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What is Success? How do you feel successful? These are questions I’m sure you have heard or asked yourself in the past. But what does it mean to actually be successful? I used to think that success was having large amounts of money and influence in the world but now, I think success is more abstract. I believe that if you feel successful or happy where you are in life or your career, you’re successful.
My views on success changed gradually over time as I accomplished small goals I set for myself such as paying for my first car without help or living on my own without anyone needing to help me pay rent or bills. The more small goals that I achieved, the happier I was so I started setting bigger goals. The closer I get to achieving the goals, the more successful I felt, even if I didn’t have a lot of money or any influence at all.
Since then, I have had several successes in my life and though I am not where I expected to be right now, I still consider myself successful. My success is being who I am today. Growing up, I was a very stubborn, naïve boy who made a lot of mistakes and failed to achieve many of my set goals in the time I expected to. But I have used my mistakes, failures, and shortcomings to adapt my goals and make every effort to achieve them, no matter the obstacle.
Success is not just reaching the goal, it’s the ability to adapt and maintain a forward motion toward reaching it as well. One of my closest friends told me that success requires a goal and the everyday journey toward it. If that journey is continued by adapting to the needs of the day to make it achievable, success is being accomplished.
You may have a series of goals or maybe just one big one that you are working towards. As long as you continue on your path and do not measure your success based on those around you, you have the ability to feel successful. Just knowing where you are in your path, and what you can do each day to work toward it, can be everything you need.
I am on the edge of 30, taking care of my dad to ensure he can maintain his lifestyle despite his illness. Ten years ago, I would not have expected to be here. I had goals set to have graduated college, be in a great career with a family of my own. Though I tried working toward those goals, I came across obstacles that kept them out of my grasp so far. But I continue to adapt each day to reach those goals, so I remain successful.
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