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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.

Guido Mieth / Getty Images

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.

Dweck CS, Yeager DS. Mindsets: A view from two eras . Perspect Psychol Sci. 2019;14(3):481-496. doi:10.1177/1745691618804166

Urquijo I, Extremera N, Azanza G. The contribution of emotional intelligence to career success: Beyond personality traits . Int J Environ Res Public Health . 2019;16(23). doi:10.3390/ijerph16234809

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

McLain DL, Kefallonitis E, Armani K. Ambiguity tolerance in organizations: Definitional clarification and perspectives on future research . Front Psychol . 2015;6:344. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00344

Mussel P. Introducing the construct curiosity for predicting job performance . J Organ Behav . 2012;34(4):453-472. doi:10.1002/job.1809  

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

Essay on How to be Successful in Life

Every person in this world wants to attain something in life. It might be that somebody wants to become a dancer, singer, environmentalist, banker, etc. The choices vary according to the individual. It is easy to dream and imagine being successful in our life but the journey of this victory is really a challenging one. There are many successful people in the world but every one of them has infinite effort and dedication in becoming successful.

Short and Long Essay on How to be Successful in Life in English

The most important question that arises in our minds is how we can be successful in our life. This is a commonly asked topic in exams for writing an essay on it. Many students find it difficult in writing essays on this topic. In the same reference, I have provided essays on this topic. I think it might benefit the students in getting an idea about writing an essay, project, or assignment on this topic.

10 Lines Essay on How to be Successful in Life (100 – 120 Words)

1) Success is something everyone strives for to get a good life.

2) Hard work will help you to achieve success in life.

3) Confidence is another factor that will help you to be successful.

4) To be successful in life, you should not fear failure.

5) Determination and dedication are required to be successful.

6) You will achieve success if you don’t lose sight of your goal.

7) Keep trying and never quit to reach success.

8) You will be successful in life if you believe in yourself.

9) Continuous practice and patience will help you to become successful.

10) Motivation is required at every step to reach the peak of success.

How to be Successful Essay – 250 Words

Introduction

We all have some goals in our life. Success is the ultimate thing that we require in any work that we do in our life. This can be achieved only with hard work and determination. Success gives us immense pleasure and satisfaction in our life.

Success requires sacrifice

We all want to be successful in any work that we do in our life. Success gives great pleasure and contentment to us. The process of being successful is not as easy as it is to say. It requires great sacrifice and hard work. We need to reduce our comforts and work with greater determination to attain success in our life. The most important thing that we need to inculcate in our lives is time management that helps us in doing our work on time. It is always said in order to gain something in life we have to lose something. The desire for success becomes more interesting when it starts giving challenges to us. Later when we become successful we feel that the struggle that we have done earlier is now fruitful. Being successful is one of the most beautiful experiences of life.

Failures should never be treated as hindrances in the path of success

We all make effort to be successful in accomplishing our goals in life. This makes us happy and provides encouragement to move forward in our life. Many times it happens that people face failure in their first step of success. It does not mean that we should stop doing efforts and become hopeless. The act of being hopeless and depressed takes us far away from success. Failure always states that there is a mistake in our effort and therefore we must learn from our failure instead of making it a hindrance in the path of success.

Success requires patience as it is not attained in a short period of time. We must believe in doing an effort and results will surely be fruitful.

How to be Successful Person – Long Essay (1100 Words)

We all are attracted by people achieving success in different fields. Many of the successful people are also the role models for many people and students in the society. The act of being successful is not as easy as it is in saying or seeing others. It is only we who can make our way towards becoming successful in our life.

What is Meant by Success?

Success is something that is can be achieved by making the best use of our abilities and the resources that we have. Success isn’t very easy as spelled but requires greater patience. It totally depends upon us that how we want to shape of life and carrier. Every person in this world has a different opinion regarding the word success in his/her life. It is the real satisfaction and happiness that one gets after achieving the goal of life. Success brings happiness to our lives and motivates us to do our best. We all dream of becoming successful in life, but success is only achieved by people who are really concerned about it.

Few Ways of becoming Successful in Life

We all are born with some purpose in our life. It is because life without a significant goal is meaningless. We all understand ourselves and our abilities in a better way than anyone else. The utilization of our own ability in getting our goals accomplished makes us successful in our life. Here are some tips that can help you in becoming successful in your life.

Recognize your passion or goal – Everybody in this world is born with a unique talent. It is most essential for you to recognize your passion. Passion in doing any work gives you inner happiness and satisfaction. If you identify your passion and work accordingly the path of your success becomes clear. For example, if you have a talent for dancing and want to make it your carrier then you need to focus on polishing your dancing skill. This can only make you a successful dancer in your life. In other words, it can be said that it is essential to recognize the goal of your life and work upon it till it makes you shine.

Have the courage to accept failure – There are many challenges in the way of success. The people who are really serious about their passion or dreams make their way by facing challenges. It may happen that you might face failure in life while proceeding towards being successful. You must not lose hope but try to find out your mistakes that had been behind getting failure. According to our former President Dr. Abdul Kalam, the word FAIL means First Attempt in Learning. Failure is always accompanied by success. It makes you realize and learn from your mistakes. It is necessary that you must never panic about failure and have the courage to accept it. Success is a long process and therefore you need to have patience in you. This will surely make you successful in your life.

Hard work – It is always said that there is no substitute for hard work in getting success. People who are talented from birth also need to work hard in their life to become successful. Hard work helps you sharpening your passion and skill. You really have to become extraordinary for becoming successful in your life.

Stay motivated – In no condition, you must forget about your goal in life. As you have seen a spider even after the destruction of its web it again starts weaving a new one without losing hope. There must be something in your life that might remind you about your goal every time. This will make you more motivated for doing hard work for achieving your goal. The picture of your goal must be in front of your eyes every time either you are slept or awake. You may write some quotations or draw and paste them on your room wall so that whenever you enter your room you must get energized once again. Motivation is a very essential key factor for becoming successful in our life.

Be disciplined and time-bounded – Discipline and time management is most important for attaining success in life. Living a disciplined life helps you to concentrate towards the goal of your life. After deciding on your goal you need to do proper planning for accomplishing it. You have to make time management for everything you do in your life. It is because time is most precious and if lost can never be regained. Opportunity only knocks once and you must not let it go in vain. Therefore the right decision at right time can only make the journey of life a successful one.

Does being Successful mean being Able to Earn a Lot of Money?

Money and success both are important for an individual. We all have some goals in our life and after accomplishing them we get a good carrier and earn a good amount of money. It is true that money is necessary for everything in your life but only money can never provide you happiness. In my opinion, every highly earning person is not really a successful one. The real meaning of being successful is getting happiness and satisfaction in life after being able to do that what you love to do in life.

A child getting good marks in the examination is a success, getting your dream job is a success, being able to fulfill your dreams is a success. The act of fulfilling your dreams makes you very happy and is the real meaning of success. There are many people in this world who earn money by wrong means and therefore they are rich enough. It does not mean that they are successful. Thus there is a great difference between being able to earn a lot of money and being successful. Richness is not the right way of measuring success. Successful people can earn good money along with respect in society.

Success is aspired by everyone in this world but only a few people become capable of tasting real success. Everything is possible in this world and people are making it happen. In the same way, becoming successful is difficult but not impossible. It requires several sacrifices, hard work, dedication, time management. The people who are focused and have a keen desire to make their dream come true can surely become successful in their life.

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

Ans . Real success means fulfilling your dream goal of your life that you love doing.

Ans . The habit of being honest with oneself is most important for becoming successful.

Ans . We have to leave our comforts and concentrate on our aim for being successful in life.

Ans . Success is important because it gives us self-confidence and hopes to move to the next level in life.

