accomplishments and the journey to achieve them.

Related Articles

Writing an essay on success requires you to describe this multifaceted concept. Success is achieved when one’s goal and objective is attained. Those who are successful, have fulfilled their highest ambitions in life and work, or are actively striving towards doing so. 

Happiness does not follow success. Contrary to popular belief, living a life that makes you happy can help you achieve your goals and be content. 

You gain from success because it gives you the things you want or need. Setting and achieving attainable goals results in a feeling of well-being. 

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay-writing page and follow Leverage Edu ! 

Malvika Chawla

Malvika is a content writer cum news freak who comes with a strong background in Journalism and has worked with renowned news websites such as News 9 and The Financial Express to name a few. When not writing, she can be found bringing life to the canvasses by painting on them.

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Finding Success Starts with Finding Your Purpose

• John Coleman

It’s never too early — or too late — to ask the big questions.

Many people work their whole lives to achieve material success only to find their happiness and sense of purpose wanting when that success comes. They often spend their later years looking for purpose in their lives in order to feel a sense of meaning. Searching for meaning late in your life is a missed opportunity. Success without significance — purpose, service, and meaningful relationships — is not really success at all. It’s important to properly reflect on how you can live a life imbued intensely not just with the superficial trappings of “success” but with deep purpose and joy in all we do — starting now. Ask yourself:  What is the core purpose of my work and the ways in which it makes the world better? Who are the key relationships in my life, and how can I deepen them? What more can I do at work, at home, and in my community to serve others? How am I becoming better each day?

In 1995, Bob Buford wrote the bestselling book Halftime , which popularized the concept of “moving from success to significance” in the second half of life. Buford realized that many businesspeople work their whole lives to achieve material success only to find their happiness and sense of purpose wanting when that success comes. And he rightly encouraged those people to seek out meaning and impact in their later years.

• JC John Coleman is the author of the HBR Guide to Crafting Your Purpose . Subscribe to his free newsletter, On Purpose , or contact him at johnwilliamcoleman.com . johnwcoleman

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What Does Success Mean to You

• Categories: Success

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Published: Mar 14, 2024

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Essays About Success: Top 5 Examples Plus 8 Prompts

Are you writing essays about success? Discover our guide that will help you succeed with essay examples about success and writing prompts.

Success is the achievement of a goal and can be achieved in the short, medium, or long term. Success does not come easily and often takes a great deal of hard work and commitment to achieving your dreams. However, some people walk a smoother path to success than others due to contacts, resources, and financial support.

While we all have different recipes for success, there are common ingredients that effectively support us in our pathway to success. Among them are discipline, patience, perseverance, and consistently followed strategy.

Read on below to see our pick of essay examples and prompts about success.

5 Essay Examples

1.  crypto’s success proves it doesn’t need consumer trust by charlotte principato, 2. china’s success in fighting poverty offers lesson for all by alessandro golombiewski teixeira, 3. the story of the first sherpa to climb to the top of mt. everest by christopher rand, 4. ukrainian success will not be catastrophic by kori schake, 5. the story behind tesla’s success by amy wu, 8 topic prompts on essays about success, 1. academic success, 2. how to succeed in life, 3. success vs. happiness, 4. poems with the theme of success, 5. self-made billionaires: are they real , 6. how childhood experiences can affect success, 7. why exercise is vital to success, 8. is iq the best indicator of success.

“… [O]n top of playing their role in keeping financial assets safe, institutions will also need to provide customers with access to a broad array of cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance products, as well as control over when and how they use them and greater transparency into how assets move.”

Crypto’s success is puzzling many over the influence — or lack thereof — of trust in the current generation of investors. But there is more to learn in today’s most untrusted but booming digital asset. And the lesson is for financial institutions to embrace crypto innovation while marrying this with their business principles on consumer confidence and safety.

“China’s poverty reduction strategy is worthy of reference for the majority of developing countries. In the process of poverty reduction, the Chinese government has had a clear overall plan and strategic direction. It has insisted that economic and social development go hand in hand.”

This essay weaves a remarkable story from the data on China’s drastic poverty alleviation. It is a story of progress that developing, and least-developed countries could turn to for inspiration in crafting anti-poverty policies and strategies. You can also check out these essays about business .

“Over the years, the try at the ascent was a test promoted largely by men who believed in white superiority. In the end, Tenzing, a nonwhite, passed it. Inevitably, this made him a hero to Indian nationalists. Tenzing is a Cinderella who has shown them that they, too, can be belles.”

The historic success of mankind in reaching the summit of Everest happened in the 1950s. Sadly it was little known that two men achieved this feat: one was British mountaineer Edmund Hillary and the other the Nepalese ​​Tenzing Norkay. Norkay succeeds in raking in a “decent” income following the expedition, but his achievement is shadowed by the knighted Hillary. 

“Ukrainians believe they are fighting for the fundamental values of a free society: human dignity, political liberty, national security. Those beliefs have electrified the society, which is engaged in impressive civic activism in support of the defense effort—something that will be studied by Western countries as mastery of 21st-century warfare.”

The counteroffensives of Ukraine have been successfully pushing Russian troops to retreat, exposing the decay in Russia’s military prowess and directing the world’s attention to its warfare tactics. While shrouded in grief over the loss of numerous civilian lives, Ukraine presses forward bolder and, in the process, wins overwhelming international support for the country to succeed against Putin’s Russia. 

“Tesla’s release positioned it as one of the few successful independent automakers and a pioneer in the electric car market… When the Model S premiered in 2013, Tesla made headlines… The electric plug-in car received a near-perfect score of 99 out of 100 from Consumer Reports, which also named it as ‘the best car ever tested.'”

The essay tracked the beginnings of Tesla as a startup up to its success today as a $900 billion company. It looks holistically at its current operations, technology development strategies, and global expansion. Through the lens of analysts, it also gives readers a glimpse into the future of Tesla, which is projected to rake in almost 30% of the global electric car sales by 2030. 

Some would define academic success as acing an exam, while for others, it’s about making it to the top of the class. We measure academic success mainly depending on what standard we aim to live up to and what we think is the best learning journey and pace. For this essay, talk about your barometers for academic success. Then, share your studying techniques and learning strategies for reaching new academic heights.

Over the years, there has been a lot of pressure for people to achieve significant life milestones faster, causing burnout and mental health disorders in a large population. Do you agree that pushing yourself to the limits is the right way to succeed in life? Your essay may take off from these questions, or you can provide your take on how to lead a successful life.

The road to success is beset with many impediments that could bring people down emotionally and mentally. For this essay, differentiate between success and happiness and determine which one is better to pursue. Back up your essay with research and real-life stories. 

For example, if you choose happiness over success, you may cite studies showing how successful people are more prone to mental health instabilities. You may also turn your essay into a feature-like write-up by integrating stories of people who have climbed to the top of the corporate ladder only to fall into depression. 

Be creative and turn your essay into a literary analysis. There is a wide array of poems about success at your disposal. One example and the most popular to date is Emily Dickinson’s “Success is Counted Sweetest.” You can dissect the poem line per line. Then, try to interpret the meanings beneath the metaphors and other figures of speech. Finally, articulate how the poem relates to the general aspects of life. 

Debates have been brewing over describing billionaires as “self-made,” with critics arguing there is never such a thing as some even derived capital through inheritance. So for this essay, first lay down the definitions and criteria of what makes a self-made billionaire. Next, delve into the lives of those labeled as self-made billionaires and determine if their conditions meet the criteria enumerated. 

The field of psychology abounds in research studies that link factors from childhood to success or failure in one’s adult life. First, find research studies that interest you or could even relate to your life story. You could also cite others’ experiences as examples that agree with the research. Then, based on your chosen study, suggest how government, schools, and families can reform childhood practices to lead children to a better future. 

Write about the scientific processes that happen to your body when you exercise and what these do in increasing your thinking capacity, energy, and focus, among others. Then, cite people you consider successful and write about their exercise routines. Finally, write about your exercise routine or plans to add exercise to your daily habit. You can also suggest programs for schools to encourage regular exercise among their students better 

Some psychometric experts believe that the intelligence quotient is the best determinant of success, while others think it is but one. For your essay, write about where you stand on this divergence.

But first, walk your readers through the current debates on IQ. Then, support your opinion with the latest research correlating IQ with other factors such as social behavior and economic development. Also, add what experts have to say for additional support to your argument.

To check your grammar, try out ProWritingAid. ProWritingAid is one of our top-rated grammar checkers for several reasons, as laid down in this review . 

But if writing essays is not your cup of tea, you can always write a simple five-paragraph essay .

551 Success Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Looking for exciting success topics for an essay? Success is a concept that is definitely worth exploring!

🔝 Top 10 Success Topics to Write About

📑 aspects to cover in a success essay, 🏆 best success topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on success, 🎓 simple & easy success essay titles, 🥇 most interesting success topics to write about, 📌 writing prompts about success, 💡 easy success essay topics, ❓ questions about success.

There is a range of topics to focus on here. You might want to tell your readers about the life of a successful person, study the role of education in a successful career, elaborate on the most colorful examples of success and failure, etc. In this article, we’ve gathered a list of top success topic ideas to write about. You’ll also find here a collection of success essay examples to inspire you even more.

• Natural selection as a form of biological success
• Adaptiveness as the key to biological and social success
• Success in education: is the grading system fair?
• How to measure success in life?
• How to define “a successful company”?
• The American Dream: is the ideal of success realistic?
• Does success bring happiness?
• Self-made man: is it a myth?
• Compare and contrast the life trajectories of two successful people
• Success in education and in career: is there a correlation?

What do we perceive as success? Why are some people more successful than others? These are some of the questions you can answer in your essay on success.

Success essays are engaging assignments that allow you to analyze personal stories and define qualifications for success. The purpose of these papers is to find the true meaning of success.

Before starting to work on an essay, think of the topic you want to discuss. Here are some examples of success essay topics and ideas we can suggest:

• How one’s personal philosophy allows them to succeed
• Do you need to work hard to succeed?
• Self-confidence as a significant factor of success
• Can success be harmful?
• Overcoming personal challenges in life to achieve success
• The differences between individuals’ perspectives on success
• The link between success and wealth
• Education is the key for success

Remember that you can choose from many other successful essay titles, as the topic is broad. You can also ask your professor or peers about possible success essay ideas. Once you have selected one of the topics and titles for your essay, you can start working on your paper. Here are some important aspects you need to cover:

• Think of the arguments you will present and develop an outline for your paper. Remember to include an introductory paragraph, several body paragraphs (at least three), and a summary of your work. When working on an outline, think about the purpose of your paper. Do you want to motivate the reader to achieve success? Do you want to show the possible disadvantages of being successful?
• Hint: If you are not sure about the issue you have selected, find success essay examples online. It will help you to see whether the problem is relevant.
• A thesis is a very important part of your essay. You should state it at the end of the introductory paragraph. A thesis statement can look like this:

Money and wealth do not define success. / Hard work is the most important contributor to one’s success.

• Define success. This point is especially important if you are writing an opinion piece. State what success means to you and provide a dictionary definition. Provide a comprehensive perspective on success and analyze it from different viewpoints (wealth, social status, education level, etc.).
• Discuss possible parameters of success. They can include wealth, good health, or academic knowledge.
• Discuss the factors that can contribute to one’s success. You can share success stories or biographies of famous people to prove your points.
• You can talk about the significance of motivation and dedication in achieving success. Address the value of hard work and patience. This way, your reader can get inspiration from your paper.
• Keep your reader engaged by asking questions or providing interesting facts about the issue. At the same time, stick to the formal language if your professor did not say otherwise.
• It is always good to support your claims with evidence. Although success can be a subjective concept, refer to outside sources in your arguments. Ask your professor about the types of sources you can use for your paper.
• Provide examples throughout your paper. This step is crucial to help the reader understand your point better.
• Discuss opposing perspectives on the issue if you are working on a persuasive essay. Remember to prove that your opinion is more reliable than the alternative one.

Don’t hesitate to check out some of our essay samples on the website!

