Success Beyond Wealth

What is success? Is it the state when a person has amassed so much wealth that they could build a palace out of pure hard cash? Is it the state of happiness and satisfaction with one's own life? The answer is never truly the same for everyone. We all align our own perspective meaning to success, be it genuine or material. Although, most would probably define success as the state of being filthy rich with a social standing.

Success is defined differently by everyone. Some people chase wealth and status, while others value personal fulfilment, strong bonds and relationships, or making a difference in the community. In the end, the concept of success ties down to one thing: the tendency of humans to assign value to aspects of their life. It is a means for us as humans to give meaning to our lives. Success itself is and has always been subjective. Thus, the reason why it differs is it all depends on individual perspective and goals.

A multimillionaire who worked day and night sacrificing their entire life could feel they've become successful and that they've achieved much in life. But it may not seem so in another person's eyes, simply because their definition of success is different and they have different views. The other person, who'd most likely value family and personal relationships more, would see material things like wealth and social status as secondary. But it never disregards the fact that both scenarios are forms of success. It is important to be successful in your life, not others'. So, why is it that we always link a person's success to their income, their bank account, their social status and their profession?

We've been fed a predetermined meaning of success from childhood itself. Success has always been associated with artificial values that everybody must follow, or else you'll be deemed as someone who failed in life. From what you hear from elders to what you read in books, success has always been tied to wealth and fame. The common phrase "Study hard and be rich and successful" lingers in everybody's mouth. Unknowingly it has shaped our mindset to collectively think that only by being able to show your achievements through wealth can it be called success. It's left a huge impact that has made society as a whole tie the words "success" and "rich" together as one.

This criteria of 'success' that determines whether a person is successful or not restricts a person's peculiarity and individualism. It completely dismisses an individual's attributes that define who they are as a person. It overlooks the fact that each person is unique in their own way with their own aspirations, dreams, talents, skills and character. We can't expect everybody to comply with a single definition of 'succeeding in life', nor is it right to think of them as failures simply because they're different from what is normative. Each individual has their own path, and recognising what path should be taken navigates and directs them towards their own success. 

At the end of the day, even historical figures like Vincent Van Gogh and Albert Einstein were considered to be failures. The point here is that society can never force someone to 'fit in' and determine their success simply through their career or life. Keeping in mind the fact that there are billions of other people, each with their own goals and dreams in life, it should be impossible to expect everybody to fit into the perfect little criteria of 'success'. Whether a person is rich, poor, experienced or inexperienced, they have their own agenda in life that doesn't necessarily apply to others.

So, the term "success" is defined in different ways since it is the individuals who assign value to success, not the other way around. Rather than expecting individuals to mould themselves into who they're not, we should encourage them to live their lives as their hearts desire. Ultimately the one universal thing success is definitely related with is happiness and self-fulfilment in one's life regardless of external factors that contribute to it.

St Mary's Secondary School, Grade: XII