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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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✍️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.

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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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Success Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on success.

Success Essay- In today’s world everyone wants to be successful but what is a success. The perspective of success varies from person to person. For the record, the people before us have a different view on success and the person after us will have a different view on success.

Moreover, people compare different people performance to evaluate their success. But success is not something that you can copy from others. You have to make your own path to achieving success. In modern-day, people are obsessed with success because of the glamour and lifestyle of successful people .

What formulates a person successful?

There are many ways in the world to be successful. But most people think of celebrities, artist, politicians, and businessmen whenever they heard the word success.

Moreover, they think doing what they will make you successful but that not the case. They forget the most basic thing that makes a person successful that is their hard work, dedication, and the desire to achieve their dream. More importantly, they what they like to do not what that others told them to do. Successful people do what they like to do also they do what they feel correct for their business.

If you look in the dictionary for the meaning of the word success then you will find that it means the achievement of one’s goal or aim . So, basically, anyone can achieve success by simply achieving their aim or goal.

What is the harm of success?

We all knew that we can’t achieve something without sacrificing something. Success also demands various things from you. But these sacrifices will not go in vain if you achieve your goal.

Certainly, many people achieve professional success but in doing so they fail in achieving mental, social and physical success. The tension of lacking behind in other things pulls them apart.

Also, there are cases where people became so obsessed with success that the people around them start to feel uncomfortable around them. In some cases, they have gone mad. Apart from that, people also get depressed if they can’t achieve success like others. So, we can say that there is much harm to success.

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

Success and hard work

It may sound unfit to some peoples but success depends a lot of hard work. Without it, you can’t become successful. Hard work does not mean that you do laborious work or the work that make you sweat. Hard work means having a healthy body, strong mind, willpower and positive attitude towards things. And for all those things you need energy. So, be attentive to your body and soul.

Besides, do not just work on your program, push your limit, take charge of other things, improve your skills and most importantly keep learning. Apart from that, be with positive peoples, develop positive habits, and do exercise not only for the body but also for your mind.

To sum it up, we can say that success is like a seed that needs a balanced proportion of all the elements of life. And no one can achieve success in a day they have to go through and face different conditions in life for being successful. Above all, success is the feeling of fulfillment that you feel when you achieve your goal.

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How to Set and Achieve Life Goals The Right Way

So, can we take this premise and apply it to the biggest, most meaningful objectives we could possibly set for ourselves—our life goals?

And what would that really mean, in terms of planning and getting on with it?

Locke’s seminal research has given us a good deal to go on when it comes to effective goal-setting. But understanding goal-setting theory is only one step toward crafting personal life goals. In this article, we’ll take a closer peek at some ideas and resources that will help you set out on the right path, and stick at it for success.

Whether you’ve got no clue what you want, or you have a mile-long bucket list, hopefully, there will be something in here to get you motivated.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Goal Achievement Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients create actionable goals and master techniques to create lasting behavior change.

This Article Contains:

What are life goals, why should we set goals in life, 5 examples of setting life goals, life goal ideas: a list of goals to achieve in life, the process and steps of setting life goals, how to find and determine personal goals in life, healthy goal setting objectives and guidelines, planning life goals and how to prioritize them (incl. planner), 5 worksheets for creating and setting life goals (incl. pdf), how to track and evaluate the status of your life goals: the role of accountability, 11 strategies and techniques for achieving success, a look at life without goals, 3 life goal apps, 6 books on the topic, 17 inspiring quotes, a take-home message.

Life goals are what we want to achieve, and they’re much more meaningful than just ‘ what we need to accomplish to survive ’. Unlike daily routines or short-term objectives, they drive our behaviors over the long run. There’s no single psychological definition for them, and they aren’t strictly a clinical construct, but they help us determine what we want to experience in terms of our values .

And because they are personal ambitions, they can take many different forms. But they give us a sense of direction and make us accountable as we strive for happiness and wellbeing—for our best possible lives.

Lots of us have dreams. We know what makes us happy, what we’d love to try out, and we may have a vague idea of how we’d go about it. But setting clear goals can be beneficial in several ways, above and beyond wishful thinking: here are a few.

1. Setting Goals Can Clarify Our Behaviors

First and foremost, Locke’s Theory of Goal-Setting puts intentions squarely at the center of our behavior (Locke, 1968). The act of setting goals and the thought we put into crafting them directs our attention to the why, how, and what of our aspirations. As such, they give us something to focus on and impact positively on our motivation.

Of course, there are limitations to the generalizability of this finding—simply setting goals won’t drive the actions that lead us to success.

We’ll look at this shortly, but for now, suffice to say that they give us something to commit to. It may not be easy to switch careers, but acknowledge that it’s your goal and you’ll at least be able to choose some appropriate actions (Ajzen, 1991).

2. Goals Allow for Feedback

If and when we know where we want to be, we can assess where we are now, and essentially, we can chart our progress. This feedback helps us adjust our behavior accordingly (and when it’s rewarding feedback, our brains release dopamine, e.g. Treadway et al., 2012). By allowing for feedback, goals let us align or re-align our behaviors, keeping us on track with our eyes on the prize.

3. Goal-setting Can Promote Happiness

When our goals are based on our values, they are meaningful. Meaning, purpose, and striving for something ‘bigger’ is a key element of happiness theory in positive psychology, and the ‘M’ in Seligman’s PERMA model (Seligman, 2004).

Along with positive emotion, relationships, engagement, and accomplishment (which goals allow for), it makes up what we’ve come to known as ‘The Good Life’.

In other words, life goals represent something besides the daily grind. They allow us to pursue authentic aims of our own choosing and enjoy a feeling of achievement when we get there. That said, even striving to be the very best we can sometimes lead to happiness in itself, according to eudaimonic wellbeing research (Ryan & Huta, 2009; Huta, 2016).

4. They Encourage Us to Use Our Strengths

When we consider what matters the most to us, we can get more attuned with our inner strengths as well as our passions. Charting a course for ourselves is one thing, but using our strengths to get there comes with a whole set of other benefits.

Studies show that knowing and leveraging our strengths can increase our confidence (Crabtree 2002), boost our engagement (Sorensen, 2014), and even promote feelings of good health and life satisfaction (Proyer et al., 2013).

Using them in pursuit of our goals, therefore—even discovering what they are—can be a good thing for our wellbeing.

As you may have seen elsewhere in our goal-setting articles, positive psychologists tend to draw on (at least) four main findings from his original work and the literature that followed (Locke & Latham, 2002; 2006).

We can then take a ‘nice idea’ and create some examples of setting goals from it. Let’s assume, therefore, that Jamie wants to set goals based on her passion – teaching.

• The more difficult Jamie’s goal, the greater the accomplishment. Challenge, in other words, is important. Jamie could approach her goal-setting with an easy task like “ Helping my brother with his homework “, but she will derive a greater sense of achievement if she sets the bar a bit higher. An example here would be, “ Become a certified teacher ”. At the other extreme, she might try to avoid overly excessive and potentially unattainable goals, like “ Starting my own boarding school by the end of the year .”
• The more explicit Jamie’s goal, the better she will be able to regulate her performance. Here, she could specify exactly what she wants to achieve in greater detail: “ Become a certified K1 teacher for asylum seekers in Svenborgia ”. With more precise details, Jamie can get more explicit feedback on her progress and align her performance accordingly—helping her on the path to achievement.
• High goal commitment comes from setting important, attainable goals. At this point, Jamie has addressed challenge and clarity (or difficulty and specificity) (vanSonnenberg, 2011). She will need to reflect on whether it really matters to her and whether it’s realistic. This is more of a principle and less of a ‘step’. Does she understand what it involves and does it align with her values?
• Jamie needs to ensure she can get feedback to stay motivated. In other words, she needs to be able to look at where she is along the way and compare that to her goal. Has she enrolled in the relevant academic pathway? Has she signed up for professional experience? Or has she achieved those and now she’s getting her Svenborgia work visa? Even better, she could see if someone might mentor her, allowing her more regular feedback on her progress.
• Jamie’s goal should not be overly complex. As life goes on, our goals may change. Jamie might realize at teacher’s college that she wants to redefine the goal. Maybe she now wants to teach in another country and decides to learn another language. Although there’s no harm in reassessing her goals, the main takeaway is that she should not increase the difficulty of her task(s) beyond what is achievable or realistic—or she may become overwhelmed.