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• People’s Potential and Success Hard work implies the sacrifice of time and the associated rest and recreation, and many people will choose to avoid it.
• The Example of Success in Life If we have a successful career that allows us to make more money, we will be happier. Being successful in our career also allows us to have more opportunities because we have more choices, as […]
• Success: What Is Its True Meaning? It is perhaps far simpler to explain that success is the opposite of failure a word that means unsuccessful attempts to do things in life.
• Emotional Intelligence and Its Impact on Success As for me, I would define emotional intelligence as the ability to react to the situation in a proper way, to find the appropriate way out of a situation, and to make a decision successful […]
• Why Knowledge Management is important to the Success of Organizations Knowledge management involves the combination of different processes and strategies within an organization which integrates data and information technology as well as distributing of employees’ potential to help the organization achieve its objectives.
• Etisalat’s Success in the UAE In order to understand the reasons for the success of the firm, the researcher sought to conduct a comprehensive analysis of Etisalat UAE by considering a number of issues.
• The Relationships Between Parents and Children and Keys to Their Success The key points, which people frequently neglect, are the need for parents to be nurturers, never-ending personal development, and the risks with which the prevalence of emotional motives for parenthood is associated.
• Project Management: Masdar City Project Success To determine whether the Masdar City site was a success it is important to evaluate what the goals of the project were, if it succeeded at them and if it met the criteria above.
• F1 Team’s Success: Management and Strategy Main causes of the problems experienced by the Ferrari in the early 1970 and how they overcome them The company had taken motor sport as a sporting activities and had invested minimal in the research […]
• On the Success of Tawuniya Insurance Company It has managed to set new standards in the market of insurance, regularly introducing new products in the market that are responsive to the needs of the consumer.
• The Idea of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for the Maritime Logistics Sector To demonstrate that IT is a CSF that is currently driving the maritime logistics sector a comparison is drawn between COSCO Group TNC and Wilh.
• Developing Professional Knowledge to Create Professional Success It is evident that the aspect of developing professional knowledge and abilities is very crucial in achieving success in any given career.
• Purdy Chocolatier: Reasons for Success For Purdy Chocolatier, it may be even more challenging as the company has been operating for a long period of time in Western Canada and decided to serve the customers of Eastern Canada as well. […]
• Success: How Do You Define It? Often we consider the word success as the binary opposite of failure, and success of a person is measured largely based on the failure of someone else.
• Hollywood Success in the Film “Sunset Boulevard” In addition to that, the protagonists of this movie illustrate the canons of this genre. This is one of the details that can be distinguished.
• International Success and Failures of Canada Goose Inc The recent agreement between Canada and the European Free Trade association is an example of how the company is succeeding in international markets. In recent years, the Japanese market has been flooded by products of […]
• The Success of Dell Company Dell inc.was largest seller of personal computers in the 1980s and 1990s and in 2009 was ranked third in computer sales with only Hewlett-Packard and Acer Inc doing better than Dell.
• Project Management: Determining Key Success Factors The focus on contingency planning appears to be beneficial to the framework that requires making decisions under the spur of the moment for several reasons.
• Marvel Entertainment’s Success Journey The purchase itself and the amount that Disney was ready to contribute indicates that its representatives recognized both the “financial viability and cultural power of the Marvel brand”.
• Zambia’s 2021 Elections: The Success of Opposition In the article for the Journal of Democracy titled “How Zambia’s Opposition Won,” Danielle Resnick explores the path that the population of the country had completed before the opposition finally won, symbolizing the drastic turn […]
• Critical Thinking. Start-Up Success and Growth Vic Ahmed, the founder of Innovation Pavilion, can be considered a successful entrepreneur as he can take risks, which is one of a businessman’s essential qualities. The factor determining their progress is based on a […]
• M-PESA: Critical Success Factors Generally, consumers preferred mobile payments on paying for services and transfer of money wherein most of them enjoy the convenience of the technology and this was the initial value point considered by the consumers. The […]
• “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by C. Dweck Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, believes that it can. The growth mindset is something that can be acquired, and it can improve one’s quality of life.
• Student Success Strategies: Clinical Lesson Plan First, it will be instrumental in developing learners’ knowledge of the emotions and feelings by allowing them to listen attentively to lectures.
• Home Depot Failure and IKEA Success in China Some people regard a “do-it-yourself” character of products to be the main reason for the low popularity of The Home Depot in China.
• Success Sales of Playstation 4 Consoles We may come to the conclusion that among the factors that conditioned the stunning success of Sony’s PS4 and the demand for the product were such important features as the price and the quality of […]
• Distinct Lower Class Culture: An Impediment to Success A distinct lower-class culture is the set of cultural values and prospects transmitted to the children raised in the low class and social status within the society; that further acts as an impediment to their […]
• The Concept of Success From Different Aspects Bessie Stanley, the author of the poem, What is a success, described success as, “He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, […]
• Business Email Writing: Plan for Success I plan to improve the style and tone of my email-writing by working the organisation-run workshop on “formal and professional writing styles” to make improvements with my writing style.
• King.com’s Candy Crush Game’s Business Success The information focusing on Candy Crush’s performance in the market can make it possible for King.com to improve the nature of its marketing and freemium models.
• Amy’s Ice Cream Company’s Success Factors Moreover, the owner also introduces a unique approach to operations management which is based on the combination of creativity and the high quality of the suggested goods.
• The Role of Social Support in School’s Success In addition, social support ensures students do not deviate from the norms of learning and social order. However, parents and teachers should not compromise the value of education by pampering their children in the attempt […]
• Maersk Line Company’s Social Media Success Factors The company selected and communicated the most desirable message to the targeted stakeholders. The head of social media encouraged the employees at the company to support the agenda.
• Philosophy Ideology of Success and Failure The right to success is personal and largely depends on the determination of the individual these are the views of Alain.
• Factors Affecting Academic Success Self-motivation and discipline are evaluated by determining the amount of time students devote to schoolwork, levels of commitment and engagement, and their willingness to learn new things in and out of class.
• James Dyson and His Success as an Entrepreneur The bag that was supposed to act as a catcher for all the dust that the vacuum sucked up kept on getting clogged up with dust making it necessary to stop the vacuum every once […]
• Professional Development for Strategic Managers: Up the Ladder to Complete Success The given paper will provide the means to combine personal development with the training of the business qualities and recommends the activities which help the author of the research use efficiently of the qualities at […]
• Reflections on Achieving Career Success and Personal Fulfillment First, there is a need to promote awareness when it comes to the importance of quality and how to improve the quality of products and services for the sake of the national economy. It is […]
• How to Define Project Success? To prove that the studies of the process of project success assessment are just as challenging and important as those of the generalized notion of success, we are going to dwell on the relativity of […]
• What Entrepreneurs Should Do to Become Successful An entrepreneur is also a decision maker and settles on what to be produced, the manner of production, and the quantity of a good or service to be produced.
• Starbucks’ Success: Mission and Stakeholders Lastly, although Starbucks has been accused of tax evasion in the past, the company has ensured it adheres to the regulations of the governments in the countries in which it operates.
• Intercultural Communication and Success at Work Such people have limited abilities to consider alternative behaviours in processes of interpersonal communications that involve different cultures. Such forms of cross-cultural communications are difficult and may lead to interpersonal conflicts in communications.
• Key Factors of Competitive Success in the Water Bottling Industry The introduction of enhanced or functional water products, by a number of major bottling firms such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, has provided further competition, threatening to squeeze profitability for them.
• Critical Success Factors in the Maritime Logistics Sector The considerations include but are not limited to: the identification of the business opportunity, development of the product or service, evaluations of the suppliers, clients and business environment and market analysis among others.
• Chanel and the Way to Success The start of the business was very usual; the recognizable brand had grown from a small shop in the downtown of Paris which introduced Chanel to the market which was not very hard to capture […]
• Successful Management in Business By doing this, one is able to do the right thing at the right time. Also one should consider the opportunities and threats he is likely to face.
• Cultural Myth of Education as a Pathway to Success in America Moore, seeks to pass across the message that “education system in a way has failed due to lack of financing which has led to deteriorating of the educational system in the United States of America, […]
• Einstein’s Success in “Einstein’s Dreams” by Alan Lightman The notion of the end of the world is synonymous to the notion of the end of time. The subtleties of time can be visualized: “In this world, time is a visible dimension”.
• Debenhams and ASOS Companies’ Success and Failure Following the failure of large British retailers, the obstacles that contributed to the downfall of Debenhams and the chances that Asos used to become successful should be of great interest to every investor.
• Techniques and Methods of Achieving Success A purpose is extremely important because it affords me the appropriate sense of direction, exactly where to direct my efforts and thoughts. Thus, action is a key strategy that encourages me to learn from my […]
• The Delayed Gratification: Fundamentals and Impact on Professional Success The purpose of the work is to critically evaluate whether delayed gratification affects professional success based on a variety of opinions and demonstrate own opinion in this regard.
• Patience as a Major Factor of Professional Success This paper aims to critically evaluate the assumption that delayed gratification, or patience, is a major factor in professional success.
• Personal Definition of Success The keys to achieve success are many; however the most important one is to love what one is doing, that is simply to understand that success is not the gate to happiness, but happiness is […]
• The Success of India’s Economy There is a need for different sectors, departments, and ministries to collaborate in an attempt to support the country’s objectives and meet the needs of every citizen.
• Stress Management: Personal Success Plan I have also learnt that the world we live in is not perfect and at times people will do unpleasant things to me.
• Critical Success Factors for Entrepreneurs Consequently, the issue of entrepreneurial success factors is a significant problem because identification of these factors and their implementation by entrepreneurs is likely to increase the performance of the entrepreneurial activity and thus provide a […]
• Failure and Success in Teacher Career The utilization of these old ideas and resources in the current academic environment has also contributed to the failing of schools.
• Jeff Bezos and Gladwell’s Success Principles This paper will highlight the successful pathway of Jeff Bezos and outline how his success connects with the principles of success by Gladwell among others. In addition, Gladwell studied and examined the lives of the […]
• Schwarzkopf’ Leadership Style and Success as a Military General He said that a leader must know how to adjust his communication style in order for his subordinates to understand the essence of the orders that were given to them.
• How Companies Can Successfully Enter The French Fashion Industry Currently, the fashion industry is one of the economic sectors that are experiencing an increment in the rate of competition. This means that there is a high probability of the firms becoming established in the […]
• Characteristics of Successful Teams Essentially, the characteristic is widely applicable where the organization teams know and understand the goals and objectives of the organization. The most of the successful teams are normally committed and show orientation towards the success […]
• What Makes a Successful Situation Comedy? This is because the outcome may be funnier due to the misfit of the character into the situation. The manner in which a character responds to insults determines the quality of a situation comedy.
• Success of Zappos in National and International Markets One year down the line, the company merged with Venture Frogs, which added an additional capital to the growing capital base of the company and jointly they adopted the name Zappos.
• Factors Influencing the Growth and Success of an Enterprise Although many experts indicate that as the firm ages the likelihood of it learning form its mistakes and thus succeeding are high, the multiplier effect of large business is low and this is a major […]
• Higher Education an Element to Success Higher education not only benefits the individual in person, but it also extends the profit to the society. There is also the benefit of being able to discharge duties to a society because of attaining […]
• The Concept of Leadership in Organizational Success From the definition provided it is evident that leadership is of importance not only to the individual workers but the entire organization and ultimately to all other stakeholders.
• American Values: The Pursuit of Success Nevertheless, the American mentality exists and is very different from the mentality of other countries. One of the key values of the American people is individuality: they are very proud of being self-sufficient.
• Leading and Lagging Indicators of Success The primary distinction between leading and lagging indicators is that although lagging indicators will disclose performance trends, leading indicators may be utilized to monitor if specific actions really affect an organization’s performance.
• Technology Strategy for Business Success In conclusion, while technology strategy can be a challenging and uncertain field, the key takeaways from the success stories of companies like Genentech, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook show that it is possible to navigate […]
• Alibaba’s Success: A Window Into the Future of Strategy Innovative companies also prioritize innovation and are not afraid to take chances to stay ahead of the competition. Fourth, innovative companies prioritize it and are prepared to take chances to stay ahead of the competition.
• Alibaba’s Success and the Future of Strategy This trust has allowed the organization to securely occupy a major portion of the e-commerce market and further diversify into other realms, such as cloud computing and digital payments. To conclude, Alibaba’s success reveals that […]
• The Aspects of the Zappos’ Company Success Meanwhile, Zappos was a private company, which made its most important decision to offer free shipping in spite of the data and costs.
• Graduate Study Success in Nursing Self-discipline in the nursing field will provide me with the strength to remain professional with my clients, even when one is ready to give up in life.
• The Success of Pfizer in the Context of the Intrasystem Approach The success of Pfizer in the context of the intrasystem approach shows that the business decided to establish specialized departments with distinct leaders, allowing each team to have more defined objectives and outcomes.
• Elon Musk: Leadership, Financial Success, and the Future of Tesla Musk’s ability to increase Tesla’s product offerings and raise consumer expectations for the company’s goods was perhaps his biggest achievement. Financial situation of Tesla was eccentric and explosive akin to the character of its leader.
• Amazon’s Success: Online Shopping Psychology One of the many factors contributing to Amazon’s success is its thorough understanding of its consumers, which is shown in the layout of its website and the numerous innovations it has brought to online retail.
• SIA’s Main Ingredients of Success SIA’s success in the airline industry is owed to the various unique and quality services offered by the company. Therefore, dedication to quality and excellent services and adoption of a continuous service improvement strategy are […]
• How Has SIA’s Success Become Vulnerable? SIA’s success is becoming vulnerable due to the increasing customer demand, worsening business and competition environment, and internal organizational pressure. The employees lacked shared values and dedication to SIA’s quality service.
• The Secret Behind Rihanna’s Brand Success Therefore, the brand mainly targets meeting women’s needs and wants first.”Fenty sells lingerie with the idea that a woman is in charge of her body, and her personal life and has the right to choose.
• Blockbuster and Netflix Firms’ Failure and Success It is due to the presence of many employees of different cultures and the influx of young people into the ranks of the company’s employees.
• Social Darwinism and the Success or Failures of Individuals in the Society According to Darwin, while the fittest survive in nature, in human society such fitness is determined by the ability of people to adjust to the changing circumstances.
• Unveiling Nordstrom’s Success: The Power of Customer Experience Customers on their smart phones and associates behind sales counters see the same thing the entire inventory of Nordstrom’s stores is presented as one selection, which the company refers to as perpetual inventory.”Customer service is […]
• Strategies for Success in the Handbag Industry The more competitors there are and the number of similar commodities they offer, the less powerful a firm becomes. Generally, how valuable a company’s products are in the marketplace determines its ability to place a […]
• A Significant Decline in Children’s Academic Success The problem to be solved in this research project is that students’ math skills in the ninth grade are inadequate for passing the minimum requirements of the FSA exam.
• Scaling and Success of DevOps for Military HQDA Army G-4 is a special unit involved in the development and evaluation of logistics processes, programs, and policies for the national military sector.
• Japan’s Economy Success Factors The Prime Minister of Japan is in charge of most of the government. Japan’s economy is one of the biggest and fastest in the world.
• Content Area Reading: Preparing America’s Students for Success The reading associated with a specific content area includes the ideas and concepts necessary for these subjects; its text is also structured according to the rules of the field practitioners.
• Success of the Canadian Economy The next stage, work design, it is required managers to ensure that the success of the team is in its diversity and inclusion.
• Chick-Fil-A and Its Market Success The needs of the restaurant’s customers include the need for quality food, as well as relaxation, as the company positions itself as a family-type restaurant.
• Success and Failure of South Korea In conclusion, South Korea’s remarkable rise as a prosperous economy sown the seeds of the challenges it faces because the system was primed for rapid growth without ensuring it is resilient to its current failures.
• Employer Recruitment’s Role in Organizational Success This paper discusses the strategies associated with the recruitment of employers, how training and development of activities contribute to the success of an organization.
• The Uber Firm’s Marketing Success Analysis However, Uber has found a way to adapt to the passenger transport market and is still one of the best services around the world.
• Women’s Success in Late 19th-Century Europe In the early 16th century, Women in Europe engaged in private and public activities associated with the theaters. Through the years, they have proven to be some of the most progressive personalities in the film, […]
• Prime Chocolate’s External Factors of Success In addition, the restrictions imposed due to the pandemic have significantly weakened precisely this positive feature of the influence of external factors on business. The inclusion of the company in the Fair Trade program reflects […]
• Prime Chocolate’s Internal Factors of Success In advancing and conquering the market, a company can focus on its strengths, including a complex pattern of personnel management and the use of hired labor.
• Importance of Success in Teams for Organizations With six months of operation, we look forward to seeing what the future holds for the business through shared exchanges with team members.
• What Are Metrics of Company Success? One of the best ways to save excessive costs when transporting goods within the company’s activities is to optimize routes, that is, adjust them to calculations that correspond to the logic of the supply chain.
• Zoom’s Success and Washington Prime Group’s Failure: Impact of the COVID-19 By the beginning of the second quarter of 2020, the internal operations of many business organizations changed due to the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences.
• Paul Tasner’s Success as an Entrepreneur This man’s example shows that regardless of an entrepreneur’s age, a successful business can be built based on a desire to change the world for the better and contribute to society.
• Analysis of Aretha Franklin’s Success She was born on March 25, 1942, and succumbed on August 16, 2018; the artist was a songwriter, a pianist, and the first to introduce soul music. Franklin’s father managed the artist’s work and supported […]
• Role of Causal Research in Success of ConFundrum Communication with people, online surveys, and interaction with regular customers are the elements of causal research to understand what ideas can be beneficial for new rooms.
• Evidence of the Success of Alcohol Prohibition in the United States in 1920 Consumption of alcoholic beverages considerably declined as a result of the enactment of prohibition in the United States. As a result, there was a considerable decrease in the number of alcohol-related diseases.
• Amazon’s Success Online and Its Main Reasons The second reason for the company’s online success is its competitive advantage in terms of price and service. For example, Amazon has developed a creative solution to promoting online shopping in India, where only 35% […]
• ROI as a Tool to Understand the Success of a Particular Investment In business, the process of investing money and resources into potential marketing, advertising efforts and specific products with the expectation of increased returns is one of the primary ways of increasing revenues and growing one’s […]
• The Success of the US COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign Since the approval of two COVID-19 vaccines in the US, the need for the monitoring of rates of vaccination has become a prominent issue.
• Serial Crowdfunding, Social Capital and Project Success In the following essay, the differences between the social capital accrued by traditional serial entrepreneurship and serial crowdfunding will be explained, and the effect of these differences on project finance will be considered.
• Kapiolani Community College: The Factors of Success The first criterion is the concept of identity and place, and this factor might heavily influence the well-being of the individual and his or her desire to achieve success.
• Financial Strategies and Success of Organizational Mission This is a necessary and valuable tool that helps to get a holistic picture of all the relationships between the client and the service provider.
• ViaBela: Online Business and Website Success
• Delayed Gratification is a Major Factor in Professional Success
• Organizational Health and Firm’s Success
• Google’s Success: Contributions to Google’s Success
• The United Arab Emirates Success in Yemen
• Success in Major and Career
• Does Spanish Hotel Need Intermediaries for Success?
• Project Initiation Document and Measuring Project Success
• Doing Business Internationally: Change and Success
• The Amazon Company’s Success Reasons
• Success: How to Parent?
• Relative Moral Theories vs. Universal Moral Theories in Team Success
• Predicting Medium-Term Success Among Alcohol and Opiate Dependents
• The Arab Spring: Between Success and Failure
• Business Networking for Graduate Career Success
• The Success of Saudi Arabian Airlines
• XCEL Study Program’s Impact on Student Success
• Aspects of Success of the Healthcare Team
• The American Dream and Success
• Meta-Analysis: The Critical Links of Success
• Employee Sharing: Problems Inhibiting Business Success
• Healthcare in Cuba: Reasons for Success
• A Road Map for Managed Care Success
• The Critical Success Factors for IPv6 Uptake and Likely Future
• Long Term Financial Success for Clubs
• Trails to Success: Bank of America
• Critical Success Factors for Health IT Professionals
• Managing Oneself: The Key to Success
• Windows vs Google. New Operating System as the Key to Success
• Phenomenal Success of August Wilson’s Fences Play
• 7 Steps to Success in Dual Language Immersion
• The Success of Homeschooling and How the Program Can Be Increased
• Digital Technology and My Career Success
• Success and Mistakes of Barack Obama’s Foreign Policy
• Success of Egypt in Yom Kippur War
• Logistics: The Dell Company’s Concept of Success
• The Triple Constraints: A Valid Set of Criteria to Measure IS-Project Success?” by Koen Milis
• Learning Communities and Student Success
• SharePoint: Enhancing Practices & Student’s Success
• The Key Factors of Success in the Revolutionary War
• Achieving Success in America: Characteristics of Options
• Phenomenon of Creativity and Success
• Organizational Success: Effective Employee Engagement
• Learning Environment and Student Success
• Factors Influencing the Success of Insurgencies
• Reasons of Success of Amateur Detective Fiction Authors
• The Success of Cheesecake Factory
• Supervision Change and School Success
• Key to Success in Life
• Fast Food Industry: Five Forces of Success
• Leadership Development Plan: Challenges & Success
• Company Success Due to the Organizational Concept
• How Close Is the Success of Suborbital Commercial Space Shuttles?
• “Assessing E-Commerce Systems Success” by Yi-Shun Wang
• Success Secrets in “They Did You Can” by Finnigan
• Empires’ Success in Ancient World History
• Small Business Success Survey
• The RIAA Success in Filing Lawsuits Against Illegal Downloading of Music
• Strategic Leadership: Ensuring Your Organization Success
• The Contributions of Dwight Eisenhower to America’s Success in Their Space Exploration Efforts
• Firm’s Success and Ethical Behaviour Relations
• IKEA: People and Environment as Key Elements That Can Result Into Business Success in the Long Term
• The Role of Hospitability and Customer Relations in Business Success
• Success Rate of Movie Products: Product-Placement Planning
• Issue of the Educational Success
• Right Leadership and Its Impact on the Company’s Success
• The Importance of Different Skills for Business Success
• Mercosur: A Road Towards Success or a Failed Attempt?
• Success of Vector Managed Inventory Programs
• Disney Corporation’s Success Evaluation
• Achieving Success in a Counseling Session
• IKEA’s Strategy Success Analysis
• The Success of the Underground Railroad
• The Success of AXE Cologne Commercial
• The Success of Women’s Rights Movement
• The Path to Success: Motivation, Business Structure
• Reasons for Success in International Management
• Issues of Tesla: Despite the Worldwide Success
• Personal Rules of Success
• Lifco and Spinneys Companies’ Success Histories
• Effective Group Work Counseling for Academic Success
• Communication Success in an Oil and Gas Company
• Assessing the Linkage Between the Success of H&M’s Organizational Performance
• Martin Luther King and Malcolm X: Who Is Closer to Success?
• Oral and Written Communication as a Success Factor
• Cultural and Systemic Factors of Success
• Best Buy Co.’s Success and Circuit City Firm’s Failure
• Collaborative Success Plan in Nursing
• Video Games: Budget and Success
• Group-Think at the Workplace: Plan for Success
• Success Factors: Psychological Research Findings
• Employee’s Personality Traits and Success
• UAE Public-Private Partnerships: Success Factors
• John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success and Leadership
• Cognition, Motivation and Success
• Culture and Characteristics of Success or Failure
• Psychology: Success Strategies in Education and Life
• Benefits Management Practices for Project Success
• Arab Spring: Its Success and Failure Factors
• Merger & Acquisition: Critical Success Factors
• “Principles of Innovation and Measuring Success” by Clay Christensen
• Determination & Perseverance: Failing Before Success
• Vladimir Putin: President’s Success
• Banking Systems Success in Canada and Australia
• The Success of Taglit-Birthright Israel Program
• Blue Design Management: Construction Project Success
• Oprah Winfrey’s Success as a Leader
• Project Evaluation and Program Success Measurement
• Poundland Retailing Company’s Success Factors
• Critical Success Factors: Boss, I Think Someone Stole Our Data
• “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell
• Media: Economic Impact versus Event Success
• Lean Supply Chains and Organisational Success
• Learning Success from Professional Perspectives
• Dividend as a Contribution the Business Success
• Improving Company Performance with New Corporate Culture
• Emirates Airlines’ Cross-Cultural Cooperation and Success
• Marketing Planning as an Essential Part of a Firm’s Success
• What Affects the Likelihood of Academic Success
• McDonald’s Company Analysis and Success
• Children’s Success Requirements in Parents’ Views
• Family Business: Success or Challenge?
• College Success Skills: Prioritizing and Flexibility
• LinkedIn Network’s Success and Functional Area
• Creative Strategy and Success in Business Enterprise
• Snapchat: Causes of Success
• Festival of Britain, Its History and Success
• Ads by National Society of Leadership and Success
• Student Success in Online, Mixed, Direct Courses
• Zillow Company’ Strategic Steps to Success
• Bill Gates’s Leadership and Success Factors
• “Outliers: The Story of Success” by M. Gladwell
• “The Fallacy of Success” by G. K. Chesterton
• Community Policing, Its Success and Failure Factors
• Audrey Hepburn and Gladwell’s Principle of Success
• Trulia Company’s Competencies and Success Factors
• Tourism Business and Its Success Factors
• Du Company’s Internal and External Success Factors
• Entrepreneurship: Justina Bright’s Success Factors
• Black Lives Matter Movement’s History and Success
• National Society of Leadership and Success: Marketing
• Emirates Airlines: Success and Highest Quality Services
• Principles of Innovation and Measuring Success
• Henry Kissinger’s Success in Diplomatic Negotiations
• IBM’s Success Factors, Competitors, SWOT Analysis
• Kiwi International Air Lines, Its Success and Failure
• Dhahran Ahliyya Schools and Their Success Factors
• Organisational Success and Its Elements
• Madonna’s Sustainable Success
• Reconstruction History: Success or Failure?
• Google Company’s Success
• EBay’s Success Factors, Fee Structure, and Future
• Unlocking Success: The Key Elements of Organizational Culture
• Caterpillar Inc.’s Success Factors and Future
• Literary Success of “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien
• Extent of Gazprom Company’s Success
• Zara Company’s Business Model and Success Factors
• What Drives Advertising Success on Facebook?
• Salesperson’s & Sales Manager’s Traits for Success
• BRL Hardy Company’s Post-Merger Success
• Grönefeld Company’s Economic Success Factors
• The Bill Shreeve Band and Its Success Factors
• Project Success and Interpersonal Conflicts
• Secrets for Japan’s Success
• Marketing Role in Success of Victoria’s Secret
• Disney California Company and Its Success
• Yahoos Company’s Strategic Management’ Success
• AirAsia Company and Its Success
• The One Company: Key to Success
• Strategic Management in the Business Organization Success
• Understanding the Obstacles to TQM Success
• Starbucks Company’s Reasons for Success
• Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe
• Analysis of Giglamesh’ and Job’ Success and Suffering
• China’s Success in the Urbanization Process
• Newark Family Success Center
• Family Success Centre’s in Newark
• Emotional Intelligence as a Factor of Professional Success
• Project Planning and Project Success Relation
• Literature Review & Critique on Project Success
• Determinants of Success in the Swedish Food and Drink Industry
• WTO and Its Success in Jordan
• Importance of Marketing Functions in Organizational Success
• The Department of Homeland Security and its Impacts on the United States’ Emergency Preparedness: Success or Failure
• How Much Does the Success of E-Learning Depend on Changing Organizational Culture?
• Can Small Business Replicate Apple’s Success?
• Success in Interpersonal Communication
• Wal-Mart’s Extraordinary Success
• A Critical Debate on Key Management Success Factors for Various Sporting Events
• Success of the Chinese Economy
• THL Company Strategy Success
• The Success of Organizational Learning
• Organizational Learning in Western and Chinese Regions
• Critical Success Factors for the Implementation of System in the State of Qatar
• Key Success Factors of the Global Online Fashion Business
• Cross Cultural Negotiation and Business Success
• Enterprise Resource Planning Integration Success
• “Jaguar Land Rover and HSBC Using CSR to Ensure Brand Success in China” by Andy Rice
• Keys to Success in Cross-Border Marketing
• Preparation for Academic Success at the Graduate Level
• Human Resources Management: The Key to Strategic Success
• Manchester United FC: Continuing Success but at What Cost?
• Criteria Used in Assessing the Relative Success of a Family Business
• “Success Criteria and Factors for International Development Projects: A Life-Cycle-Based Framework” Khang and Moe
• 3 Leadership Aspects for Successful Organizational Collaboration
• Successful project of the Android
• Managers Roles in Determining the Organizations Success
• The Reasons of Yahoo’s Success
• The Keys to the Success of Dell
• Land Rover Project Management: Failure and Success
• How do Religion, Culture and Ethnicity Affect the Success or Failure of a Global Enterprise in China?
• Importance of Quality Management System for Running a Successful Company
• Techniques Employed by Managers in Ensuring Success of Plans in their Firms
• Google’s Corporate Culture and its Success
• Success of Canadian Economy
• The socioeconomic success of second generation immigrants
• Diamond Bank Plc Culture And Its Impact On The Success Of Set Strategies
• Success Factors and Leadership Strategies: Southwest Airlines and Emirates Airlines
• Phenomenon of Pixar’s Success
• Methods of Measuring Campaign Success
• The Balance Between Sustainable Construction and Project Success in the Current Economical Situation in the UK
• Business Transformation: Innovating New Strategies for the Success
• Construction Projects Success Factors
• HR Management Skills and Organisational Survival & Success
• Success in the Global Business Environment
• Successful Knowledge Worker Teams
• Success is an Individual’s Secret
• Managing Change for Competitive Success
• Change Management, BPR and successful ERP implementation
• Success Factors of Implementing E-Services Project
• The Success International Company
• Path Towards Future Success
• Images of Success and the Prefernce for Luxury Brands
• How Schuman Accounts for the Success and Failures of the Asian Model of Development
• The Major Obstacles to Success for College Students
• The successes of Applebee’s Grill and Bar
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What Is Success?

