What Does It Really Mean To Be Successful?

Being the young curious individuals that I am, I have started to think a lot about the meaning behind simple words. Now I already know what your thinking, why do teenagers find themselves over complicating EVERY SINGLE IDEA they hear? I mean it is just words after all. To tell you the truth, I have no clue… Anyways as a teen, the idea of growing up and reaching success has been an idea instilled into my childhood (coming from Indian parents) from the day I was born. Now that I have finally realized that I should probably start doing something about it, I started the think: what does success even mean? Honestly, who created this word and how do I know when I can call myself successful? Sure we all have a general idea of what success is, but I decided to understand this concept on a deeper level. So… I wrote an essay. Yes, I realize there was no need for this much thought, but I soon understood that the first step to reaching success is understanding what the definition truly means. Here, I present to you my essay/letter to my future self, where I decided to take some of the most relevant examples in society today and connect them to the concept of success. I hope this can serve you some inspiration in making goals and changing the meaning of success in your own life.

Dear Future Sarah,

Beginning from desperation for a home, to becoming host of several talk shows, Steve Harvey has uncovered an answer to one of the most controversial, complex concepts that cross the minds of Americans in society today: success. While many individuals perceive his success based upon his net worth of 200 million dollars, Harvey takes on a different approach to this simple word. Acknowledging his past adverse experiences, Harvey aims to educate his audience on the deception money and materials have on Americans’ interpretation of being prosperous, and focuses on describing his personal journey growing away from societal restraints and gaining the ability to now help others around him. This is the interpretation of true success. Although American society puts a strong emphasis on attaining material wealth, focus on being liberated from society’s limitations and acquiring the ability to create social progress plays a crucial role in defining success in America.

Evaluating this perception on the surface level, American’s definition of success pertains to holding a large sum of money and materialistic wealth. Physical items that are directly bought from money, such as luxury brands and high end items, have become expected when acknowledging those who are accomplished. This relation is presented by Stephen Crane, author of “Self Made Man”, as he depicts the story of a poor man named Tom and his experience with social mobility. Tom is described to be walking down the street with so much confidence that he resembles a wealthy man, although he has just borrowed money from his landlady and filled his shoes with playing cards to act as a temporary sole. Tom encounters an old man, and through conversation and deception, he serves as a lawyer to win a case against the old man’s son. The resulting reward for Tom is new property, which leaves him as a wealthy man that has finally reached success. This story confirms the author’s money oriented notion that success and fame for Tom is only acquired because of his sudden rise to wealth from the property. Crane keenly continues to regard the man as one that has reached such a high success, that he no longer eats low quality food and even owns valuable possessions. The key takeaway for readers from this ending is to interpret the idea that in order to progress their life and become accomplished, it is necessary to make money and buy expensive items. Even in my own life now, peers place emphasis on the brands of phones, clothing, and other items that students own. Living in a very well off area, my possessions play a large role in society’s determination of how well I fit in the common high socioeconomic status. The association of success with money is continuously present among notable businessmen and celebrities in society today. Noteworthy individuals, such as social influencer Austin Mcbroom, are consistently recognized for their great sum of money. After creating a well performing platform on social media, Mcbroom is well distinguished for owning multiple cars, including Lamborghinis and Mercedes, along with wearing distinct and expensive clothing from brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Millions of individuals follow his day to day life aspiring to learn about his success in becoming a multimillionaire. His major following implies that Americans find valuable items as a marker of success, since Mcbroom’s content lies solely on his growing wealth oriented possessions. Americans’ attachment to individuals like Mcbroom, brings forth another intriguing question: is there such a thing as a poor prominent figure? While we idolize many individuals for their different talents and creations, they all appear to have one commonality in their success, which is money. Many celebrities are loved for their personality and characteristics, however, these same traits from those of lower income are demeaned and become much less significant. Society tends to focus so much on money, that they cannot look past an impoverished person’s income to see the talent and skills that lie within the individual. Without money, even the most intelligent people are essentially ignored and do not have the opportunity to become a figure that many look up to. This once again verifies society’s emphasis on the correlation between money and success.