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Inherently, life goals need to be meaningful, and meaning is subjective. In that respect, it’s probably more useful to think about categories or types of life goals before reeling off potential bucket list objectives.

According to Kasser and Ryan (2001), therefore, there are two types of life goals, and these relate to our wellbeing in different ways:

• Intrinsic goals relate to emotional intimacy, personal growth, and helping others. They are believed to be aligned with our needs as humans, reflecting our inherent desire for self-knowledge and more fulfilling relationships (Maslow, 1943).
• Extrinsic goals  are more culturally defined and less about our nature as human beings, encompassing things like our physical appearance, social standing, status symbols, and wealth.

Research suggests that intrinsic life goals are related to greater happiness, self-actualization, vitality, and satisfaction with life, compared with extrinsic life goals (Ryan et al., 1999; Niemiec et al., 2009).

But at the end of the day, evidence also shows that the content of our goals may be less important to our wellbeing than our reasons for pursuing them. Having the ‘right’ reason for goal pursuit—irrespective of the aspiration itself, that is—has been found to contribute to our wellbeing, and the opposite applies (Carver & Baird, 1998).

Intrinsic Life Goals

These satisfy the needs that stem from being human—including our psychological and self-fulfillment needs, as shown below in Maslow’s Hierarchy (1943).

Life goals based on the former might include:

• Having a loving marriage or a trusting relationship with your significant other;
• Finding and keeping a healthy work-life balance, with time for friends and family;
• Living with integrity, being honest and open with others;
• Inspiring others through your beliefs and actions;
• Being a great listener so that others can turn to you; or
• Becoming an expert in your field and helping others.

Self-fulfillment needs-based goals could entail:

• Coming up with a new invention that reflects your creative abilities;
• Being a successful entrepreneur and running your own business;
• Creating your own personal brand for your work;
• Graduating with a Master’s or Ph.D. in something;
• Learning a new language; or
• Picking up a ‘hard skill’ and mastering it.

Extrinsic Life Goals

Extrinsic goals aren’t necessarily material, but because they are generally ‘wants’ rather than human needs, they are easier to come up with. They require less self-reflection, for example:

• Owning the very latest Tesla;
• Becoming a millionaire;
• Getting a big promotion or being in a senior position at work;
• Starring in a movie;
• Having your own workshop/studio or
• Visiting every country in Europe.

At the end of this article, I’ve also included some recommended books on setting life goals. Miller and Frisch’s Creating Your Best Life , for one, has many more examples that you’ll hopefully find useful.

You can (and easily will) find countless models for goal setting in the self-help literature. But what does positive psychology say about the process and steps of goal-setting? The following framework is taken from the well-known psychological capital intervention (PCI), and it uses three steps: goal design, pathway generation, and overcoming obstacles (Luthans et al., 2006).

1. Goal Design

The first step is to design our goals. When crafting goals, we need to remember the key premise of goal-setting theory—that they are intentions which guide our behavior. They are “targets for mental action sequences” (Synder, 2002: 250).

Ideally, by design:

• Goals should be concrete endpoints. That is, we should be able to measure our success because they are clear and detailed;
• They should be approach-based. This means we should easily be able to focus on moving positively towards their accomplishment, rather than on away from negative outcomes. (“Working toward” rather than “avoiding” something) (Coats et al., 1996); and
• We should be able to break them down into sub-goals if necessary so that we can celebrate little successes along the way (Snyder et al., 1991).

2. Pathway Generation

We now have personally meaningful life goals designed and we can start thinking about different potential pathways for achieving them. Luthans and colleagues’ PsyCap Intervention invited participants to brainstorm multiple pathways without worrying at first about their feasibility. ‘As many possibilities as they could think of’, essentially, and not unlike ‘there are no bad ideas in brainstorming’.

Participants then invited others to weigh in and add to their potential pathways. In the same way, you might ask friends, family, or someone in a mentor-like position to help you come up with ideas on how to pursue your goals. What possible pathways might Jamie take to become a certified K1 teacher for asylum seekers in Svenborgia, for example?

The last part of pathway generation considers inventory pathways: what resources will you need to pursue pathway A, B, or C? Essentially, we refine our potential pathways—we think carefully about what we can realistically expect, and this leaves us with fewer, more viable options (Luthans et al., 2006).

3. Overcoming Obstacles

We have inherent beliefs about our ability to use pathways for goal success—our agency—and these are accordingly termed ‘agency thought’ (Snyder, 2002). This kind of thinking plays a particularly important role when we come up against obstacles, especially unexpected ones, as they can determine whether we pick ourselves up or just disengage.

When setting life goals, therefore, it helps to consider the possible barriers that might arise. Independently, we can self-reflect, thinking about our potential pathways as well as our strategies we might use to deal with them (Luthans et al., 2006). We might do this alone or with others, like in the pathway generation stage, and our focus here is to ready ourselves for contingencies.

Put differently, “ What might prevent me from achieving my goal? ” and “ How could I work through or around this? ”

We’ve put it further into context using Maslow ’s Needs Hierarchy, and we’ve laid out a 3-step positive psychology framework for the process of life goal-setting, so now it’s about self-reflection.

You will definitely be able to find inspiration all over the place for different possible goals, but because meaning is intrinsic, your answers will be unique.

With the aim of discovering your own values and inspiration, have a look at these self-reflection exercises and see what the right questions might be for you personally.

No matter what you’ve set as your life goals, adopt some best practice guidelines to make the whole journey a positive experience. Based on what we have looked at so far, we can draw a few objectives to keep in mind.

• Be realistic. Try to keep things in perspective both when designing your goals and as you work toward them. Research indicates that the best goals are challenging, yet achievable (Locke & Latham, 2002).
• A healthy goal is a positive ‘approach’ goal . Rather than setting negative, avoidance goals that have us working away from certain harmful, averse, or unpleasant outcomes, set yourself positive targets. Depending on whether they are intrinsic or extrinsic, therefore, they might be desirable, enjoyable, or ‘good’ in a deeper sense (Coats et al., 1996).
• Be ready to fail along the way…but don’t let it stop you . Resilience is the capacity to persevere in spite of setbacks, and obstacles are inevitable in some form or another. So as well as accepting this inevitability first up, resilience is a useful skill to develop throughout your journey. How do you plan to overcome obstacles? Can you brainstorm some alternative pathways?
• Involve others . As we’ve discussed earlier, family and friends can be invaluable. Not only do they help us generate ideas, but they are social resources that we can reach out to for support along the way.
• Break them down where possible . Celebrating our wins along the way is the same as celebrating our progress towards a larger life goal. Whether that celebration takes place on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis will depend on your unique aims and the pathway you choose to follow. Nonetheless, research shows that they are critical for momentum and motivation (Amabile & Kramer, 2011).

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So, do you have a million things you want to accomplish? Or even just a couple of goals, but lots of milestones along the way? We don’t really need statistics to understand why writing them down adds some organization to the whole thing, but active planning can also boost our motivation.