A personal perspective: success involves making an attempt and learning..

Posted January 30, 2022 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

When I was in seventh grade, I was given an assignment in school to write a paper about success. My title was “Success is Simply Happiness .” When I told that to my father at the dinner table on the night before the paper was due, he put down his fork, looked directly at me, and said, “All of my buddies in World War II did not die happy. Are you telling me they were not successful?” In my mind, I thought about changing the title to “Just Don’t Die,” but instead I sat in silence with the rest of my siblings, knowing this moment definitely was not happy, and thus my title, nor my paper, were a success.

I think possibly what I learned from that dinner is that success does not equal happiness, nor does happiness mean success.

Ever since then, the question about the definition of success has been in my mind. While I was a reporter for the student paper in college, I wrote an article about “What is Success?” I interviewed several students and most of them had my early childhood definition: Happiness. So I would ask them, “Are you happy when you’re studying?” “Are you happy when negative circumstances happen that eventually bring happiness?” The unanimous answer was, “Hmmm.”

Our mayor at the time in Cincinnati was Jerry Springer. He was also our commencement speaker. I had an interview scheduled with him on the day of Homecoming and I was excited to ask him how he defined success. When we got together, he asked if we could come back and do the interview later because he had an urgent meeting to attend. I am ashamed to say I went back to the fraternity, got drunk and missed our interview. C’mon. It was homecoming! Needless to say, it was not a successful day.

So what is success? That is one of the most beautiful explorations that each individual can make. The dictionary defines it as, “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” Thus, each person must recognize his/her own goal and purpose. However, I believe that the journey is the destination. The questions are the journey. Goals change. They might be achieved, discarded, or abruptly interrupted. The blessing is that new goals are always waiting. So is the dictionary wrong in saying that success is an accomplishment?

Success for me is learning, not necessarily achieving, but making an attempt and learning. Success is continuing the journey. It will only be achieved when we die. Perhaps success is no regrets, and will be determined on our death beds.

So ironically, my thought about changing the title of my seventh-grade paper to “Just Don’t Die,” should have been, “Just Wait Till You Die.” Or possibly, the title should have been, “Keep Your Fork.”

Knocking the “F” out of Failure

Success blooms from failures along the journey.

“Learn to fail, or fail to learn.” —Thomas Edison

There is such a huge difference between failing and being a failure. Ironically, failing makes you less of a failure. You can only grow from failing. If you’re not willing to fail, you cannot innovate and make change. If you don’t step through the uncertainty of making an attempt, you will never achieve success.

Failure and success are exactly the same direction.

That is why the journey is the reward, and success is taking the journey, not the end result.

Remember that each step is progress. Each step, no matter how small, gets easier than the last. Soon they will become giant strides. Each time we adapt to change, it allows us to adapt sooner and more productively the next time. Even when mistakes happen along the road, those mistakes come from the courage of taking a step. Every time you take that one small step, you are stepping further away from the fear . Take pride in those steps! As you move past the fear, you begin to appreciate and feel accomplishment and joy. The answer is not in finding your goal, but learning to enjoy the search. Enjoy the search! How can you make it fun?

One of my all-time favorite expressions is:

“Life is not about the door that will open or the door that closed. It is about enjoying the hell in the hallway.”

In taking the next small step, always remember that it might be the wrong step. That’s ok. The important part of any step is the insight that follows. Not the result, but the lesson. In school, they call learning “lessons.” Learning is the lesson. Life is about learning.

Eventually, with work and progress, our fears and our darkness will become what we are most proud of. Our scars are symbols of courage and growth. They represent our passion.

Bill Kavanagh is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, currently living in Palm Springs, California, specializing in addiction, major illness, LGBTQ, and anyone struggling to find meaning and purpose.

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Follow YES! For Teachers

Eight brilliant student essays on what matters most in life.

Read winning essays from our spring 2019 student writing contest.

For the spring 2019 student writing contest, we invited students to read the YES! article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age” by Nancy Hill. Like the author, students interviewed someone significantly older than them about the three things that matter most in life. Students then wrote about what they learned, and about how their interviewees’ answers compare to their own top priorities.

The Winners

From the hundreds of essays written, these eight were chosen as winners. Be sure to read the author’s response to the essay winners and the literary gems that caught our eye. Plus, we share an essay from teacher Charles Sanderson, who also responded to the writing prompt.

Middle School Winner: Rory Leyva

High School Winner:  Praethong Klomsum

University Winner:  Emily Greenbaum

Powerful Voice Winner: Amanda Schwaben

Powerful Voice Winner: Antonia Mills

Powerful Voice Winner:  Isaac Ziemba

Powerful Voice Winner: Lily Hersch

“Tell It Like It Is” Interview Winner: Jonas Buckner

From the Author: Response to Student Winners

Literary Gems

From A Teacher: Charles Sanderson

From the Author: Response to Charles Sanderson

Middle School Winner

Village Home Education Resource Center, Portland, Ore.

The Lessons Of Mortality 

“As I’ve aged, things that are more personal to me have become somewhat less important. Perhaps I’ve become less self-centered with the awareness of mortality, how short one person’s life is.” This is how my 72-year-old grandma believes her values have changed over the course of her life. Even though I am only 12 years old, I know my life won’t last forever, and someday I, too, will reflect on my past decisions. We were all born to exist and eventually die, so we have evolved to value things in the context of mortality.

One of the ways I feel most alive is when I play roller derby. I started playing for the Rose City Rollers Juniors two years ago, and this year, I made the Rosebud All-Stars travel team. Roller derby is a fast-paced, full-contact sport. The physicality and intense training make me feel in control of and present in my body.

My roller derby team is like a second family to me. Adolescence is complicated. We understand each other in ways no one else can. I love my friends more than I love almost anything else. My family would have been higher on my list a few years ago, but as I’ve aged it has been important to make my own social connections.

Music led me to roller derby.  I started out jam skating at the roller rink. Jam skating is all about feeling the music. It integrates gymnastics, breakdancing, figure skating, and modern dance with R & B and hip hop music. When I was younger, I once lay down in the DJ booth at the roller rink and was lulled to sleep by the drawl of wheels rolling in rhythm and people talking about the things they came there to escape. Sometimes, I go up on the roof of my house at night to listen to music and feel the wind rustle my hair. These unique sensations make me feel safe like nothing else ever has.

My grandma tells me, “Being close with family and friends is the most important thing because I haven’t

always had that.” When my grandma was two years old, her father died. Her mother became depressed and moved around a lot, which made it hard for my grandma to make friends. Once my grandma went to college, she made lots of friends. She met my grandfather, Joaquin Leyva when she was working as a park ranger and he was a surfer. They bought two acres of land on the edge of a redwood forest and had a son and a daughter. My grandma created a stable family that was missing throughout her early life.

My grandma is motivated to maintain good health so she can be there for her family. I can relate because I have to be fit and strong for my team. Since she lost my grandfather to cancer, she realizes how lucky she is to have a functional body and no life-threatening illnesses. My grandma tries to eat well and exercise, but she still struggles with depression. Over time, she has learned that reaching out to others is essential to her emotional wellbeing.  

Caring for the earth is also a priority for my grandma I’ve been lucky to learn from my grandma. She’s taught me how to hunt for fossils in the desert and find shells on the beach. Although my grandma grew up with no access to the wilderness, she admired the green open areas of urban cemeteries. In college, she studied geology and hiked in the High Sierras. For years, she’s been an advocate for conserving wildlife habitat and open spaces.