On a deeper level, success isn’t defined by the money itself, rather it is defined by the values of freedom brought through money. Many Americans fail to recognize that success truly isn’t dependent on the physical dollar bills and materialistic riches as society claims, because success is defined by the self-sufficiency it provides. Paul Tough, author of The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes Or Breaks Us, elaborates his take on this idea and his strong belief that there is inequality present among students to receive a quality education. Within this book, Tough talks about the ugly truth of college admissions and how this process undermines efforts to make higher education more accessible to students of lower income, such as at Princeton where “poor students are…an endangered species” (19). Referencing those of lower class as endangered portrays the lack of privilege many students have to attend distinguished universities, therefore proving the limited levels of freedom available to them. In contrast to those who are inhibited to freedom, families that are wealthy enough to afford any education that their children desire model a true definition of being successful. Coming from a family in the middle class, I have recognized the great privilege access to quality high school education and proper living conditions can bring. The ability to get time to study, ask for help, and connect with friends would not be possible without the success of freedom gained from my parents. Yet being a part of the middle class has various disadvantages as certain opportunities are still limited. For as long as I can remember, my dad has cherished his ability to study at MIT, while he balanced life taking care of his family. On our wall hangs the shiny, boxed figure displaying his completed masters degree with prestige, which I have grown up acknowledging more and more. But as I move on to start thinking about where my future lies, I have learned how difficult attending such universities are, not only because of competition, but also because of the great financial costs. With such high expenses, many high education institutions are unattainable for me to attend, causing adjustments to my decisions to meet more affordable universities. The middle class level of success provides only a certain pool of accessibility in college decisions, proving that the definition of one’s success is dependent on their amount of freedom to choose.

Other from values gained through money, success can be defined as one’s ability to create progress among society. Various movements and changes arose from individuals who acquired the desire to change systems of inequality in America. One prime example of beneficial influence to others is the life of Steve Harvey. Starting his adulthood under fifty dollars per week and drifting apart from his parents, Harvey understood the risky chance he was taking, but sought out the journey to follow his passion and become a comedian. This difficult decision and various financial struggles ultimately led to his multimillionaire life, as he is now popularly known for his shows including Little Big Shots, Family Feud, and Showtime at the Apollo. Averaging around 1.8 millions views per week, Steve Harvey has not only reached the ability to give money to better the lives of families, but also, he now serves as a motivational speaker and constantly encourages his viewers to work hard to reach their goals. His influence on such a large number of people allows Harvey to bring forth greater optimism for others, giving him the success of developing social change. Individuals who created very similar impacts to Harvey include those who started and led mass movements throughout society. Martin Luther King Jr. is a great example of an individual who is perceived as a very influential, successful person because of the major impact his rebellion to social norms had on creating equality in society. On August 28 1963, MLK delivered one of his most famous speeches, “I Have a Dream”, calling for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. Standing in front of around 250, 000 people, MLK was to deliver a speech that he knew would put himself at danger and risk his reputation, but did so in an attempt to close the racial inequality gap. While this risk was condemned by the many white supremacists during this time period, MLK knew his speech would play an essential role in society reaching his visions of success, which was racial equality. To this day, his speech continues to resonate with individuals all over the nation, as MLK has completely revolutionized the perspectives of people on race and started a mass movement of rebellious voices crying for change, even taking place now through the Black Lives Matter movement. I strongly consider this progression in society to be the definition of success because of the positive influence it made in American values of equality. Without his accomplishment, there would still be strong discrimination present among diverse backgrounds, leaving the nation at a loss of civil rights.

Overall, the definition of success is dependent on the values of freedom gained from money and the ability to create social progress rather than physical cash. Growing older means recognizing a $300 dollar watch and a $30 watch tell the same time. A Micheal Kors wallet and Target wallet hold the same money. It is important to realize that becoming successful is about something more than being rich, instead it is about serving a purpose, and achieving goals you never thought were possible. As I try to figure out the world around me in my teenage years, personal growth becomes essential to live a rewarding life. As you get older and get caught up in life surrounding you, just remember that all it takes is one speech, one confident walk, or one more day of hard work to reach the true definition of American success.

Best of luck,

Sarah from 2021 ;)

I realize that was long, so thanks for sticking along :) I believe one of the biggest roles any definition of success has in someones life rests upon their decision to stay motivated, make personal life choices, and help those around them. Reading this article mean you too are interested in reaching success. If you want to travel, work hard to find the money. If you want to become healthier, start working out (actually do it). Just remember that success is overall about becoming happier and self satisfied, so if you put in the effort and remain motivated, I am proud to present you on the road to success.