Personal Strategic Planning

According to Brian Tracy, author of Goals! , getting from A to B is about personal strategic planning. Quite simply, his suggested approach takes organizational management principles and applies them in the personal realm.

Rather than aiming to maximize return on investment (ROI) as we would in corporate settings, we aim instead to boost our efficiency by reducing the physical, mental, and emotional energy we might waste on the journey. He calls it ‘return on energy’ (ROE).

The idea is to think in terms of human capital. If you like, we can think back to the generating pathways step we described earlier in Luthans et al.’s 3-pronged framework. When refining our pathways, we can think beyond just what’s feasible to reflect on what might also maximize our return on energy (ROE).

Unless walking to every EU country is a life goal in itself for you, might it not be more efficient to fly or take a train? Or, could you take a few extra days on your next business trip? Two very logistics-based examples, but hopefully they illustrate the premise of personal strategic planning.

Prioritizing Life Goals

Prioritization is about identifying the most personally important life goals you’ve designed and written down. The following might help (Collingwood, 2018):

• After you’ve formalized them by writing them down, rank them on a scale of 1-5 or 1-10, or whatever works for you. As long as you systematically apply the same ranking system to all of them, the most important ones should stand out.
• An alternative would be to categorize them first into whatever domains work best for them, then rank within each category. What’s your most important health goal? Career goal? The PDF goal-setting worksheets below are full of categories you might find useful, but you are unique, and there’s no one best way to go about it.
• Is it feasible or realistic to focus on the top five goals? Or is three a more viable figure? Highlight, circle, or pick out the ones that are most worthy of your energy—what would make you happiest? What’s most meaningful to you personally, in terms of your values? (Interestingly, billionaire Warren Buffet would have you stick to the top five and avoid the rest.)
• Get planning. What are the sub-goals you’ve identified? What resources will you need for each stage, and when will you need them? ‘Reverse engineering’ goals and working backward from the finish line is helpful for some people (Collingwood, 2018).
• Find a good, but not necessarily the best time to start, as the latter might never come around. Then, use a planner to work it all out. When you’re scheduling, don’t forget celebrations as well as milestones.

Some useful planners include:

• LifeTick – a free or paid online planning calendar;
• GoalScape – which allows you to share your goals and create projects;
• This free PDF , which is more of a planning tool than a calendar; or
• Any of the free Full PDFs here from Passion Planner.

These life goals worksheets will hopefully be useful to you as a means of getting started.

1. Workbook for Goal-setting and Evidence-based Strategies for Success

Put together by Caroline Miller, The Ultimate Life List Guide author, this is an entire workbook about setting goals and staying on track. It is based on six concepts that come together as a strategy for designing goals and creating optimal conditions for success:

• Finding what enables you to create a happy life;
• Envisioning your best potential self, an intention which will motivate your actions;
• Designing short- and longer-term life goals;
• Cultivating an environment that facilitates your success;
• Developing willpower and habits that support this; and
• Encouraging a mindset conducive to long-term change.

3 particularly useful worksheets in here include:

• The Mission and Purpose Worksheet – this guides you through creating your own personal purpose statement (p. 36);
• The Evaluating Goals Worksheet – over several pages, you can assess how or whether your life goals meet certain criteria for success (p. 40); and
• The Ifs, Ands, and Buts Worksheet – which focuses on overcoming obstacles (p. 67).

2. Goal Exploration Worksheet

Breaking down life goals into different areas can be helpful, and this Goal Exploration exercise provides you with 7 different categories that might stimulate your thinking. With useful prompts, a few tips, and some examples, the layout of this sheet includes spaces for 5-year, 1-year, and 1-month goals.

• Social goals;
• Career goals;
• Physical goals;
• Family goals;
• Leisure goals;
• Personality goals; and

3. Goal Setting Workbook

Starting on Page 7 of this Citrus College workbook , you’ll find useful information about long- and short-term goal-setting. There are brainstorming exercise and categories for your inspiration, such as:

• I want to be…
• I want to learn…
• I want to give…

This is followed as you progress by questions about your goals:

• “Are they achievable?”
• “Does the goal come with an alternative?”
• “Do I want to do what’s necessary to accomplish it?” and
• “Is the goal compatible with my values?”

We write down our goals to formalize them in one respect, and in another, to give us a sense of personal accountability for their outcomes (Schlenker & Weigold, 1989). If we share those goals with others, we create even more accountability, as we’re ‘answerable’ to more than one person (Schlenker et al., 1994).

The first kind of accountability is internal, and psychologists suggest it motivate us to keep going if these goals are aligned with our personal values (Rutledge, 1998). This is all well and good, but how do we track and evaluate our progress?

Tracking Your Life Goals

First, as discussed, we can identify our goals and create clarity around them. Prioritizing them allows us to channel our focus on the top important goals, and one or more of the planners above will hopefully be useful for this.

We can then break down our larger, key goals into smaller sub-goals or objectives. These might be step-wise milestones, or we might have several alternative pathways running concurrently, but breaking down these goals allows us to plan better.

If you want to set deadlines or time frames for accomplishing each small sub-goal, feel free—this adds another layer of personal accountability and is commonly used in project management contexts.

Set realistic, sufficiently challenging time frames, and you’ll also benefit from a healthy amount of pressure— eustress , in other words (Brulé & Morgan, 2018; Mills et al., 2018).

When you have time-bound goals, therefore, you can better evaluate your progress. And from here, we can adapt or adjust our generated pathways accordingly to maximize our chances at success (Snyder, 2002).

Why the secret to success is setting the right goals – John Doerr

If it’s all a lot of information to take in at once—or if you’ve skipped ahead—here’s a neat recap. These goal-setting strategies and techniques draw from the literature we’ve mentioned already, starting with Locke and Latham’s work and moving on to what we know about motivation.

Let’s cover the techniques within the three-pronged strategy we discussed earlier for maximum relevance.

Goal Design

Based on what we know, the following techniques help us craft well-designed goals.

• Set intrinsic life goals as well as extrinsic ones . This requires self-reflection on your personal values, as well as your psychological and self-fulfillment needs as a human being (Maslow, 1943). Aligning your goals with what you really consider important will make them more meaningful (Kasser and Ryan, 2001), and meaning is considered a key part of happiness in positive psychology (Seligman, 2004).
• Set approach, rather than avoidance goals . Aim for positive outcomes rather than focusing your psychological, emotional, and physical energy on avoiding negative ones (Locke, 1968; Tracy, 2003; Locke & Latham 2006).
• Make them clear and actionable . Ideally, you should be easily able to break these down into sub-goals after some thought on potential pathways. If you can create concrete steps that lead toward a positive vision of the future, it will be easier to start thinking about resources you might need (Luthans et al., 2006).
• Make them challenging, but keep them realistic . When it comes to outcomes, excessively easy goals won’t motivate you enough and could be boring. Overly challenging aspirations, on the other hand, can lead to stress and overwhelm you (Locke, 1968; Luthans et al., 2006). Similarly, don’t rush yourself in terms of getting started if it’s not necessary, but don’t wait until the time is perfect, either.

Generating Pathways

These include some brainstorming techniques and ideas about creating the ideal conditions that support your goal pursuit (Miller & Frisch, 2009).

• Brainstorm as many alternative pathways as you can . Think about all the potential ways you might go about achieving your goal and don’t be too quick to discount them. Give your creative brain a workout and record them as you go. This will keep you from forgetting them later down the line.
• Identify the resources you’ll need . What is absolutely necessary for each step along the way? Then, what will make things easier for you? Consider people who might support you as well as more tangible resources (Emmons, 2003).
• Plan out your progress if it helps . Think motivation and accountability, this time applying the eustress principle to the goal pursuit process rather than its outcomes (Frink & Ferris, 1998). Use a planner, an app, or whatever else you find most valuable, and don’t be afraid to adapt your pathway if it’s necessary.