Our priorities may seem different, but it all comes down to basic human needs. We all desire a purpose, strive to be happy, and need to be loved. Like Nancy Hill says in the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” it can be hard to decipher what is important in life. I believe that the constant search for satisfaction and meaning is the only thing everyone has in common. We all want to know what matters, and we walk around this confusing world trying to find it. The lessons I’ve learned from my grandma about forging connections, caring for my body, and getting out in the world inspire me to live my life my way before it’s gone.

Rory Leyva is a seventh-grader from Portland, Oregon. Rory skates for the Rosebuds All-Stars roller derby team. She loves listening to music and hanging out with her friends.

High School Winner

Praethong Klomsum

  Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, Calif.

Time Only Moves Forward

Sandra Hernandez gazed at the tiny house while her mother’s gentle hands caressed her shoulders. It wasn’t much, especially for a family of five. This was 1960, she was 17, and her family had just moved to Culver City.

Flash forward to 2019. Sandra sits in a rocking chair, knitting a blanket for her latest grandchild, in the same living room. Sandra remembers working hard to feed her eight children. She took many different jobs before settling behind the cash register at a Japanese restaurant called Magos. “It was a struggle, and my husband Augustine, was planning to join the military at that time, too.”

In the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” author Nancy Hill states that one of the most important things is “…connecting with others in general, but in particular with those who have lived long lives.” Sandra feels similarly. It’s been hard for Sandra to keep in contact with her family, which leaves her downhearted some days. “It’s important to maintain that connection you have with your family, not just next-door neighbors you talk to once a month.”

Despite her age, Sandra is a daring woman. Taking risks is important to her, and she’ll try anything—from skydiving to hiking. Sandra has some regrets from the past, but nowadays, she doesn’t wonder about the “would have, could have, should haves.” She just goes for it with a smile.

Sandra thought harder about her last important thing, the blue and green blanket now finished and covering

her lap. “I’ve definitely lived a longer life than most, and maybe this is just wishful thinking, but I hope I can see the day my great-grandchildren are born.” She’s laughing, but her eyes look beyond what’s in front of her. Maybe she is reminiscing about the day she held her son for the first time or thinking of her grandchildren becoming parents. I thank her for her time and she waves it off, offering me a styrofoam cup of lemonade before I head for the bus station.

The bus is sparsely filled. A voice in my head reminds me to finish my 10-page history research paper before spring break. I take a window seat and pull out my phone and earbuds. My playlist is already on shuffle, and I push away thoughts of that dreaded paper. Music has been a constant in my life—from singing my lungs out in kindergarten to Barbie’s “I Need To Know,” to jamming out to Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” in sixth grade, to BTS’s “Intro: Never Mind” comforting me when I’m at my lowest. Music is my magic shop, a place where I can trade away my fears for calm.

I’ve always been afraid of doing something wrong—not finishing my homework or getting a C when I can do better. When I was 8, I wanted to be like the big kids. As I got older, I realized that I had exchanged my childhood longing for the 48 pack of crayons for bigger problems, balancing grades, a social life, and mental stability—all at once. I’m going to get older whether I like it or not, so there’s no point forcing myself to grow up faster.  I’m learning to live in the moment.

The bus is approaching my apartment, where I know my comfy bed and a home-cooked meal from my mom are waiting. My mom is hard-working, confident, and very stubborn. I admire her strength of character. She always keeps me in line, even through my rebellious phases.

My best friend sends me a text—an update on how broken her laptop is. She is annoying. She says the stupidest things and loves to state the obvious. Despite this, she never fails to make me laugh until my cheeks feel numb. The rest of my friends are like that too—loud, talkative, and always brightening my day. Even friends I stopped talking to have a place in my heart. Recently, I’ve tried to reconnect with some of them. This interview was possible because a close friend from sixth grade offered to introduce me to Sandra, her grandmother.  

I’m decades younger than Sandra, so my view of what’s important isn’t as broad as hers, but we share similar values, with friends and family at the top. I have a feeling that when Sandra was my age, she used to love music, too. Maybe in a few decades, when I’m sitting in my rocking chair, drawing in my sketchbook, I’ll remember this article and think back fondly to the days when life was simple.

Praethong Klomsum is a tenth-grader at Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California.  Praethong has a strange affinity for rhyme games and is involved in her school’s dance team. She enjoys drawing and writing, hoping to impact people willing to listen to her thoughts and ideas.

University Winner

Emily Greenbaum

Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 

The Life-Long War

Every morning we open our eyes, ready for a new day. Some immediately turn to their phones and social media. Others work out or do yoga. For a certain person, a deep breath and the morning sun ground him. He hears the clink-clank of his wife cooking low sodium meat for breakfast—doctor’s orders! He sees that the other side of the bed is already made, the dogs are no longer in the room, and his clothes are set out nicely on the loveseat.

Today, though, this man wakes up to something different: faded cream walls and jello. This person, my hero, is Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James.

I pulled up my chair close to Roger’s vinyl recliner so I could hear him above the noise of the beeping dialysis machine. I noticed Roger would occasionally glance at his wife Susan with sparkly eyes when he would recall memories of the war or their grandkids. He looked at Susan like she walked on water.

Roger James served his country for thirty years. Now, he has enlisted in another type of war. He suffers from a rare blood cancer—the result of the wars he fought in. Roger has good and bad days. He says, “The good outweighs the bad, so I have to be grateful for what I have on those good days.”

When Roger retired, he never thought the effects of the war would reach him. The once shallow wrinkles upon his face become deeper, as he tells me, “It’s just cancer. Others are suffering from far worse. I know I’ll make it.”

Like Nancy Hill did in her article “Three Things that Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I asked Roger, “What are the three most important things to you?” James answered, “My wife Susan, my grandkids, and church.”

Roger and Susan served together in the Vietnam war. She was a nurse who treated his cuts and scrapes one day. I asked Roger why he chose Susan. He said, “Susan told me to look at her while she cleaned me up. ‘This may sting, but don’t be a baby.’ When I looked into her eyes, I felt like she was looking into my soul, and I didn’t want her to leave. She gave me this sense of home. Every day I wake up, she makes me feel the same way, and I fall in love with her all over again.”

Roger and Susan have two kids and four grandkids, with great-grandchildren on the way. He claims that his grandkids give him the youth that he feels slowly escaping from his body. This adoring grandfather is energized by coaching t-ball and playing evening card games with the grandkids.

The last thing on his list was church. His oldest daughter married a pastor. Together they founded a church. Roger said that the connection between his faith and family is important to him because it gave him a reason to want to live again. I learned from Roger that when you’re across the ocean, you tend to lose sight of why you are fighting. When Roger returned, he didn’t have the will to live. Most days were a struggle, adapting back into a society that lacked empathy for the injuries, pain, and psychological trauma carried by returning soldiers. Church changed that for Roger and gave him a sense of purpose.

When I began this project, my attitude was to just get the assignment done. I never thought I could view Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James as more than a role model, but he definitely changed my mind. It’s as if Roger magically lit a fire inside of me and showed me where one’s true passions should lie. I see our similarities and embrace our differences. We both value family and our own connections to home—his home being church and mine being where I can breathe the easiest.

Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James has shown me how to appreciate what I have around me and that every once in a while, I should step back and stop to smell the roses. As we concluded the interview, amidst squeaky clogs and the stale smell of bleach and bedpans, I looked to Roger, his kind, tired eyes, and weathered skin, with a deeper sense of admiration, knowing that his values still run true, no matter what he faces.

Emily Greenbaum is a senior at Kent State University, graduating with a major in Conflict Management and minor in Geography. Emily hopes to use her major to facilitate better conversations, while she works in the Washington, D.C. area.  

Powerful Voice Winner

Amanda Schwaben

Wise Words From Winnie the Pooh

As I read through Nancy Hill’s article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I was comforted by the similar responses given by both children and older adults. The emphasis participants placed on family, social connections, and love was not only heartwarming but hopeful. While the messages in the article filled me with warmth, I felt a twinge of guilt building within me. As a twenty-one-year-old college student weeks from graduation, I honestly don’t think much about the most important things in life. But if I was asked, I would most likely say family, friendship, and love. As much as I hate to admit it, I often find myself obsessing over achieving a successful career and finding a way to “save the world.”

A few weeks ago, I was at my family home watching the new Winnie the Pooh movie Christopher Robin with my mom and younger sister. Well, I wasn’t really watching. I had my laptop in front of me, and I was aggressively typing up an assignment. Halfway through the movie, I realized I left my laptop charger in my car. I walked outside into the brisk March air. Instinctively, I looked up. The sky was perfectly clear, revealing a beautiful array of stars. When my twin sister and I were in high school, we would always take a moment to look up at the sparkling night sky before we came into the house after soccer practice.

I think that was the last time I stood in my driveway and gazed at the stars. I did not get the laptop charger from

my car; instead, I turned around and went back inside. I shut my laptop and watched the rest of the movie. My twin sister loves Winnie the Pooh. So much so that my parents got her a stuffed animal version of him for Christmas. While I thought he was adorable and a token of my childhood, I did not really understand her obsession. However, it was clear to me after watching the movie. Winnie the Pooh certainly had it figured out. He believed that the simple things in life were the most important: love, friendship, and having fun.

I thought about asking my mom right then what the three most important things were to her, but I decided not to. I just wanted to be in the moment. I didn’t want to be doing homework. It was a beautiful thing to just sit there and be present with my mom and sister.

I did ask her, though, a couple of weeks later. Her response was simple.  All she said was family, health, and happiness. When she told me this, I imagined Winnie the Pooh smiling. I think he would be proud of that answer.

I was not surprised by my mom’s reply. It suited her perfectly. I wonder if we relearn what is most important when we grow older—that the pressure to be successful subsides. Could it be that valuing family, health, and happiness is what ends up saving the world?

Amanda Schwaben is a graduating senior from Kent State University with a major in Applied Conflict Management. Amanda also has minors in Psychology and Interpersonal Communication. She hopes to further her education and focus on how museums not only preserve history but also promote peace.

Antonia Mills

Rachel Carson High School, Brooklyn, N.Y. 

Decoding The Butterfly

For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must first digest itself. The caterpillar, overwhelmed by accumulating tissue, splits its skin open to form its protective shell, the chrysalis, and later becomes the pretty butterfly we all know and love. There are approximately 20,000 species of butterflies, and just as every species is different, so is the life of every butterfly. No matter how long and hard a caterpillar has strived to become the colorful and vibrant butterfly that we marvel at on a warm spring day, it does not live a long life. A butterfly can live for a year, six months, two weeks, and even as little as twenty-four hours.

I have often wondered if butterflies live long enough to be blissful of blue skies. Do they take time to feast upon the sweet nectar they crave, midst their hustling life of pollinating pretty flowers? Do they ever take a lull in their itineraries, or are they always rushing towards completing their four-stage metamorphosis? Has anyone asked the butterfly, “Who are you?” instead of “What are you”? Or, How did you get here, on my windowsill?  How did you become ‘you’?

Humans are similar to butterflies. As a caterpillar

Suzanna Ruby/Getty Images

becomes a butterfly, a baby becomes an elder. As a butterfly soars through summer skies, an elder watches summer skies turn into cold winter nights and back toward summer skies yet again.  And as a butterfly flits slowly by the porch light, a passerby makes assumptions about the wrinkled, slow-moving elder, who is sturdier than he appears. These creatures are not seen for who they are—who they were—because people have “better things to do” or they are too busy to ask, “How are you”?

Our world can be a lonely place. Pressured by expectations, haunted by dreams, overpowered by weakness, and drowned out by lofty goals, we tend to forget ourselves—and others. Rather than hang onto the strands of our diminishing sanity, we might benefit from listening to our elders. Many elders have experienced setbacks in their young lives. Overcoming hardship and surviving to old age is wisdom that they carry.  We can learn from them—and can even make their day by taking the time to hear their stories.  

Nancy Hill, who wrote the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” was right: “We live among such remarkable people, yet few know their stories.” I know a lot about my grandmother’s life, and it isn’t as serene as my own. My grandmother, Liza, who cooks every day, bakes bread on holidays for our neighbors, brings gifts to her doctor out of the kindness of her heart, and makes conversation with neighbors even though she is isn’t fluent in English—Russian is her first language—has struggled all her life. Her mother, Anna, a single parent, had tuberculosis, and even though she had an inviolable spirit, she was too frail to care for four children. She passed away when my grandmother was sixteen, so my grandmother and her siblings spent most of their childhood in an orphanage. My grandmother got married at nineteen to my grandfather, Pinhas. He was a man who loved her more than he loved himself and was a godsend to every person he met. Liza was—and still is—always quick to do what was best for others, even if that person treated her poorly. My grandmother has lived with physical pain all her life, yet she pushed herself to climb heights that she wasn’t ready for. Against all odds, she has lived to tell her story to people who are willing to listen. And I always am.

I asked my grandmother, “What are three things most important to you?” Her answer was one that I already expected: One, for everyone to live long healthy lives. Two, for you to graduate from college. Three, for you to always remember that I love you.

What may be basic to you means the world to my grandmother. She just wants what she never had the chance to experience: a healthy life, an education, and the chance to express love to the people she values. The three things that matter most to her may be so simple and ordinary to outsiders, but to her, it is so much more. And who could take that away?

Antonia Mills was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and attends Rachel Carson High School.  Antonia enjoys creative activities, including writing, painting, reading, and baking. She hopes to pursue culinary arts professionally in the future. One of her favorite quotes is, “When you start seeing your worth, you’ll find it harder to stay around people who don’t.” -Emily S.P.  

  Powerful Voice Winner

   Isaac Ziemba

Odyssey Multiage Program, Bainbridge Island, Wash. 

This Former State Trooper Has His Priorities Straight: Family, Climate Change, and Integrity

I have a personal connection to people who served in the military and first responders. My uncle is a first responder on the island I live on, and my dad retired from the Navy. That was what made a man named Glen Tyrell, a state trooper for 25 years, 2 months and 9 days, my first choice to interview about what three things matter in life. In the YES! Magazine article “The Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I learned that old and young people have a great deal in common. I know that’s true because Glen and I care about a lot of the same things.

For Glen, family is at the top of his list of important things. “My wife was, and is, always there for me. My daughters mean the world to me, too, but Penny is my partner,” Glen said. I can understand why Glen’s wife is so important to him. She’s family. Family will always be there for you.

Glen loves his family, and so do I with all my heart. My dad especially means the world to me. He is my top supporter and tells me that if I need help, just “say the word.” When we are fishing or crabbing, sometimes I

think, what if these times were erased from my memory? I wouldn’t be able to describe the horrible feeling that would rush through my mind, and I’m sure that Glen would feel the same about his wife.

My uncle once told me that the world is always going to change over time. It’s what the world has turned out to be that worries me. Both Glen and I are extremely concerned about climate change and the effect that rising temperatures have on animals and their habitats. We’re driving them to extinction. Some people might say, “So what? Animals don’t pay taxes or do any of the things we do.” What we are doing to them is like the Black Death times 100.

Glen is also frustrated by how much plastic we use and where it ends up. He would be shocked that an explorer recently dived to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean—seven miles!— and discovered a plastic bag and candy wrappers. Glen told me that, unfortunately, his generation did the damage and my generation is here to fix it. We need to take better care of Earth because if we don’t, we, as a species, will have failed.

Both Glen and I care deeply for our families and the earth, but for our third important value, I chose education and Glen chose integrity. My education is super important to me because without it, I would be a blank slate. I wouldn’t know how to figure out problems. I wouldn’t be able to tell right from wrong. I wouldn’t understand the Bill of Rights. I would be stuck. Everyone should be able to go to school, no matter where they’re from or who they are.  It makes me angry and sad to think that some people, especially girls, get shot because they are trying to go to school. I understand how lucky I am.

Integrity is sacred to Glen—I could tell by the serious tone of Glen’s voice when he told me that integrity was the code he lived by as a former state trooper. He knew that he had the power to change a person’s life, and he was committed to not abusing that power.  When Glen put someone under arrest—and my uncle says the same—his judgment and integrity were paramount. “Either you’re right or you’re wrong.” You can’t judge a person by what you think, you can only judge a person from what you know.”

I learned many things about Glen and what’s important in life, but there is one thing that stands out—something Glen always does and does well. Glen helps people. He did it as a state trooper, and he does it in our school, where he works on construction projects. Glen told me that he believes that our most powerful tools are writing and listening to others. I think those tools are important, too, but I also believe there are other tools to help solve many of our problems and create a better future: to be compassionate, to create caring relationships, and to help others. Just like Glen Tyrell does each and every day.

Isaac Ziemba is in seventh grade at the Odyssey Multiage Program on a small island called Bainbridge near Seattle, Washington. Isaac’s favorite subject in school is history because he has always been interested in how the past affects the future. In his spare time, you can find Isaac hunting for crab with his Dad, looking for artifacts around his house with his metal detector, and having fun with his younger cousin, Conner.     