Overcoming Obstacles

Here, some planning techniques and useful resources from elsewhere on this site, to help you stay on track.

• Plan for potential obstacles . Part of being realistic means planning for contingencies (Luthans et al., 2006). What might stop you from pursuing one pathway and force you onto another? How can you avoid or overcome obstacles through proactive strategizing?
• Use positive self-talk . Our self-talk is very powerful. Preparing proactively for worst-case scenarios helps counter pessimistic self-talk, but your perceived self-efficacy is also critical to goal accomplishment (Schunk, 1990). Hope is very important and positive self-talk plays a key role in overcoming obstacles (Snyder, 2002).
• Develop resilience . Setbacks can take their toll emotionally and lead to disengagement (again, if we let them). It’s possible to develop your capacity to deal with setbacks through resilience training and exercises, so why not try some of these approaches?
• Evaluate your progress . Remember that your priorities might change along the way, so evaluation is not necessarily about success or failure. If you like, tweak your goals—make them more or less challenging, or change their nature as you see fit.

But while there are real benefits to goal-setting, is the absence of goals really so terrible?

Essentially, this dives into a more complex philosophical debate. To put it succinctly, though, we can think of happiness as both subjective wellbeing ( SWB ) and eudaimonic wellbeing ( EWB )—or hedonic vs eudaimonic happiness .

The first is related to feelings of life satisfaction and the predominance of positive over negative affect, the second premises that life is about the pursuit of virtue and fulfillment of one’s own potential (Ryan & Deci, 2001; Diener et al., 2002).

What do you think?

Some apps will help you store your short-term goals in one place, and can be pretty handy if you’ve got objectives you’d like to stay on top of daily.

Goalify is an Android and iOs app that lets you log and review your objectives regularly. As well as sending you updates and reminders, you can compare your accomplishments against friends with identical goals. With this app, you can categorize, tweak, and get tips on how to better accomplish them. And let’s face it, gamification has its merits.

2. Coach.me Habit Tracker

This nifty app lets you do more than just list your goals—it’s pretty effective at keeping you accountable and is simple to use. You can log your targets and view your stats, ask questions of the community, and sync it with other gizmos. The free version is enough if you simply want to start creating a habit, but paid users can also get advice from pro coaches.

It’s only available for iOs devices, but Strides is quite popular nonetheless. This lets you stay on top of your progress for short-term or daily goals, with a calendar function and some more sophisticated stats. If you want to see your progress as averages or celebrate the small wins with time-bound targets, they are all easily accessible from one straightforward dashboard.

Here are some of the titles we have already mentioned, as well as a few more books that you might find insightful. Some are more ‘how to’-focused, and others cover the psychology of goal-setting theory.

• Creating Your Best Life: The Ultimate Life List Guide by Caroline Adams Miller and Dr. Michael Frisch ( Amazon )
• Think Small: The Surprisingly Simple Ways to Reach Big Goals by Owain Service and Rory Gallagher ( Amazon )
• Goals!: How to Get Everything You Want – Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible by Brian Tracy ( Amazon )
• A Theory of Goal Setting & Task Performance by Edwin Locke, Gary Latham, Ken Smith, and Robert Wood ( Amazon )
• New Developments in Goal Setting and Task Performance by Edwin Locke and Gary Latham ( Amazon )
• Goal Setting: A Motivational Technique That Works! by Edwin Locke and Gary Latham ( Amazon )

17 Tools To Increase Motivation and Goal Achievement

These 17 Motivation & Goal Achievement Exercises [PDF] contain all you need to help others set meaningful goals, increase self-drive, and experience greater accomplishment and life satisfaction.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.

Albert Einstein

By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands — your own.

Mark Victor Hansen

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

Robert Schuller

The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.

Michelle Obama

Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

William Jennings Bryan

You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.

C. S. Lewis

If something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it.

You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.

Edmund Hillary

A goal is a dream with its work boots on.

Rachel Hollis

You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.

Wayne Gretsky

Goals transform a random walk into a chase.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

The important thing isn’t where you’ve been, or where you are, but where you want to go.

Dean Bokhari

Goals are the road maps that guide you to your destination.

Roy Bennett

An aim in life is the only fortune worth finding.

Robert Louis Stevenson

When you know what you want and you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way to get it.

The question I ask myself like almost every day is, ‘Am I doing the most important thing I could be doing?’

Mark Zuckerberg

It doesn’t matter where you came from. All that matters is where you are going.

Brian Tracy

We all have dreams, but some merit more of our energy than others. When we reflect on the second type of aspiration along with our personal values, we’re already on the way to setting life goals. In this article, we have considered goal-setting theory and some actionable strategies that use positive psychology concepts to frame the whole concept.

We’ve also looked at how human nature leads to intrinsic goals, and how the whole idea fits into wellbeing. Have you discovered any ideas that you find useful? Or how do you motivate yourself to keep on track?

More importantly, why not share some of your life goals with us in the comments? Let’s get those ideas flowing!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Goal Achievement Exercises for free .

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• Amabile, T. & Kramer, S. J. The Power of Small Wins. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-wins
• Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84 (4), 822.
• Brulé, G., & Morgan, R. (2018). Working with stress: can we turn distress into eustress? Journal of Neuropsychology & Stress Management, 3 , 1-3.
• Campos, D., Cebolla, A., Quero, S., Bretón-López, J., Botella, C., Soler, J., Garcia-Campayo, J., Demarzo, M. & Baños, R. M. (2016). Meditation and happiness: Mindfulness and self-compassion may mediate the meditation–happiness relationship. Personality and Individual Differences, 93 , 80-85.
• Carver, C.S., & Baird, E. (1998). The American dream revisited: Is it what you want or why you want it that matters? Psychological Science, 9 , 289–292.
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• Collingwood, J. (2018). Top Tips for Setting Goals and Priorities. Psych Central. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/lib/top-tips-for-setting-goals-and-priorities/
• Crabtree, S. (2002). Talent 101: Self-discovery helps students adjust. Gallup Management Journal, 2.
• Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Oishi, S. (2002). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and life satisfaction . In C. R. Snyder & S. J.
• Lopez (Eds.), The Handbook of Positive Psychology (pp.63- 73). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Emmons, R. A. (2003). Personal goals, life meaning, and virtue: Wellsprings of a positive life. Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived, 105-128 .
• Frink, D. D., & Ferris, G. R. (1998). Accountability, impression management, and goal setting in the performance evaluation process. Human Relations, 51 (10), 1259-1283.
• Huta, V. (2016). An overview of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being concepts. Handbook of media use and well-being: International perspectives on theory and research on positive media effects, 14-33.
• Locke, E. A. (1968). Toward a theory of task motivation and incentives. Organizational behavior and human performance, 3 (2), 157-189.
• Locke, L. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation. American Psychologist, 57 (9), 705-717.
• Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2006). New Directions in Goal-Setting Theory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15 (5), 265-268.
• Luthans, F., Avey, J. B., Avolio, B. J., Norman, S. M., & Combs, G. M. (2006). Psychological capital development: toward a micro‐intervention. Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 27 (3), 387-393.
• MacLeod, S. (2018). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
• Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50 (4), 370.
• Miller, C. A., & Frisch, M. B. (2009). Creating your best life: The ultimate life list guide . Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
• Mills, H., Reiss, N., & Dombeck, M. (2018). Types of Stressors (Eustress vs. Distress). Retrieved from https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/types-of-stressors-eustress-vs-distress
• Niemiec, C.P., Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2009). The path taken: Consequences of attaining intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations in post-college life. Journal of Research in Personality, 43 , 291–306.
• Proyer, R. T., Gander, F., Wellenzohn, S., & Ruch, W. (2013). What good are character strengths beyond subjective well-being? The contribution of the good character on self-reported health-oriented behavior, physical fitness, and the subjective health status. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8 (3), 222-232.
• Rutledge, T. (1998). Earning your own respect: A handbook of personal responsibility . New Harbinger Publications.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001). On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual review of psychology, 52 (1), 141-166.
• Ryan, R.M., Chirkov, V.I., Little, T.D., Sheldon, K.M., Timoshina, E., & Deci, E.L. (1999). The American dream in Russia: Extrinsic aspirations and well-being in two cultures. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25 , 1509-1524.
• Ryan, R. M., & Huta, V. (2009). Wellness as healthy functioning or wellness as happiness: The importance of eudaimonic thinking (response to the Kashdan et al. and Waterman discussion). The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4 (3), 202-204.
• Schlenker, B. R., & Weigold, M. F. (1989). Self-identification and accountability. In R. A. Giacalone &P. Rosenfeld (Eds.), Impression management in organizations (pp. 21–43). Hillsdale, NJ: LawrenceErlbaum Associates, Inc.
• Schlenker, B. R., Britt, T. W., Pennington, J., Murphy, R., & Doherty, K. (1994). The triangle model of responsibility.Psychological Review, 101 ,632–652.
• Schunk, D. H. (1990). Goal setting and self-efficacy during self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist, 25 (1), 71-86.
• Seligman, M. E. (2004). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment . Simon and Schuster.
• Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S. T., Yoshinobu, L., Gibb, J., Langelle, C., & Harney, P. (1991). The will and the ways: development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60 (4), 570.
• Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13 (4), 249-275.
• Sorenson, S. (2014). How employees’ strengths make your company stronger. Gallup Business Journal, February. Retrieved from https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/167462/employees-strengths-company-stronger.aspx
• Tracy, B. (2003). Goals!: How to get everything you want-faster than you ever thought possible . Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
• Vansonnenberg, E. (2011). Ready, Set, Goals! Retrieved from https://positivepsychologynews.com/news/emily-vansonnenberg/2011010315821

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Success — What is Success and How to Define It

What is Success and How to Define It

• Categories: Success

About this sample

Words: 1355 |

Published: Mar 1, 2019

Words: 1355 | Page: 1 | 7 min read

What is success?

Works cited.

• Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Simon & Schuster.
• Dweck, C. (2017). Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential. Robinson.
• Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company.
• Grant, A. (2013). Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success. Penguin Books.
• Hill, N. (2020). Think and Grow Rich. Independently published.
• Kipling, R. (1910). If. The National Review.
• Loehr, J., & Schwartz, T. (2003). The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal. Free Press.
• Man's Search for Meaning (2006). Viktor E. Frankl. Beacon Press.
• Robbins, T. (2005). Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical, and Financial Destiny!. Simon & Schuster.
• Tracy, B. (2004). The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible. Thomas Nelson.

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Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want. Penguin Press.Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being. Free Press.Diener, [...]

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Growth Mindset

How to upgrade your mindset to succeed in life, what you think you become..

Posted November 12, 2019 | Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano

Your success and happiness depend on your mindset. What you think, you become.

Our mindset affects how we see the world. If yours is distorted, so will be the way you see yourself and others. Our beliefs and thoughts shape the way we behave, even if we don't realize it.

Developing the right mindset is crucial to succeeding in life. Here’s how to upgrade yours.

The importance of mindset

A mindset is a frame of mind. It’s the sum of beliefs, opinions, and thoughts that we've formed about the world and ourselves. It's the lens through which we observe our world.

Our education , religion, upbringing, and experience shape our beliefs and thoughts. Our mind is "set." It directly impacts how our perception and reactions.

As Amit Ray said, “The mind is a flexible mirror, adjust it, to see a better world.”

Mindsets can change, but they do so slowly. Attitudes, on the other hand, have a short-term impact. That’s why they are easier to modify. Our mindsets are deeply ingrained in our beliefs, and it requires extra effort to change them.

Your mindset predetermines your interpretations and responses. It shapes your relationship with the world and with yourself. Choose your mindset wisely.

Your mindset can help you or harm you

The most popular theory about mindsets outlines two types: growth versus fixed mindset.

In Mindset: The New Psychology of Success , Carol Dweck suggests that our beliefs about our own intelligence determine our ability to learn.

A fixed mindset is a belief that our qualities are fixed traits that we cannot change. People with this mindset believe that talent alone leads to success. A growth mindset , on the other hand, is thinking that our intelligence can grow with time and experience. This mindset encourages us to put in extra time — effort leads to higher achievement.

A fixed mindset limits our capacity for learning, whereas a growth mindset helps us reach our full potential.

However, there are many more types of mindsets. The lenses we use affect how we deal with our emotions. A negative mindset can amplify our negative feelings and get us stuck in rumination .

Our mindsets create two effects on us: They either limit our potential or they liberate it.

For example, binary thinking forces us to consider only two possibilities. We think in terms of "one thing" or "the other" and see things through a right or wrong lens.

The mindset you use can bring clarity or cloud your perception.

The different types of mindset

Let’s analyze the most frequent types of mindset. This is not an exhaustive list but a starting point to help you reflect on the lenses you use without noticing.

As part of my work helping organizations upgrade their mindsets , teams capture what limits or liberates their high performance. The following are some that people tend to use more frequently.

Right-or-wrong versus open-minded

We love being right. The trouble with this mindset is that we stop paying attention to other perspectives. Instead of learning, we just care about winning the argument.

" Confirmation bias " is the tendency we have to embrace information that supports our beliefs. The desire to be always right makes us reject facts that might illuminate our views.

Victim versus accountable

Self-pity is a dangerous choice. When we play the victim , we lose control of our life. Instead of taking action, we blame others for the things that go wrong.

Playing the victim role is a lose-lose situation. No one will come to rescue us. Life requires that we own our actions.

Comparing to others versus being your own standard

There will always be someone doing better or worse than ourselves. When we compare to others, we invite jealousy and envy to poison our lives .

Comparisons are deceiving . Recover control by becoming your own standard. Focus on your progress, not on someone else’s status.

Saying “no” versus “yes, and...”

Too many “no's” kill creativity . However, that’s our usual answer when introduced to new ideas. We say no before even considering their potential.

We are trained to reject uncertainty and new concepts. Creativity requires a “Yes, and...” mindset. Rather than blocking the conversation, amplify creativity by building on others’ ideas.

Reactive versus proactive

Reactive people believe they are not responsible for what they say or do. They don’t control their choices. And let their circumstances control them instead.

Proactive people don’t waste their energy or time. They focus on what they can manage, think through scenarios, prioritize, and focus on the future. A proactive mindset puts you in control .

Fearful versus fearless

Seeing life through a fear lens is intimidating. Fear will always get in our way.

Adopting a courageous mindset is vital to achieving greatness. Courage does not mean the absence of fear but to face our fear. Move forward in spite of your fears .

Avoidance versus facing reality

An avoidance mindset gets us stuck complaining about what went wrong or what we don’t like. Rather than fighting reality, learn to face it. Accepting reality as is doesn’t mean giving up. It’s a necessary step to move forward.

How to upgrade your mindset for success

1. Become more aware of your mindsets

Accept that your thinking needs adjustment. Start by increasing awareness of your mindset. When you react to a situation or before making a decision, which lens are you using to see reality?

Are you adopting a perfectionist mindset? Or a me-me-me one (and think that the world revolves around you)?

2. Avoid seeing reality in binary terms

Most mindsets are deceiving. They force us to see the world in black-and-white terms. Binary thinking creates a false dilemma. We act as if there are only two possible options when there are actually more.