Lily Hersch

 The Crest Academy, Salida, Colo.

The Phone Call

Dear Grandpa,

In my short span of life—12 years so far—you’ve taught me a lot of important life lessons that I’ll always have with me. Some of the values I talk about in this writing I’ve learned from you.

Dedicated to my Gramps.

In the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” author and photographer Nancy Hill asked people to name the three things that mattered most to them. After reading the essay prompt for the article, I immediately knew who I wanted to interview: my grandpa Gil.      

My grandpa was born on January 25, 1942. He lived in a minuscule tenement in The Bronx with his mother,

father, and brother. His father wasn’t around much, and, when he was, he was reticent and would snap occasionally, revealing his constrained mental pain. My grandpa says this happened because my great grandfather did not have a father figure in his life. His mother was a classy, sharp lady who was the head secretary at a local police district station. My grandpa and his brother Larry did not care for each other. Gramps said he was very close to his mother, and Larry wasn’t. Perhaps Larry was envious for what he didn’t have.

Decades after little to no communication with his brother, my grandpa decided to spontaneously visit him in Florida, where he resided with his wife. Larry was taken aback at the sudden reappearance of his brother and told him to leave. Since then, the two brothers have not been in contact. My grandpa doesn’t even know if Larry is alive.         

My grandpa is now a retired lawyer, married to my wonderful grandma, and living in a pretty house with an ugly dog named BoBo.

So, what’s important to you, Gramps?

He paused a second, then replied, “Family, kindness, and empathy.”

“Family, because it’s my family. It’s important to stay connected with your family. My brother, father, and I never connected in the way I wished, and sometimes I contemplated what could’ve happened.  But you can’t change the past. So, that’s why family’s important to me.”

Family will always be on my “Top Three Most Important Things” list, too. I can’t imagine not having my older brother, Zeke, or my grandma in my life. I wonder how other kids feel about their families? How do kids trapped and separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border feel?  What about orphans? Too many questions, too few answers.

“Kindness, because growing up and not seeing a lot of kindness made me realize how important it is to have that in the world. Kindness makes the world go round.”

What is kindness? Helping my brother, Eli, who has Down syndrome, get ready in the morning? Telling people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear? Maybe, for now, I’ll put wisdom, not kindness, on my list.

“Empathy, because of all the killings and shootings [in this country.] We also need to care for people—people who are not living in as good circumstances as I have. Donald Trump and other people I’ve met have no empathy. Empathy is very important.”

Empathy is something I’ve felt my whole life. It’ll always be important to me like it is important to my grandpa. My grandpa shows his empathy when he works with disabled children. Once he took a disabled child to a Christina Aguilera concert because that child was too young to go by himself. The moments I feel the most empathy are when Eli gets those looks from people. Seeing Eli wonder why people stare at him like he’s a freak makes me sad, and annoyed that they have the audacity to stare.

After this 2 minute and 36-second phone call, my grandpa has helped me define what’s most important to me at this time in my life: family, wisdom, and empathy. Although these things are important now, I realize they can change and most likely will.

When I’m an old woman, I envision myself scrambling through a stack of storage boxes and finding this paper. Perhaps after reading words from my 12-year-old self, I’ll ask myself “What’s important to me?”

Lily Hersch is a sixth-grader at Crest Academy in Salida, Colorado. Lily is an avid indoorsman, finding joy in competitive spelling, art, and of course, writing. She does not like Swiss cheese.

  “Tell It Like It Is” Interview Winner

Jonas Buckner

KIPP: Gaston College Preparatory, Gaston, N.C.

Lessons My Nana Taught Me

I walked into the house. In the other room, I heard my cousin screaming at his game. There were a lot of Pioneer Woman dishes everywhere. The room had the television on max volume. The fan in the other room was on. I didn’t know it yet, but I was about to learn something powerful.

I was in my Nana’s house, and when I walked in, she said, “Hey Monkey Butt.”

I said, “Hey Nana.”

Before the interview, I was talking to her about what I was gonna interview her on. Also, I had asked her why I might have wanted to interview her, and she responded with, “Because you love me, and I love you too.”

Now, it was time to start the interview. The first

question I asked was the main and most important question ever: “What three things matter most to you and you only?”

She thought of it very thoughtfully and responded with, “My grandchildren, my children, and my health.”

Then, I said, “OK, can you please tell me more about your health?”

She responded with, “My health is bad right now. I have heart problems, blood sugar, and that’s about it.” When she said it, she looked at me and smiled because she loved me and was happy I chose her to interview.

I replied with, “K um, why is it important to you?”

She smiled and said, “Why is it…Why is my health important? Well, because I want to live a long time and see my grandchildren grow up.”

I was scared when she said that, but she still smiled. I was so happy, and then I said, “Has your health always been important to you.”

She responded with “Nah.”

Then, I asked, “Do you happen to have a story to help me understand your reasoning?”

She said, “No, not really.”

Now we were getting into the next set of questions. I said, “Remember how you said that your grandchildren matter to you? Can you please tell me why they matter to you?”

Then, she responded with, “So I can spend time with them, play with them, and everything.”

Next, I asked the same question I did before: “Have you always loved your grandchildren?” 

She responded with, “Yes, they have always been important to me.”

Then, the next two questions I asked she had no response to at all. She was very happy until I asked, “Why do your children matter most to you?”

She had a frown on and responded, “My daughter Tammy died a long time ago.”

Then, at this point, the other questions were answered the same as the other ones. When I left to go home I was thinking about how her answers were similar to mine. She said health, and I care about my health a lot, and I didn’t say, but I wanted to. She also didn’t have answers for the last two questions on each thing, and I was like that too.

The lesson I learned was that no matter what, always keep pushing because even though my aunt or my Nana’s daughter died, she kept on pushing and loving everyone. I also learned that everything should matter to us. Once again, I chose to interview my Nana because she matters to me, and I know when she was younger she had a lot of things happen to her, so I wanted to know what she would say. The point I’m trying to make is that be grateful for what you have and what you have done in life.

Jonas Buckner is a sixth-grader at KIPP: Gaston College Preparatory in Gaston, North Carolina. Jonas’ favorite activities are drawing, writing, math, piano, and playing AltSpace VR. He found his passion for writing in fourth grade when he wrote a quick autobiography. Jonas hopes to become a horror writer someday.

From The Author: Responses to Student Winners

Dear Emily, Isaac, Antonia, Rory, Praethong, Amanda, Lily, and Jonas,

Your thought-provoking essays sent my head spinning. The more I read, the more impressed I was with the depth of thought, beauty of expression, and originality. It left me wondering just how to capture all of my reactions in a single letter. After multiple false starts, I’ve landed on this: I will stick to the theme of three most important things.

The three things I found most inspirational about your essays:

You listened.

You connected.

We live in troubled times. Tensions mount between countries, cultures, genders, religious beliefs, and generations. If we fail to find a way to understand each other, to see similarities between us, the future will be fraught with increased hostility.

You all took critical steps toward connecting with someone who might not value the same things you do by asking a person who is generations older than you what matters to them. Then, you listened to their answers. You saw connections between what is important to them and what is important to you. Many of you noted similarities, others wondered if your own list of the three most important things would change as you go through life. You all saw the validity of the responses you received and looked for reasons why your interviewees have come to value what they have.

It is through these things—asking, listening, and connecting—that we can begin to bridge the differences in experiences and beliefs that are currently dividing us.

Individual observations

Each one of you made observations that all of us, regardless of age or experience, would do well to keep in mind. I chose one quote from each person and trust those reading your essays will discover more valuable insights.

“Our priorities may seem different, but they come back to basic human needs. We all desire a purpose, strive to be happy, and work to make a positive impact.” 

“You can’t judge a person by what you think , you can only judge a person by what you know .”

Emily (referencing your interviewee, who is battling cancer):

“Master Chief Petty Officer James has shown me how to appreciate what I have around me.”

Lily (quoting your grandfather):

“Kindness makes the world go round.”

“Everything should matter to us.”

Praethong (quoting your interviewee, Sandra, on the importance of family):

“It’s important to always maintain that connection you have with each other, your family, not just next-door neighbors you talk to once a month.”

“I wonder if maybe we relearn what is most important when we grow older. That the pressure to be successful subsides and that valuing family, health, and happiness is what ends up saving the world.”

“Listen to what others have to say. Listen to the people who have already experienced hardship. You will learn from them and you can even make their day by giving them a chance to voice their thoughts.”

I end this letter to you with the hope that you never stop asking others what is most important to them and that you to continue to take time to reflect on what matters most to you…and why. May you never stop asking, listening, and connecting with others, especially those who may seem to be unlike you. Keep writing, and keep sharing your thoughts and observations with others, for your ideas are awe-inspiring.

I also want to thank the more than 1,000 students who submitted essays. Together, by sharing what’s important to us with others, especially those who may believe or act differently, we can fill the world with joy, peace, beauty, and love.

We received many outstanding essays for the Winter 2019 Student Writing Competition. Though not every participant can win the contest, we’d like to share some excerpts that caught our eye:

Whether it is a painting on a milky canvas with watercolors or pasting photos onto a scrapbook with her granddaughters, it is always a piece of artwork to her. She values the things in life that keep her in the moment, while still exploring things she may not have initially thought would bring her joy.

—Ondine Grant-Krasno, Immaculate Heart Middle School, Los Angeles, Calif.

“Ganas”… It means “desire” in Spanish. My ganas is fueled by my family’s belief in me. I cannot and will not fail them. 

—Adan Rios, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

I hope when I grow up I can have the love for my kids like my grandma has for her kids. She makes being a mother even more of a beautiful thing than it already is.

—Ashley Shaw, Columbus City Prep School for Girls, Grove City, Ohio

You become a collage of little pieces of your friends and family. They also encourage you to be the best you can be. They lift you up onto the seat of your bike, they give you the first push, and they don’t hesitate to remind you that everything will be alright when you fall off and scrape your knee.

— Cecilia Stanton, Bellafonte Area Middle School, Bellafonte, Pa.

Without good friends, I wouldn’t know what I would do to endure the brutal machine of public education.

—Kenneth Jenkins, Garrison Middle School, Walla Walla, Wash.

My dog, as ridiculous as it may seem, is a beautiful example of what we all should aspire to be. We should live in the moment, not stress, and make it our goal to lift someone’s spirits, even just a little.

—Kate Garland, Immaculate Heart Middle School, Los Angeles, Calif. 

I strongly hope that every child can spare more time to accompany their elderly parents when they are struggling, and moving forward, and give them more care and patience. so as to truly achieve the goal of “you accompany me to grow up, and I will accompany you to grow old.”

—Taiyi Li, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

I have three cats, and they are my brothers and sisters. We share a special bond that I think would not be possible if they were human. Since they do not speak English, we have to find other ways to connect, and I think that those other ways can be more powerful than language.

—Maya Dombroskie, Delta Program Middle School, Boulsburg, Pa.

We are made to love and be loved. To have joy and be relational. As a member of the loneliest generation in possibly all of history, I feel keenly aware of the need for relationships and authentic connection. That is why I decided to talk to my grandmother.

—Luke Steinkamp, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

After interviewing my grandma and writing my paper, I realized that as we grow older, the things that are important to us don’t change, what changes is why those things are important to us.

—Emily Giffer, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.

The media works to marginalize elders, often isolating them and their stories, and the wealth of knowledge that comes with their additional years of lived experiences. It also undermines the depth of children’s curiosity and capacity to learn and understand. When the worlds of elders and children collide, a classroom opens.

—Cristina Reitano, City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.

My values, although similar to my dad, only looked the same in the sense that a shadow is similar to the object it was cast on.

—Timofey Lisenskiy, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, Calif.

I can release my anger through writing without having to take it out on someone. I can escape and be a different person; it feels good not to be myself for a while. I can make up my own characters, so I can be someone different every day, and I think that’s pretty cool.

—Jasua Carillo, Wellness, Business, and Sports School, Woodburn, Ore. 

Notice how all the important things in his life are people: the people who he loves and who love him back. This is because “people are more important than things like money or possessions, and families are treasures,” says grandpa Pat. And I couldn’t agree more.

—Brody Hartley, Garrison Middle School, Walla Walla, Wash.  

Curiosity for other people’s stories could be what is needed to save the world.

—Noah Smith, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Peace to me is a calm lake without a ripple in sight. It’s a starry night with a gentle breeze that pillows upon your face. It’s the absence of arguments, fighting, or war. It’s when egos stop working against each other and finally begin working with each other. Peace is free from fear, anxiety, and depression. To me, peace is an important ingredient in the recipe of life.

—JP Bogan, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

From A Teacher

Charles Sanderson

Wellness, Business and Sports School, Woodburn, Ore. 

The Birthday Gift

I’ve known Jodelle for years, watching her grow from a quiet and timid twelve-year-old to a young woman who just returned from India, where she played Kabaddi, a kind of rugby meets Red Rover.

One of my core beliefs as an educator is to show up for the things that matter to kids, so I go to their games, watch their plays, and eat the strawberry jam they make for the county fair. On this occasion, I met Jodelle at a robotics competition to watch her little sister Abby compete. Think Nerd Paradise: more hats made from traffic cones than Golden State Warrior ball caps, more unicorn capes than Nike swooshes, more fanny packs with Legos than clutches with eyeliner.

We started chatting as the crowd chanted and waved six-foot flags for teams like Mystic Biscuits, Shrek, and everyone’s nemesis The Mean Machine. Apparently, when it’s time for lunch at a robotics competition, they don’t mess around. The once-packed gym was left to Jodelle and me, and we kept talking and talking. I eventually asked her about the three things that matter to her most.

She told me about her mom, her sister, and her addiction—to horses. I’ve read enough of her writing to know that horses were her drug of choice and her mom and sister were her support network.

I learned about her desire to become a teacher and how hours at the barn with her horse, Heart, recharge her when she’s exhausted. At one point, our rambling conversation turned to a topic I’ve known far too well—her father.

Later that evening, I received an email from Jodelle, and she had a lot to say. One line really struck me: “In so many movies, I have seen a dad wanting to protect his daughter from the world, but I’ve only understood the scene cognitively. Yesterday, I felt it.”

Long ago, I decided that I would never be a dad. I had seen movies with fathers and daughters, and for me, those movies might as well have been Star Wars, ET, or Alien—worlds filled with creatures I’d never know. However, over the years, I’ve attended Jodelle’s parent-teacher conferences, gone to her graduation, and driven hours to watch her ride Heart at horse shows. Simply, I showed up. I listened. I supported.

Jodelle shared a series of dad poems, as well. I had read the first two poems in their original form when Jodelle was my student. The revised versions revealed new graphic details of her past. The third poem, however, was something entirely different.

She called the poems my early birthday present. When I read the lines “You are my father figure/Who I look up to/Without being looked down on,” I froze for an instant and had to reread the lines. After fifty years of consciously deciding not to be a dad, I was seen as one—and it felt incredible. Jodelle’s poem and recognition were two of the best presents I’ve ever received.

I  know that I was the language arts teacher that Jodelle needed at the time, but her poem revealed things I never knew I taught her: “My father figure/ Who taught me/ That listening is for observing the world/ That listening is for learning/Not obeying/Writing is for connecting/Healing with others.”

Teaching is often a thankless job, one that frequently brings more stress and anxiety than joy and hope. Stress erodes my patience. Anxiety curtails my ability to enter each interaction with every student with the grace they deserve. However, my time with Jodelle reminds me of the importance of leaning in and listening.

In the article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age” by Nancy Hill, she illuminates how we “live among such remarkable people, yet few know their stories.” For the last twenty years, I’ve had the privilege to work with countless of these “remarkable people,” and I’ve done my best to listen, and, in so doing, I hope my students will realize what I’ve known for a long time; their voices matter and deserve to be heard, but the voices of their tias and abuelitos and babushkas are equally important. When we take the time to listen, I believe we do more than affirm the humanity of others; we affirm our own as well.

Charles Sanderson has grounded his nineteen-year teaching career in a philosophy he describes as “Mirror, Window, Bridge.” Charles seeks to ensure all students see themselves, see others, and begin to learn the skills to build bridges of empathy, affinity, and understanding between communities and cultures that may seem vastly different. He proudly teaches at the Wellness, Business and Sports School in Woodburn, Oregon, a school and community that brings him joy and hope on a daily basis.

From   The Author: Response to Charles Sanderson

Dear Charles Sanderson,

Thank you for submitting an essay of your own in addition to encouraging your students to participate in YES! Magazine’s essay contest.