Challenge your binary thinking. Avoid the tendency to split all the things into two categories: black and white, either-or, right or wrong.

3. Reflect on your beliefs

Our mindsets are deeply ingrained in our beliefs. To change our mindset, we must first examine our belief system.

What’s holding you back? Are your beliefs supporting you or limiting you? Identify the beliefs that are helpful and work on those that are not.

4. (Re)Define your purpose in life

We all want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. What’s your life’s purpose? Find your "why."

Create your own measure of success. What mindsets will help you get there? Select the lenses that will help you achieve your higher mission in life.

Finding your life’s purpose is not about the destination. It’s all about the journey.

5. Turn limiting mindsets into liberating ones

Challenge your existing mindsets. Go back to the analysis you did on point 1.

What are the mindsets that are not helping you? Changing your mindsets is not easy, but it’s worth the effort. Upgrading them requires replacing your filter with a new one.

Your mindset is the lens that filters how you see yourself and the world around you. Upgrade your mindset : Turn your limiting beliefs into liberating ones.

Gustavo Razzetti is a change leadership consultant and speaker who helps build a culture of change. He writes at the intersection of self-awareness, creativity, and resilience.

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How to Be Successful in Life

Last Updated: August 3, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Kamila Tan . Kamila Tan is a Recovery Coach, former Division I Collegiate Athlete, Inspirational Speaker, and Mental Health Advocate. She is the Founder of Embracing Strength LLC, a coaching business with the mission to provide support for athletes recovering from disordered eating and body image issues and provide support for their families. Kamila informs her work helping athletes pursue recovery with her experience playing beach volleyball as a Division I NCAA collegiate athlete. Kamila holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master of Public Health from the University of California at Los Angeles, and is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 2,324,356 times.

Regardless of how old you are, where you live, or what your career goals are, it's likely your ultimate goals in life are to be happy and successful. To be successful means more than just having money and making your mark. It means following your passions, living purposefully, and enjoying the present moment.

Things You Should Know

• Identify your passions , interests, and values so you can set goals based on things that truly matter to you.
• Pursue the knowledge and skills you need to achieve your goals and maximize your potential.
• Create a schedule to manage your time wisely. Set aside time every week to work on passion projects and explore new interests.

Developing a Path to Success

• If you find yourself constantly bored, daydreaming about the future or past or counting down the minutes until the day ends, it is probably because you feel disconnected from what you're doing.
• Cherish your time. Try to spend your free time doing things that you enjoy doing, rather than wasting time. For example, rather than spending your weekends watching television, spend them partaking in your hobbies or spending time with loved ones and new friends.
• Measure your productivity by engagement, not achievement. Not everything you do has to be productive in the conventional sense, but activities should be engaging and enjoyable.
• Keep in mind that it is perfectly fine to spend some time doing nothing and just being lazy each day. This can actually help with your imagination and self-awareness. Strive for a balance between doing things you want to do and allowing yourself to just “be.”

• What do you want your legacy to be?
• How would you like to be remembered by others?
• How do you want to make your community a better place?
• What are some favorite subjects of interest in your life? For example, think of subjects you enjoyed studying in school. Ask why you liked them. [3] X Research source
• For instance, you may have loved musical theater. Think: was it because you loved the music, or was it because you loved working with a big group towards a common goal?

• Set SMART goals ; goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
• Break big goals down. For instance, if your goal is to see the world, you can set the goal of saving money and visiting certain countries.

It's okay to start small. "I think everyone starts in the mailroom at some point! It's a right of passage. Your boss has to throw something at you and order you around for at least two years."

• Avoid canceling plans, and try not to cancel twice on the same person.
• Make commitments to yourself, and stick to them. Write down your commitments and hang them in places you can see.
• Make sure that your commitments are gradually moving you towards your goals. Review your goals now and then to make sure you are moving in the right direction.

Achieving External Success

• In 2011, the median weekly earnings for high school graduates was $638 while those with bachelor's degrees made $1053. That same year, those with masters or doctoral degrees made $1263 and $1551 respectively.
• Not all education has to be formal. Apprenticeships and long-term training programs are also positively correlated with higher incomes. Obtaining a Certificate in your field can help to increase your salary.
• Educate yourself for pleasure as well. The more you know about the world you live in, the more questions you will have and the more interested you will be.

• Keep track of your expenses. Subtract your monthly expenses from your monthly income to determine how much spending money you have available each month. Also, review your bank statements often and notice where you spend your money. This will help you prevent overspending and ensure that your bank statements are correct.
• Understand your income. When calculating your income, be sure to take into account the federal, state, and social security taxes that will be deducted from your gross pay. Don't overlook miscellaneous deductions, such as health insurance premiums, savings bonds and loan payments. The resulting number is your net pay, which is what you end up taking home with you.
• Cut back. If you are not earning enough money to cover your net expenses, then look into your expenses to see where you might be able to cut back.
• Save money . Every month, you should deposit some of your money into a savings account. Consider asking your employer to directly deposit a portion of your income into your savings account.
• Invest cautiously . If your workplace offers a retirement savings plan, put your excess incomes in that.

• Use a planner to help keep you organized throughout the day, week, and month.
• Set reminders on your smart phone and make use of its electronic timer for better time management.
• Make a list of all the things you need to do in a given day, and check off each task as you complete it. This will help you stay organized and motivated.

Achieving Internal Success

• Start paying attention to negative thoughts so that you can move on from them and enjoy the present moment . If a negative thought arises in your head, then acknowledge it, label it a negative thought, and then let it fade away. [8] X Research source Regular meditation or mindfulness exercises can help to make this feel more natural for you.
• Get in the habit of paying attention to small details around you. Appreciate the feeling of the sun on your skin, the sensation of your feet walking on the ground, or the artwork in the restaurant you are eating in. Noticing things like these will help you silence a rambling mind and appreciate every moment.

• Many people have the tendency to compare the low points of their own lives with the high points of other peoples' lives. Remember that no matter how perfect somebody's life may seem, behind closed doors everybody deals with tragedy, insecurity, and other difficulties. [9] X Research source Pay attention to and limit your use of social media to help you remember this.
• Rather than comparing yourself with people who are "better off" than you, think about all of the people who are homeless, chronically ill, or living in poverty. This will help you appreciate what you have rather than feeling sorry for yourself. Try engaging in volunteer work to help make this more apparent. This can help to boost your happiness and confidence as well.

Cultivating Success in Every Aspect of Your Life

• Remember, some chances only come around once. You can't bank them.
• This doesn't mean you should throw away all your savings or get rid of your safety net. It just means you should say yes when you are given an offer to move ahead.

• When making friends with someone, ask yourself if the person makes you feel motivated, positive, and confident, or if they make you feel tired, overwhelmed, or incompetent. Choose to spend time with the positive people, not the ones sucking your energy.
• If you have friends or family members who always make you feel bad about yourself, limit the time you spend with them. Also, make sure to identify relationships that are not helping you to move towards your goals, that stress you out, or that require too much of your time and energy without being reciprocal.
• Look for mentors among the people you admire. If you think you could learn from someone, ask for their advice.

Moshe Ratson, MFT, PCC

Being a positive person can help your relationships. Make an effort to build strong connections with the people who matter most. Bringing humor, kindness, compassion, and fun into your interactions can make a big difference.

• Respect the boundaries others set for you, too. Listen to your loved ones when they tell you they need space, or want to do something alone.