Your essay focused not on what is important to you, but rather on what is important to one of your students. You took what mattered to her to heart, acting upon it by going beyond the school day and creating a connection that has helped fill a huge gap in her life. Your efforts will affect her far beyond her years in school. It is clear that your involvement with this student is far from the only time you have gone beyond the classroom, and while you are not seeking personal acknowledgment, I cannot help but applaud you.

In an ideal world, every teacher, every adult, would show the same interest in our children and adolescents that you do. By taking the time to listen to what is important to our youth, we can help them grow into compassionate, caring adults, capable of making our world a better place.

Your concerted efforts to guide our youth to success not only as students but also as human beings is commendable. May others be inspired by your insights, concerns, and actions. You define excellence in teaching.

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Success Mindset

What it means to have a successful life and how to have one.

Sometimes it only takes one event in life to get you to ask an important question: “What does it take to have a successful life?”

It seems like a simple question, but the more you dig into it the more complex it becomes. For example, success isn’t as simple as winning. It can mean one thing to one person and something else for another.

That being said, throughout history, those who have become successful have had specific themes in their lives. Sometimes they needed a mentor or an important figure in their lives. Others had a particular mindset.

With this in mind, let’s explore what it means to live a successful life and how you can obtain it.

Table of Contents

What it means to be successful, how to have a successful life, the bottom line, more tips on creating a successful life.

Before diving in further, let’s explore Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs . It’s a motivational theory in psychology that consists of five tiers.

The first four tiers are simple: physiological needs, safety, a place to belong, and esteem needs.

The last tier is where you want to focus right now: self-actualization.

Self-actualization is the idea that there is more to life and that we aspire to a purpose. Whatever this purpose is, we’ll be pursuing it to feel whole. When it comes to a successful life, it’s easy to say that self-actualization is merely satisfying four aspects of our lives.

These are the four pillars that create our success:

• Personal health
• Strong relationships
• Financial security
• A passion for your work

1. Personal Health

Personal health is one of the pillars because, as we get older, things start to function not as they should or would normally. We begin to lose our strength as we pick up unhealthy habits.

Not only that, but the negative aspects of poor health impact many areas of our lives. Furthermore, if you want to help others (yourself included), you need to have strong mental and physical health.

That’s not to say you need to be incredibly buff, but rather physically capable to do what you want to do.

2. Strong Relationships

From romantic partners to friends and other connections, we all have social needs. [1] When it comes to romantic partners, it’s important that they complement you, your goals, and the life you want to live and how you want to live it. You want them to support you in your search for a successful life.

This mentality also applies to other connections. Strong relationships form when both people are getting something out of these relationships.

3. Financial Stability

Financial stability doesn’t mean the same as being rich. Having financial stability can mean being comfortable living with what you have right now or living within your own means.

The whole idea here is focusing on the things in your life you do have over what you don’t. This changes your perspective as you won’t be focused on accumulating items for the sake of it.

Another way you can look at this is similar to retirement. Retirement is the idea of living with the money you have and still supporting the life you want without working as much.

4. Passion for Your Work

The final pillar is passion for your work. Being passionate about something is huge, but it can be difficult to pin down to specifics. When you start thinking about what your passion is, you will probably discover several topics or ideas that drive you.

Whatever you decide to go for is up to you, but you want to make sure that it allows financial stability in due time. Overall, your work should:

• Get you out of bed in the morning.
• Be something that makes you excited and gives you energy.
• Be something that you know you’ll enjoy doing for many years to come.

With the four above pillars in mind, you have an overarching view of what it means to have a successful life. And while all of these things are simple on the surface, these aspects aren’t always so simple to achieve.

Some of these things can take a few years or more to achieve, depending on where you are in life. However, there are some specific traits to help you along the way.

When you develop these particular traits, obtaining your successful life will become easier in many ways. We know this because these are habits and traits that many people have portrayed time and again to obtain a successful life.

1. Self Belief

The first is an obvious one, but it’s one that can be left behind when you face challenges. During those times it can be easy for us to give up and stop doing what we’re doing.

When we have self-belief, believing that we’ll have a successful life is powerful. After all, how we view ourselves is a big contributor to whether we will succeed or fail.

2. Setting Goals

Another habit is the idea of setting goals . Everyone needs goals as these are treated as your compass and give you a direction to work in.

I would, however, encourage going beyond setting goals. Instead, try focusing on systems. James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits [2] realized over time that the goals that he was setting weren’t the source of his success.

Instead, it was the systems that he put in place. [3]

For example, if you’re a musician, you’ll set a goal like learning a new piece once per week. To make that goal a reality, you’ll develop a system. You’ll practice daily for an hour or two and begin looking for feedback regularly.

Another example goal is improving your relationship with your spouse. A system for that is perhaps researching relationship tips and applying some of them within the relationship soon after.

Creating these systems can ensure that you achieve your goals so long as you develop that habit and stay consistent with it. As you can also tell, these systems can apply to various parts of our lives.

3. Time Management

Another valuable skill for a successful life is time management. Everyone has 24 hours in a day and can only do so much in it. Time is the most important resource in our entire lives and shouldn’t be squandered.

There are several ways to manage your time, of course. One of the tried and true methods to stick to is having a schedule or a system in place to give you tasks.

Similar to a day job, there is a structure and things flow well because people go to work and immediately know what they need to be doing. This time management trick works the same way. If you know what needs to get done or what you want to work on, it’s easier to get into it as opposed to pondering what’s next.

Time management also entails knowing what is worth your time. This is a skill that is built up over time and comes with experience. It’s a valuable skill, and one of the ways to develop it is looking at the amount of work and effort that needs to go into a task versus the potential rewards you can get from it.

4. Money Management

The second most valuable resource is money. Whether you like it or not, money is often needed in order to live a successful life. Money is what we need to survive.

However, the key to it is knowing how much you need in order to live that life. It’s a similar idea to retirement, where you’re living the life you want without working as much.

To improve money management, you’ll want to learn financial lingo and create a budget to stick to. It’s not a matter of being conservative but being able to live within the means of your lifestyle. [4]

When you’re not lacking money, it’s easy to spend money without thought and enter financial arrangements where you don’t know what you’re getting into. So many people go into massive debt without considering financial alternatives or considering whether something is worth investing in.

To avoid these situations, put together budgets and take note of your spending habits and other behaviors.

Success isn’t defined entirely by what you read in a book. Every person has their own definition and views of success. I believe that we can agree, though, that satisfying these core principles is important to everyone.

If we are healthy, we can enjoy our success. If we’re around people we love, it makes the road to success easier. When we are financially stable, we can afford to live the way we want to live. Finally, when we have a passion for our work, we will continue to prosper.

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How to Be Successful in Reaching Your Goals

9 Psychological Strategies to Get Ahead in Life

Build a Growth Mindset

Improve your emotional intelligence, develop mental toughness, strengthen your willpower, focus on intrinsic motivations, set achievable goals, nurture traits linked to high potential, cultivate strong social support, avoid burnout.

Success is often defined as the ability to reach your goals in life, whatever those goals may be. In some ways, a better word for success might be attainment, accomplishment, or progress. It is not necessarily a destination but a journey that helps develop the skills and resources you need to thrive.

At a Glance

There are many different tactics for how to be successful in life, but the strategy that works best for you may depend on what success means to you . If you think of success as doing well at work or earning a high salary, your professional goals and accomplishments will take priority.

While professional success can be one piece of the puzzle, it leaves out many other important areas of life. Family, romantic relationships, academics, and athletics are just a few areas where people may strive for success. Your definition of success may vary, but many might define it as being fulfilled, happy, safe, healthy, and loved.

While there is no single right way to be successful, you can improve your chances by building a growth mindset, improving your emotional intelligence, developing mental toughness, and strengthening your willpower, among other strategies.

Because goals are self-created, what people view as success can vary depending on their needs, goals, and situation. There may not be a perfect combination of ingredients that can guarantee success. Still, there are some basic steps you can follow that can improve your chances of being successful in life, love, work, or whatever happens to be important to you.

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Research by psychologist Carol Dweck suggests that there are two basic mindsets that influence how people think about themselves and their abilities: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset .

People who possess a fixed mindset believe that things such as intelligence are static and unchangeable. Those with a fixed mindset believe that success isn't a result of hard work—it's simply a consequence of innate talents.

Because they believe that such talents are something people are either born with or without, they tend to give up more easily in the face of a challenge. They quit when things do not come easily because they believe that they lack the inborn skills needed to excel.

Those who have a growth mindset, on the other hand, feel that they can change, grow, and learn through effort. People who believe that they are capable of growth are more likely to achieve success. When things get tough, they look for ways to improve their skills and keep working toward success.

People with a growth mindset believe that they have control of their life, while those with a fixed mindset believe that things are out of their control.

What can you do to build a growth mindset?

• Believe that your efforts matter . Rather than thinking their abilities are fixed or stuck, people who have a growth mindset believe that effort and hard work can lead to meaningful growth.
• Learn new skills . When faced with a challenge, they look for ways to develop the knowledge and skills that they need to overcome and triumph.
• View failures as learning experiences . People with growth mindsets don't believe that failure is a reflection of their abilities. Instead, they view it as a valuable source of experience from which they can learn and improve. "That didn't work," they might think, "so this time I'll try something a little different."

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Overall intelligence has long been believed to be one factor contributing to success in different areas of life, but some experts suggest that emotional intelligence may actually matter even more.   Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand, utilize, and reason with emotions. Emotionally intelligent people are able to understand not only their own emotions, but those of others as well.

To improve your emotional intelligence:

• Pay attention to your own emotions . Focus on identifying what you are feeling and what is causing those feelings.
• Manage your emotions . Step back and try to view things with an impartial eye. Avoid bottling up or repressing your feelings, but look for healthy and appropriate ways of dealing with what you are feeling.
• Listen to others. This not only involves hearing what they are saying, but also paying attention to nonverbal signals and body language.

Mental toughness refers to the resilience to carry on and continue trying even in the face of obstacles. People who possess this mental strength see challenges as opportunities. They also feel that they have control over their own destiny, are confident in their abilities to succeed, and are committed to finishing what they start.

What can you do to improve your mental toughness and increase your chances of being successful in life?

• Believe in yourself . Cut out negative self-talk and look for ways to stay positive and self-encouraging.
• Keep trying . Even when things seem impossible or setbacks keep holding you back, focus on ways that you can develop your skills and keep soldiering forward. One of the key habits of successful people is always looking at setbacks or failures as learning opportunities.
• Care for yourself . Staying strong also means that you treat yourself with kindness. Check in with yourself regularly to ensure you have the things you need to thrive.
• Look for growth opportunities . Learning more about yourself and challenging yourself to try new things can provide opportunities for self-discovery.

In a long-running longitudinal study, psychologists followed a group of children who were identified by their teachers as highly intelligent. As they compared how these subjects fared throughout childhood and into adulthood, researchers found that those who ultimately were the most successful in life shared some key characteristics, including perseverance and willpower.  

These characteristics tend to be part of an individual's overall personality, but they are also something you can improve. Delayed gratification , learning to persist in the face of challenges, and waiting for the rewards of your hard work can often be the key to success in life.

Strategies you can use to improve your willpower include:

• Distraction . For example, if you are trying to lose weight but are having a difficult time staying away from your favorite snacks, distracting yourself during your moments of weakness can be an effective way to avoid giving in to temptation.
• Practice . Willpower is something you can build, but it takes time and effort. Start by making small goals that require will power to achieve, such as avoiding sugary snacks. As you build your ability to use your will power to achieve such small goals, you may find that your willpower is also stronger when working on much larger goals.

What is it that motivates you the most? Do you find that the promise of external rewards keeps you reaching for your goals, or is it the more personal, intrinsic motivators that keep you feeling inspired? While extrinsic rewards such as money, awards, and praise can be helpful, many people find that they are most motivated when they are doing things for personal satisfaction.

If you are doing things because you enjoy them, because you find them meaningful, or because you enjoy seeing the effects of your work, then you are driven by intrinsic motivations. Research has shown that while incentives can be a better predictor of some types of performance, intrinsic motivators tend to be better at predicting performance quality.  

While it is often the external motivators that get people started, it is the internal motivators that kick in and keep people going in order to maintain those new behaviors.

What can you do to boost your sense of intrinsic motivation?

• Challenge yourself . Pursuing a goal that is achievable but not necessarily easy, is a great way to increase motivation to succeed. Challenges can keep you interested in a task, improve your self-esteem, and offer feedback on areas you can improve on. Choosing a slightly challenging task will help motivate you to get started—it feels exciting!
• Stay curious . Look for things that grab your attention and that you want to learn more about.
• Take control . It can be difficult to stay intrinsically motivated to pursue a goal if you don't feel that you have any real influence over the outcome. Look for ways that you can take an active role.
• Don't fear competition . There might be other people trying to reach the same goals as you, but this doesn't mean you should give up. Don't compare your progress or journey to anyone else's. You can look to others for motivation and inspiration, but remember that we all have different paths.

Successful people know that they need to start by having attainable goals to achieve. These goals are not necessarily easy to reach, but by having something to aim for, you will be better able to move forward and overcome obstacles.

When setting goals :

• Be as specific as possible : Choosing a goal like "I'm going to spend 20 minutes a day learning a new language" is more achievable than setting a general goal like "I'm going to learn French."
• Break your goal into smaller steps : Even if you select a specific goal, it can often seem difficult to achieve. Try breaking it into smaller steps that allow you to focus on moving forward without becoming overwhelmed.
• Reward progress : Recognize your successes along the way and allow yourself to enjoy your accomplishments.

One of the biggest reasons people don't follow through on their goals [is] because they aren't what THEY want to do. Make sure your goals align with your personal values and needs, not what you 'think' you should do.

Psychologists have long attempted to link specific traits or personality characteristics to success in life and work. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one widely used assessment that is often utilized by businesses to screen job candidates. However, research often fails to show that the MBTI actually correlates to performance.  

According to some more recent research, there are certain traits that tend to be consistently tied to success.   Researchers Ian MacRae and Adrian Furnham have identified six key traits that can play a role in how well people do at work.   However, they note that there are optimal levels of these traits. Too little of these characteristics can hinder success, but so can having too much.

If you are trying to learn how to be successful in life, consider what you can do to nurture these key traits:

Conscientiousness

Conscientious people consider the effects of their actions. They also consider how other people will react and feel. You can nurture this trait by:

• Thinking about the consequences of actions
• Considering other people's perspectives

Accepting of Ambiguity

Life is full of situations that are not always clear. People with a great deal of potential for success are better able to accept this ambiguity. Rather than being rigid and inflexible, they are ready to adapt when the unexpected comes their way. You can learn to embrace ambiguity by:

• Challenging your perspectives and considering opinions and ideas other than your own
• Not fearing the unfamiliar
• Being willing to change
• Valuing diversity

Capable of Adjustment

In addition to being able to accept ambiguity, success often hinges on the ability to quickly adjust to change. You can nurture this ability to adjust by:

• Reframing difficult situations, to see them as opportunities to learn and grow rather than simply obstacles to live through
• Being open to change; when plans or situations change, step back and look at ways to cope

The world's most successful people often exemplify great courage. They are willing to take risks, even in the face of potential failure. Research suggests that courageous people utilize positive emotions to overcome fear.   You can improve your tolerance of risk by:

• Quelling negative emotions and focusing on more positive feelings
• Balancing risk with common sense; being cautious and pragmatic can also pay off, depending upon the situation

People who are successful tend to be curious about the world around them. They are always eager to learn more, including new knowledge and skills. You can cultivate your sense of curiosity by:

• Relating tasks to your interests: If you find filing boring, for example, look for a more efficient way to categorize the information to play to your strengths as an organizer.
• Learning new things

Competitiveness

Successful people are able to utilize competition to motivate, but avoid falling prey to jealousy. You can nurture a healthy sense of competition by:

• Focusing on your own improvements; rather than worry about being the best at something, pay attention to your progress
• Being happy when others succeed

Some personality traits and types may be better suited for certain jobs than others. However, no specific personality trait can guarantee success, nor can being low in that trait doom someone to failure.

While there are differences in opinion on just how much personality can be altered , nurturing some of these high potential traits might help you develop skills that can serve you well in many different aspects of your life.

Doing things alone can be difficult, but having a strong social support system can make things easier. Different types of social support can be important for success.

• Emotional support can provide the comfort, security, and empathy you need as you face challenges.
• Esteem support can boost your confidence and encourage you to keep going.
• Informational support can provide mentorship, advice, and other necessary resources to reach your goals.
• Tangible support can help you in active and practical ways. This might involve someone helping you perform a task or taking care of the task for you.

Having even one close person in your life that you feel you can go to in any circumstance is more helpful for your relational well-being than having 10 friends who are surface level. It's about quality, not quantity.

Mentors, friends, co-workers, and family members can cheer you on when things get tough and even offer advice and assistance that can help you improve your chances for success.

Burnout can happen when you are exposed to chronic stress . It can seriously impede success and lead to exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced performance.  

Reduced motivation makes it harder to stick to your goals and can make you feel apathetic and uninterested.

Self-care strategies, such as getting enough sleep and engaging in healthy eating, can relieve some stress. But addressing burnout often requires getting to the bottom of the issue that is causing the problem.

Sometimes, this might mean reassessing your goals. If your goals are creating too much stress or if you are trying to achieve too much too fast, it can be a recipe for burnout. Look for ways to reduce stress, whether that involves shifting your goals, changing your plans, or even doing something more significant like moving somewhere else or changing jobs.

Keep in Mind

There is no single measure of success, and certainly no single answer for how to be successful in life. Yet by looking at some of the habits of successful people, you can learn new tactics and strategies to implement in your own daily life. Cultivate and nurture these abilities, and over time you may find that you are better able to reach your goals and achieve the success you want in life.

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Giles B, Goods PSR, Warner DR, et al. Mental toughness and behavioural perseverance: A conceptual replication and extension . J Sci Med Sport . 2018;21(6):640-645. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2017.10.036

Shoda Y, Mischel W, Peake PK. Predicting adolescent cognitive and self-regulatory competencies from preschool delay of gratification: Identifying diagnostic conditions .  Developmental Psychology. 1990;26(6):978-986. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.26.6.978  

Cerasoli CP, Nicklin JM, Ford MT. Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic incentives jointly predict performance: A 40-year meta-analysis . Psychol Bull . 2014;140(4):980-1008. doi:10.1037/a0035661

Pittenger DJ. Cautionary comments regarding the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator .  Consult Psychol J Pract Res. 2005;57(3):210-221. doi:10.1037/1065-9293.57.3.210 

Komarraju M, Karau SJ, Schmeck RR, Avdic A. The big five personality traits, learning styles, and academic achievement . Pers Indiv Differ . 2011;51(4):472-477. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2011.04.019

MacRae I, Furnham A, Reed M. High Potential: How to Spot, Manage, and Develop Talented People at Work . Bloomsbury; 2018.

Eagleson C, Hayes S, Matthews A, Perman G, Hirsch CR. The power of positive thinking: Pathological worry is reduced by thought replacement in generalized anxiety disorder . Behav Res Ther . 2016;78:13-18. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2015.12.017

Maslach C, Leiter MP.  Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry.   World Psychiatry . 2016;15(2):103–111. doi:10.1002/wps.20311

Crum AJ, Salovey P, Achor S. Rethinking stress: The role of mindsets in determining the stress response. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2013;104(4):716-733. doi:10.1037/a0031201

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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Essay on Qualities of a Successful Person

Students are often asked to write an essay on Qualities of a Successful Person in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Qualities of a Successful Person

Introduction.

A successful person is not defined by wealth alone. Success is about achieving personal goals, being happy, and contributing to society. Let’s explore some qualities of a successful person.

Hard work is crucial. Successful people understand that effort is required to achieve goals. They are not afraid of challenges or failures.

Resilience is another key. Success often comes after numerous failures. Successful people learn from their mistakes and keep trying.

Positive Attitude

A positive attitude helps in overcoming obstacles. Successful people are optimistic and believe in their abilities.

250 Words Essay on Qualities of a Successful Person

Success is a subjective term, varying from person to person. However, certain qualities are universally recognized as key indicators of a successful individual. These include resilience, self-awareness, and adaptability among others.

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from failures and setbacks. Successful people are not immune to failures, but they possess the mental fortitude to learn from these experiences and continue forward. They view obstacles not as insurmountable barriers, but as opportunities for growth and learning.

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is another hallmark of success. It involves understanding one’s strengths, weaknesses, emotions, and motivations. Successful people are introspective, continually examining their actions and decisions. This self-awareness allows them to make informed choices, align their actions with their values, and continuously improve themselves.

Adaptability

In a rapidly changing world, adaptability is a crucial trait for success. Successful people are open to new ideas and are able to adjust their strategies and plans to suit changing circumstances. They are not rigid in their thinking or approach, but rather, they embrace change and innovation.

While there are many qualities that can contribute to a person’s success, resilience, self-awareness, and adaptability stand out as particularly important. These qualities enable individuals to navigate the challenges of life, learn from their experiences, and continually adapt to new circumstances. Therefore, cultivating these qualities is a worthwhile endeavor for anyone seeking to achieve success.

500 Words Essay on Qualities of a Successful Person

Self-discipline.

One of the most important qualities of a successful person is self-discipline. It is the ability to control one’s impulses, emotions, desires, and behavior. It is what separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Successful people understand the importance of consistency and persistence in their actions. They do not let immediate gratification distract them from their long-term goals.

Resilience is another critical quality. Success is not always a smooth journey; it is often fraught with failures and setbacks. Successful people are those who can withstand these challenges and bounce back stronger. They view failures not as the end but as stepping stones towards success. They learn from their mistakes and use them to improve and grow.

Curiosity and Continuous Learning

Successful individuals are inherently curious. They have an insatiable desire to learn and grow. They understand that the world is constantly evolving, and to stay ahead, they must continually update their knowledge and skills. They are open to new ideas and perspectives, and they actively seek opportunities for learning and development.

Integrity is a fundamental quality of successful people. They are honest and ethical in their dealings. They believe in fairness and justice. They uphold their values and principles, even when it is difficult or inconvenient. Their actions are guided by a strong moral compass, and they earn respect and trust through their integrity.

Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

In conclusion, success is not merely about wealth or fame. It is about fulfilling one’s potential and making a positive impact. The qualities of self-discipline, resilience, passion, curiosity, integrity, and emotional intelligence are key to achieving this success. They are not innate but can be developed and nurtured over time. As we strive for success, we should endeavor to cultivate these qualities within ourselves.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Essay on Success in Life (1500 Words)

Success is a goal that all of us want to achieve in life. Success comes from hard work and dedication. We must strive to achieve our goals, and then we will find success. The road to success is not always easy, but it is well worth the trip!

What is success?

You can be successful at anything you set your mind to do, but it takes time and effort to get there.

Success isn’t something that happens overnight; it’s a process that requires hard work and dedication over an extended period of time (perhaps years). Achieving success requires perseverance in order for those long-term goals to eventually become reality for us all!

Why success is important?

When you think of success, you probably think of the big things: money, fame, power. But achieving these things is only successful if they make you happy. If they don’t really matter to you—if they’re not what drives and motivates you—then they aren’t worth anything in the long run. What’s more important than achieving your dreams? That’s what defines your life.

Success means something different to each person; it can be as simple as having a roof over your head or as complicated as becoming president of the United States (or anything else). But whatever form it takes for you personally, it’s important because it gives shape to your life.

Success is a journey, not a destination

The most important part of success is the journey itself, not reaching some arbitrary goal or milestone. If you’re in doubt about this idea, think about your own life: how many times have you reached a goal only for it to feel like something just wasn’t quite right? Or perhaps when trying to achieve something big at work or school, but then find yourself stuck in an endless cycle of procrastination? In these cases, what was missing was not necessarily some piece of information or skill set; rather it was perspective—a different way of looking at ourselves and our goals.

Success is not merely a matter of money

This is one of the most important points to remember. Success is not solely about making money, although money is often a by-product of success. There are many other measures of success and they don’t all have to do with money or material goods. For example, having a loving family and close friends are two strong indicators of personal and professional success that don’t necessarily require a high salary or expensive belongings.

Success can be measured in many different ways

There are many ways to measure success. For example, you could measure it by your achievements, such as the amount of money you make or the number of books you’ve sold. You could also measure it according to how your career is going and how much authority you have in your workplace. Or maybe you want to achieve success by increasing the number of people who know about your product or service through marketing efforts.

You can also use a subjective measure of success by considering how happy or satisfied with life you think that person is, no matter what their job title may be. In fact, some researchers argue that this kind of happiness is more important than other factors when determining how successful someone actually is because they believe everyone deserves to live a fulfilled life regardless if they’re rich or poor; having enough money just helps reduce stress levels so we have time for other important things like family relationships!

How to achieve success in life?

It’s not just about money. Success is a combination of many different things that come together, including hard work and luck. No one can guarantee your success in life but there are some things you can do to improve your chances of achieving your goals:

What qualities are required for success in life?

Determination and hard work are two of the most important qualities for success in life. If you want to succeed, you have to be committed to your goals and always push yourself further than you think is possible. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “What lies before us and what lies behind us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

Another important quality for success is patience; if you cannot wait for things then they will never happen because there’s always going to be something that gets in the way of your plans. Someone once said: “Successful people take risks while others take escapes.” This means that successful people don’t give up on their dreams no matter how many obstacles they encounter along the way.

Success and hard work

There is no doubt that hard work is necessary for success. However, it’s not enough.

The reality is that someone can be working their ass off but still not get the results they want; it’s about more than just effort.

Success and failure

Success and failure are two sides of the same coin. The difference between them is often just a matter of perspective. For example, when you run a marathon and cross the finish line, you think of it as a success because you finished; but if you’d fallen down along the way or collapsed at the end, your friends would probably say that you failed to finish because they didn’t see you cross the finish line. In other words, your friends’ perception of your performance is what determines whether or not it was successful for them.

But there’s more than one definition of success to consider too: there’s also personal success versus overall success within society itself (which includes both businesses and individuals). So even though society may view an individual’s goal as unsuccessful because he or she didn’t reach it—for instance—one person might see this as successful because he or she tried hard enough in spite of failing to achieve their goal! And another person might think that individual failed miserably.”

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Essay on Life for Students and Children

500+ words essay on life.

First of all, Life refers to an aspect of existence. This aspect processes acts, evaluates, and evolves through growth. Life is what distinguishes humans from inorganic matter. Some individuals certainly enjoy free will in Life. Others like slaves and prisoners don’t have that privilege. However, Life isn’t just about living independently in society. It is certainly much more than that. Hence, quality of Life carries huge importance. Above all, the ultimate purpose should be to live a meaningful life. A meaningful life is one which allows us to connect with our deeper self.

Why is Life Important?

One important aspect of Life is that it keeps going forward. This means nothing is permanent. Hence, there should be a reason to stay in dejection. A happy occasion will come to pass, just like a sad one. Above all, one must be optimistic no matter how bad things get. This is because nothing will stay forever. Every situation, occasion, and event shall pass. This is certainly a beauty of Life.

Many people become very sad because of failures . However, these people certainly fail to see the bright side. The bright side is that there is a reason for every failure. Therefore, every failure teaches us a valuable lesson. This means every failure builds experience. This experience is what improves the skills and efficiency of humans.

Probably a huge number of individuals complain that Life is a pain. Many people believe that the word pain is a synonym for Life. However, it is pain that makes us stronger. Pain is certainly an excellent way of increasing mental resilience. Above all, pain enriches the mind.

The uncertainty of death is what makes life so precious. No one knows the hour of one’s death. This probably is the most important reason to live life to the fullest. Staying in depression or being a workaholic is an utter wastage of Life. One must certainly enjoy the beautiful blessings of Life before death overtakes.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

How to Improve Quality of Life?

Most noteworthy, optimism is the ultimate way of enriching life. Optimism increases job performance, self-confidence, creativity, and skills. An optimistic person certainly can overcome huge hurdles.

Meditation is another useful way of improving Life quality. Meditation probably allows a person to dwell upon his past. This way one can avoid past mistakes. It also gives peace of mind to an individual. Furthermore, meditation reduces stress and tension.

Pursuing a hobby is a perfect way to bring meaning to life. Without a passion or interest, an individual’s life would probably be dull. Following a hobby certainly brings new energy to life. It provides new hope to live and experience Life.

In conclusion, Life is not something that one should take for granted. It’s certainly a shame to see individuals waste away their lives. We should be very thankful for experiencing our lives. Above all, everyone should try to make their life more meaningful.

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What Is Success                                                       --- by Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To give of one's self; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - This is to have succeeded.

Editorial: The idea that success does not require a college degree gets space on DNC stage

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A curious theme emerged during the first two nights of the Democratic National Convention: emphasis on the need to create well-paid careers for people who don’t obtain a bachelor’s degree.

“College shouldn’t be the only ticket to the middle class,” former President Obama proclaimed Tuesday . “We need to follow the lead of governors like Tim Walz who’ve said that if you’ve got the skills and the drive, you shouldn’t need a degree to work for state government.”

He was referring to an executive order that Walz signed in October 2023, shedding bachelor’s degree requirements for state government jobs that don’t really need one. (In fairness, it was former President Trump who started the ball rolling with a similar executive order for federal jobs in June 2020.)

Editorial: You shouldn’t need a college degree to have a decent life in America

Not everyone wants or needs a four-year degree. Apprenticeships, part-time learning and other workforce development ideas would make the economy fairer.

June 6, 2021

On the first day of the convention, President Biden touted the CHIPS and Science Act, legislation that encourages investment in nanotechnology and clean energy, noting that companies are building massive new chip-making factories that provide well-paid jobs, “ and you don’t need a college degree .”

The idea that not everyone wants or needs a college degree is having a political moment. After years of the “college for everyone” movement, it’s about time.

A July 2024 poll by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation found that most Americans question the value and cost of college. Only 36% said they had high levels of confidence in college, down from 57% in 2015. On average, one U.S. college is closing every week .

Granderson: Here’s one way to bring college costs back in line with reality

Why do universities charge future teachers the same rate as future engineers?

April 30, 2024

College does have value, and on average, college graduates earn significantly more than those with less education. But it’s not for everyone; people have different skills and talents to offer society that sometimes aren’t a good fit for the expectations of a classroom.

More than 30% of four-year college students don’t complete a degree within six years, which usually means they leave without a bachelor’s, having spent time and money with nothing to show for it. And more than 40% of bachelor’s holders are underemployed in jobs that didn’t really need a degree.

Convention speeches, of course, are long on pep and short on details. Now that Democrats have outlined this as a priority, it is time to start talking about the specifics of how the nation will get there. There are a few clear paths worth considering.

Commentary: California needs to break down walls between CSU and community colleges

A bill to allow nursing bachelor’s degrees at two-year schools reminds why California’s public higher education system needs to be more flexible to help students succeed.

July 22, 2024

White-collar apprenticeships: The United States needs to pay more than lip service to the apprentice route for well-paid, white-collar jobs. To do this, it need look no further than Switzerland , where the bulk of students spend their last two years of high school attending classes part time, and training in paid, part-time apprenticeships in fields that generally require bachelor’s degrees here.

Think bank executives, hotel resort managers, human resources and marketing personnel, financial analysts and middle managers. They might need a year of additional training afterward, but then they enter well-paid careers, with no debt and money in the bank.

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The number of STEM majors has surged in recent years — yet these graduates don’t work in STEM occupations. Employers and investors are to blame.

Jan. 9, 2024

A program modeled on Switzerland ’s has been started by a philanthropist in Denver, but it’s a small program and even with significant growth its reach is limited. In addition, the Chicago Apprentice Network, a consortium of corporations, has become an apprenticeship program for community college students.

These types of apprenticeship programs involve broad public-private partnerships that require structure, funding and a push from the U.S. Department of Education.

More help for community colleges and their students: Just because a bachelor’s degree isn’t required doesn’t mean that many students are ready for the job world after high school. Community colleges play the biggest role in preparing students for well-paid employment through both associate’s programs and short-term certificates that allow them to enter fields as diverse as video game design, avionics and shoeing horses. Close to 30% of people with a two-year associate’s degree earn more than the average bachelor’s holder.

These colleges deliver education at a low cost to students and taxpayers; they need more funding to give students the courses and financial help to learn skills for their chosen careers without having to work full time while they try to succeed in their classes.

Better training for school counselors: School counselors have been under intense pressure for the past 30 years to send more students to four-year colleges. As a result, most counselors don’t know enough about other paths for students who aren’t college-bound, beyond skilled trades and the military.

Both can be good options, but there are many more — entrepreneurialism, creative careers, service work, healthcare, travel and outdoors occupations are just some of them. They seldom know employers open to hiring people without a college degree, even though far more employers fall into that category.

All of these programs will cost taxpayers money, but it’s worth it. The funding will be returned several times over in the form of fewer student loan defaults and a more financially stable generation of young employees who don’t feel like failures because four years of coursework after high school wasn’t for them.

More to Read

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April 8, 2024

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Feb. 23, 2024

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'Big wave:' College tennis has become a legitimate path to the pro level

NEW YORK — John Isner, who is retiring after the US Open, carried the banner for American tennis in the 2010s and became a familiar presence worldwide thanks to his massive serve and leading role in the longest match ever played. 

But when he first became a professional, Isner was a bit of an anomaly: A player coming out of college tennis and having success fairly quickly on the ATP Tour.

"There weren't many expectations for me,” Isner said. 

That wasn’t just because of how he played but where he came from, spending four years at the University of Georgia. 

Though American legends like Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe all spent at least one year in college before turning pro, that tradition kind of died in the 1980s. Once the professional money got big, the top prospects whether American or international wanted to turn pro and get out on tour as quickly as possible. 

“It was a long, uphill fight to really gain some recognition,” said Manny Diaz, who recruited Isner to Georgia and won a national championship with him in 2007. 

But these days, players taking an Isner-like path aren’t so rare. In fact, when the US Open began on Monday, the men’s singles draw included a fairly remarkable 20 college tennis alums along with seven in the women's singles draw representing a variety of countries and conferences. 

One of them, Ben Shelton, left Florida after winning the NCAA singles championship last year and made an immediate impact on tour, reaching the Australian Open quarterfinal in January and reaching as high as No. 35 in the world rankings. 

By contrast, it took Chris Eubanks nearly six years after leaving Georgia Tech to make his big breakthrough at Wimbledon this year.

Either way, their success — along with many others currently in the top-50 — has breathed some new life into college tennis as a legitimate route for development into the pros. 

“I think it’s thriving right now,” said David Roditi, the head coach at TCU. “There’s a lot of people paying attention closely. In the U.S., we’ve always kind of known. I think the difference now is internationally, they’re starting to notice. The world is paying attention.” 

At TCU, Roditi coached Cameron Norrie, a player who showed great ability as a junior but was showing from his early results against pros that he wasn’t ready physically or emotionally to compete with the best in the world. 

US OPEN: Gauff comes back to win after arguing that her foe was too slow

For most players in that situation who simply want to go pro, accumulating enough ranking points to make a real go at a tennis career can be a daunting proposition. Either you need to rely on getting wildcards into tournaments, and then take advantage of those opportunities, or grind it out in low-level events all over the world and collect enough points and paychecks to climb the ladder. 

“That level of going from not being ranked to 400 or 500 in the world is very expensive,” Roditi said.

So Norrie came to TCU and developed into an All-American, which carried with it some opportunities to play and test himself in Challenger-level pro events while in school. By the time Norrie left school in 2017, he was already in the top-250 and on a path to sustainable success. Last year, Norrie reached the top-10 and made the Wimbledon semifinals.

Coach Cedric Kauffmann, who led Kentucky to an NCAA runner-up finish in 2022, estimated that a player turning pro out of high school would probably need to budget for $70,000 in travel expenses and maybe another $100,000 if they are taking a private coach out on tour with them for a year. 

For some high-level juniors that seem like surefire pros that’s doable because of either family backing or sponsorship money or advances from an agent. But when you start putting pen to paper for players that aren’t guaranteed to shoot right up into the top-100, an American college program that takes care of all expenses starts to look pretty appealing. 

“Sometimes in comes in waves in our sport, but in the last few years its been a big wave,” Kauffmann said. “I think it has put us at least in a better position on the recruiting trail to recruit some of the best in the world for us to be attractive enough for them to listen. Sometimes we go recruiting and want to tell them about college, but they don’t quite understand it or don’t want to talk about it.”

Kauffmann, who is French, came to Kentucky as a player and made the All-American team three times, eventually reaching a high ranking of No. 170 as a pro. As a coach, Kentucky is one of the country’s most prominent programs with a bevy of All-American players and NCAA Tournament bids. 

But when Kauffman goes recruiting in his native country, one of the biggest things that helps him get recognition is a player he didn't even coach: Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, who went to Texas A&M before turning pro and is currently No. 73 in the world. 

“I think the key to the professional circuit, it doesn’t matter if its college or coming out of high school, the key is the timing,” Kauffman said. “Are you physically ready, mentally ready, tennis-wise ready? All the people that have been successful from college into the pros or high school to the pros have had this push into the top 300 or to 250 pretty fast. If you go up to 600 or 800 and stay there for a year or two, you're usually in trouble.”

That reality is why college tennis got great news in January of this year when a groundbreaking partnership between the ATP and Intercollegiate Tennis Association launched an accelerator program where the top-20 players in the college singles rankings in June get as many as eight spots in some Challenger-level tournaments to give them a head start. 

One player who recently took advantage of that was Ethan Quinn, who won an NCAA singles title at Georgia earlier this year, turned pro and has been building a résumé, including the opportunity to play ATP-level events in Newport and Atlanta. 

“Everyone’s on their own timeline,” said Quinn, who is now No. 475 and lost Monday in the first round of the US Open. "If put pressure on me to get to the top level as quick as I can, I won’t be doing the things correctly I need to do. I’m 19 playing against grown men. I need a little bit of time to get stronger so as long as i'm recognizing my timeline might be different than someone else’s I’ll be able to perform at my highest level.” 

Though plenty of former college players have had success in doubles, including the two-time defending US Open champions Rajeev Ram (Illinois) and Joe Salisbury (Memphis), Shelton is poised to be the new face of college tennis success for the next decade. 

The son of former ATP tour player Bryan Shelton, who coached him at Florida, Ben Shelton was undecided last summer whether to turn pro or return for a third year of college. Some good Challenger results, followed by knocking off French and US Open finalist Casper Ruud in Cincinnati, showed he was ready to go up against the best in the world. 

It also showed what's possible as coaches try to expand the reach of college tennis.  

“Not everybody is going to reach top 45 in one summer like Ben did,” Diaz said. “But it certainly raises the bar and opens the eyes of these kids that he didn’t miss much going to college for a year and a half. We have the resources, we have the opportunities and the exposure to top level tennis that can continue on the path you’re seeking.”

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Kamala’s secret sauce: Working in fast food sets you up for success

Shona hendley, save articles for later.

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McPresident Kamala Harris? While I’m personally lovin’ the sound of that – despite Harris holding a part-time position at McDonald’s during college – I’m sure she’d prefer the title without the prefix.

If Harris gets the votes this November, she will become the first US president who has worked behind the McDonald’s counter, but she is far from the only successful person to do so. Pink, Pharrell Williams, Shania Twain and Jay Leno have also worn a fast-food uniform before making it big.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is another, often publicly reflecting on his first job flipping burgers. “You learn a lot as a teenager working at McDonald’s. It’s different from what you learn in school. Don’t underestimate the value of that,” he said in an interview with Wired .

This value, which I like to call the “secret sauce” of working in fast food, has served me well too.

Harris could become the first US president who has worked at McDonald’s. Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images

As someone who donned my red, Colonel Sanders embroidered polo shirt, black slacks and matching cap to work behind the register of my local KFC for over five years through high school and into university, there’s no doubt that the skills I learnt, many mistakes I made and encounters I had – like those with “extra salt Sally”, a slightly aggressive regular who always demanded blood pressure rising levels of salt – set me up for my future working life.

As the fast food industry’s name suggests, it’s fast-paced and can be intense, especially for teenagers and younger people who, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, make up a significant portion of fast-food employees.

Yes, this can be challenging – impatient customers lining up all the way to the door is never a walk in the park – but it is also formative and greatly beneficial. I may not have Harris’ level of professional responsibility, but like her, I do (usually) remain calm under pressure. If you’re looking for someone who can salt chips while listening to a grown adult melt down over how long they’ve waited for a piece of chicken, you know, just the multitasker to call.

In addition to the fast-food industry’s inherent nature, HR and people strategist Sophie Firmanger says that many foundational skills, like teamwork and time management, lay the groundwork for success in virtually any career.

“Time management is a universal skill, essential for balancing responsibilities in your professional life and teamwork is the backbone of any successful organisation, and problem-solving is critical in leadership roles,” says Firmanger.

Skills like problem-solving and resilience can also be used outside of work, says clinical psychologist and author Dr Rebecca Ray.

“The ability to think on your feet and make quick decisions becomes a real asset when tackling everyday challenges, whether at home or in your personal life and facing demanding customers or hectic shifts builds emotional resilience, which helps in managing stress in other parts of life.”

And that is something I can vouch for. Many of the lessons I learnt working in fast food have proven surprisingly beneficial.

Every job has its shortcomings

No matter how good it sounds, the reality is, whether you’re president, pop star or a parent, there will be downsides to your job.

In my gig, this often involved cleaning the male toilet. This, along with the regular burns inflicted at the corn cob station, taught me very early on in my working life that there will always be tasks that you won’t enjoy doing and, in some cases, may literally scar you for life.

It also taught me that, unfortunately, you must still do them. (Or, in the case of cleaning the toilet, teach your kids how to do it.)

Working in the fast-food industry leaves you with an unexpected set of skills. Credit: iStock

People can be very difficult

The first rule of any customer service job is that the customer is always right. However, as anyone who has ever worked in customer service knows, this isn’t always the case. One former customer was adamant that our cook altered the Colonel’s Secret Herbs and Spices recipe just to annoy her after she complained about a batch of the chicken the week before.

Learning how to manage difficult people professionally and navigating conflict is one of the greatest skills that that job has ever taught me. Because no matter where you work, you will have to deal with tricky, sometimes unpleasant situations (and people) and need to resolve them without completely losing it.

You will work with all sorts of people

While I predominantly worked alongside other students, the team also included members from various age brackets and different cultural, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Away from the neon bucket of the restaurant, this group never would have mixed. Starting my career, understanding that teamwork is only possible if you embrace the differences of everyone in the team has made me a much more understanding person to work with.

Unexpected skills can become useful

And then there are the skills you never imagined you would use again after you’ve hung up your branded visor.

As I was learning the “first in, first out” system of food storage or how to make a Twister wrap that won’t fall apart, I assumed these skills would be useless outside the fast-food industry.

But fast-forward 20 years, and as I pack school lunches and pack my groceries away (old vegies at the top, new underneath) I realise these skills couldn’t be more valuable. You never know what skill you’re going to need when, only that you come away from these jobs knowing a lot more than when you started.

While it appears Harris has taken many similar learnings with her throughout her career – from McDonald’s to politics – I wonder whether the same could be said of Donald Trump.

As Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz, said: “Can you simply picture Donald Trump working at a McDonald’s, trying to make a McFlurry or something? He couldn’t run that damn McFlurry machine if it cost him anything.”

Now that’s fast food for thought.

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‘Shoot Me Up With a Big One’: The Pain of Matthew Perry’s Last Days

Court papers show that Mr. Perry, the “Friends” star who had long struggled with addiction, was increasingly taking ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, in the days before he died.

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By Julia Jacobs and Matt Stevens

On the day Matthew Perry died , his live-in personal assistant gave him his first ketamine shot of the morning at around 8:30 a.m. About four hours later, while Mr. Perry watched a movie at his home in Los Angeles, the assistant gave him another injection.

It was only about 40 minutes later that Mr. Perry wanted another shot, the assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, recalled in a plea agreement that he signed.

“Shoot me up with a big one,” Mr. Perry told Mr. Iwamasa, according to the agreement, and asked him to prepare his hot tub.

So Mr. Iwamasa filled a syringe with ketamine, gave his boss a third shot and left the house to run some errands, according to court papers. When he returned, he found Mr. Perry face down in the water, dead.

Mr. Iwamasa was one of five people who the authorities in California said this week had been charged with a conspiracy to distribute ketamine , a powerful anesthetic, to Mr. Perry. The defendants also included two doctors, a woman accused of being a dealer and an acquaintance who pleaded guilty to acting as a middleman.

Mr. Perry, a beloved figure who rose to fame playing Chandler Bing on the sitcom “Friends,” had long struggled with addiction. Court papers filed in the case shed light on the desperate weeks leading up to Mr. Perry’s death on Oct. 28 at the age of 54.

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• Featured News

A group blog by Secondlife in General

News from the Second Life Team -- Summer 2024 Edition

• second life news
• summer 2024
• server improvements
• scripting changes
• viewer updates

Entry posted by Linden Lab in News Friday at 06:00 PM

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This Summer has had some highs and lows. SL21B was a great success – the exhibitions, the events & performances, the town halls and the beta launch of Second Life mobile app – we enjoyed celebrating with all of you! But the rollout of PBR has been rocky and we know that it’s caused a lot of frustration. If you are having issues such as lag or texture loading with the latest release, please see this blog post for details on what happened and what you can do for better performance.

Now let’s catch you all up on recent product developments! Continue reading for mobile updates, server changes, news for creators and Viewer releases.

📱 Mobile Update

Our Second Life mobile app – in Beta for Premium and Premium Plus users since SL21B - received a bunch of updates last week including the following bug fixes + improvements:

• Fixes to the client against bad extended material data
• Reduced sensitivity of v-stick resulting in improved control of avatar movement
• Support for new voice chat functions 
• Lighting falloff calculation is improved 
• Groups: Fix so Groups identifies correct members
• New Memory Allocators: iOS and Android: We'll now use the OS memory reports to hint our memory allocations in real-time, allowing us to load a bit more content before we run out of RAM.
• Fixes resizing the app on Android folding devices (e.g. Samsung Z-Fold)
• Prevents several issues relating to executing UI operations on the wrong thread
• Water no longer appears in weird places after you teleport
• More fixes for BOM-using avatars where textures would not load

And UI Changes:

• Wear or remove a group tag
• UI to show (or hide) group titles
• Fix to not include self in nearby count
• L$ balance (in developer settings)
• Modal dialog updates
• Simplified loading animation for Destination Guide

Please give WebRTC Voice on mobile a try! Enable via menu > Settings > Developer tools > Voice 

and visit one of the following WebRTC Voice regions:

• WebRTC Voice 1
• WebRTC Voice 2
• WebRTC Voice 3  
• WebRTC Voice 4  

And never miss a message from friends (or non-friends!) while offline when you enable Notifications!

🌐 Server Changes

Some important fixes and features have made their way across the grid in the last several months. 

We fixed the hovering-on-login issue. Your floating avatar landed as soon as you moved, but we’re still very happy that this fix landed! 

We also shipped support for 2k textures which allows artists to add much more detail to their creations. 

We made several under the hood changes to support upcoming Lua scripting and fixed a bug with region restart scheduling. 

And this week, the grid also welcomed a bunch of changes in support of Combat 2.0 – read more below – and we shipped support for gamepad input to LSL scripts .

Lua Scripting

We are working on Lua scripting for compatibility with LSL, there is a lot to be said here, so perhaps it's better to link you directly to the Lua FAQ.

• FAQ https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Lua_FAQ  

🪀 Creator news

💣 combat 2.0.

Combat 2.0 is here with the Tuesday 8/20/2024 update to Second Life Server

• Damage adjustment for armor and healing. 
• Damage types, allow for vulnerabilities and resistances. 
• System supported combat logs for leader board support.
• Region settings allow control of death teleports and damage throttles. 
• More in depth information in the wiki https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Category:LSL_Combat2
• Find cool combat destinations in our new Combat category in the Destination Guide

Coming soon:

🗺️ atlasaurus.

In addition to several performance fixes for Macs, VRAM budgeting and improved memory handling for all, Atlasaurus includes support for taking large groups of items back into inventory as individual objects, instead of a coalesced bundle of items, leaving you wondering if your favorite chair is really in there with the rest of your living room set. There is also a new Max Nearby Lights slider in Advanced Graphics Settings, for when things seem too bright. Plus a sneak peek at GLTF model imports which allows you a local, preview-only version, of what an imported model will look like. Plus all of WebRTC merged in! More below.

🗣️ WebRTC Voice Viewer

We are very excited at this opportunity to update the voice experience for all Second Life residents! In fact it's worthy of its own blog post . 

🧰 Maintenance Viewers

DeltaFPS will be the next Release Candidate (RC) which will contain many more performance improvements focusing on bringing frame rates up to and if not better than, where they were before. With the move to GitHub we are also trying a new development method called GitFlow. This will mean fewer parallel Release Candidates (RCs) and more frequent, smaller feature releases with only one active RC at a time. For this reason both Maintenance B and C, which were published and had several thousand user hours each, were closed and merged into the develop branch. All those users were offered an upgrade to Atlasaurus already.

Default Viewer

Materials featurettes.

This viewer was promoted to default release in June and contains support for Mirrors, PBR Terrain and 2k textures. We are excited about supporting these features and improving the visual quality of content in Second Life. Now it's time to focus on those performance issues though.

Follow our Featured News Blog and connect with us on Social Media for future Second Life News!

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