Expert Q&A

• Keep yourself inspired by anything that inspires you: music, photography, fashion, current events, etc. Nothing else ignites a flame in you like a great source of inspiration. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Having positive role models in your life can help keep you motivated and lead you in the right direction. Your role model may or may not be somebody you know personally. Learn about your role model's life story and try to adopt their work ethic. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Use planners, calendars, and to-do lists to schedule important tasks and passion projects. Checking off completed items gives a sense of progress and motivation. But avoid overscheduling yourself. Leave time for flexibility and self-care.
• Build relationships with positive, supportive people who share your core values and lift you up. Their energy can inspire you to keep pursuing your dreams. Limit time with those who undermine your goals or drain your energy unnecessarily.
• Make a list of your core values and true passions first. Then set S.M.A.R.T. goals aligned with them. This provides meaning and fulfillment beyond just money or status. Define success based on your own fulfillment, not others' standards.
• Stay focused on enjoying the journey rather than fixating only on distant end goals. Appreciate small joys and blessings in each present moment. True contentment comes from within, not external validation.
• Regularly count your blessings during wins and losses alike. Maintain perspective by remembering everyone's life has ups and downs. Focus daily gratitude on what you have, rather than what you lack.
• Break large goals down into smaller, manageable steps. Then make consistent progress each day through self-discipline. Always honor commitments made to yourself and others. Meet your own standards.

• Never get jealous about others achievements. Rather work hard to reach your personal greatest heights. Thanks Helpful 14 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/turning-point/201404/how-live-purposeful-and-fulfilling-life
• ↑ Kamila Tan. Life and Recovery Coach. Expert Interview. 24 June 2022.
• ↑ https://positivepsychology.com/self-compassion-self-love/
• ↑ https://www.apa.org/topics/behavioral-health/lifestyle-changes
• ↑ https://www.apa.org/education-career/guide/subfields/teaching-learning
• ↑ https://positivepsychology.com/perma-model/
• ↑ https://psychcentral.com/lib/depression-and-letting-go-of-negative-thoughts/
• ↑ https://au.reachout.com/articles/5-ways-to-tame-your-social-media-use
• ↑ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055944
• ↑ https://psychcentral.com/lib/10-way-to-build-and-preserve-better-boundaries/

About This Article

One way to be successful in life is by making a plan for success, starting with making a list of things that you’re passionate about. You can ask a friend or family member to help you identify your interests and values, and then set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals. When it comes to making a big decision, ask yourself “Is what I’m doing going to lead me to where I want to be in life?” If the answer is no, consider a different option. Be sure to stick to your commitments and take actions every day to achieve your goals. To learn more about how to manage your finances and time from our Professional Counselor co-author, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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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 .

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Business Management Ideas

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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How to Define Success in Life: My Definition of Success

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Success in life essay 15 models

admin May 24, 2018

Success in life essay contains many wonderful ideas on how to achieve success in all areas of life. Success is the ambition of every human being who always seeks to achieve it. All of this will be found here through Success in life essay in English.

Success in life essay

No one likes failure, but on the contrary everyone is always striving for excellence and success, but why can not we all achieve success ?! This is what we will learn here where success has several factors you will find here on Success in life essay.

Success, the dream of every person in this life, and a wish that everyone seeks to reach. Success is a major reason for sustaining life with great motivation.

To succeed in life must succeed in all areas, in study, work, social life, human relations, and in our relationship with the Creator; because all things of life depend on each other.

Reasons for Success in Life;

Belief in God: A man needs in his instinct to God, Without realizing this instinct, man remains confused. And belief in God earns man comfort and tranquility. 

Setting specific goals:  Successful man has specific goals to be achieved in the short and long term, and is required to achieve.

Short goals are usually mini-targets to reach the larger goal,  For example, obtaining a doctorate in English literature requires several goals, the least of which is to obtain a bachelor’s degree, and then master.

 These goals require a set of other objectives, such as passing exams, preparing reports, Thus, a person feels a goal in his life that seeks it, which gives him motivation for progress and achievement.

Continually developing skills:  Our world is witnessing many different aspects of development. The devices and inventions are renewed every day, Therefore, man must be aware of these inventions,  As well as skills development in various aspects, such as communication skills, language learning and others.

Optimism and self-confidence: One of the most important factors that help to succeed is the confidence of the person in himself, in addition to being optimistic about the positive outcome.  If he fails, he must try again, not surrender, and work hard to correct the mistakes he has made to avoid failure.

Being with the Successful:  The companion has the greatest impact on human ambition .  Escorting the losers increases human frustration and pessimism, while accompanying the successful increases hope, motivation, and self-confidence.

  Assistance other people: The help of others brings inner satisfaction and psychological comfort, which sharpens the spirit of man, and pays him to give more to himself and to others, And thus becomes more productive, as it receives the satisfaction of God and the love of people, which means success in social and religious life.

Avoid vanity:  Humans should enjoy humility no matter how high they are,  When a person is tempted by himself, and thinks that he has reached a great amount,he does not continue in the achievement and giving,  Thus others develop and perform ,and he will remain where he is, and gradually turn into a failed person.

How to be successful in life essay

There is no doubt that everyone aspires to succeed in life and achieve the goals that he wants to achieve. To succeed in life, steps are studied from the experiences of men who were able to overcome all obstacles and succeed in a remarkable and honorable manner.

It can be said that the most important factor a person needs to succeed is faith in his dream. Anyone can dream, plan, set goals, and work with great effort and sincerity in his work.

But the most thing that makes a lot of business or plans fail is to stop believing in a dream, to stop getting up every day in a lively, energetic and passionate way to achieve this dream. Once they go through some hardships, many give up on their dream.

Then comes the importance of good planning and thoughtful management of any goal. Planning in advance can save you a lot of time, so it is difficult to get distracted, as happens with many people.

How to achieve success in life essay

Undoubtedly, life does not give many golden opportunities. I’m absolutely sure of this, I can see a lot of people around me regret missing the golden opportunities that were offered once in their lives.

So I made two plans for myself, which I strive to achieve:

Diligence in studying, excelling, and working as a lawyer, I find that this specialization has a very brilliant future and achieves great financial benefits, in addition to the benefits of public relations and getting to know others.

Therefore, I set a plan to strive with all my energy to achieve this goal and work to increase my focus. In addition to participating in some quick wit classes to improve my intellectual level and increase awareness. Of course, I am still in an early stage of education, but it is good to have a goal to achieve.

second plan

I find that participating in sports is something that has a bright future. So learning it from now and improving and developing my skills and maintaining my physical fitness, will certainly guarantee me a good chance to achieve this goal. There are many people who have been able to succeed through one of the sports such as football or basketball.

My plan is to combine a popular sport and art, to ensure several plans that help me succeed. Therefore, I think that I am striving to achieve success and must continue on the path that I am following.

Topic About Success

Every success in life has good planning, fatigue, effort and sacrifice. Nothing comes easily in the world, there are many success stories in life, but they always have another side that no one knows about.

Like someone who succeeded in designing an invention at the age of 50, although he started with this idea 25 years ago, but he did not give up. So no one looks at how his life is and has he practiced the activities he loves enough or not, has he gone out and faced life like others or not, so I say that success is the price of sacrifice.

Many believe that success is the result of effort and adherence to a dream only, but this is not true. In order to succeed, you must harness everything in your life to achieve this success, from waking up early every day, working on improving and constantly planning for the dream you have in mind, expanding relationships and trying to involve people who support the idea, whether morally or financially and to sacrifice all distractions and live for your dream only until it comes true. This is what it takes to succeed from my point of view.

Essay on success in life

The real success in life is the possession of health along with good planning for how to live and maintain it, money comes and goes, Therefore, it is great for a person to work on maintaining his health first and providing as much good external relations as possible, such as making good alms and relationships.

After that comes the role of money, how to spend it, good planning and continuous search for unique opportunities to increase money and form successful projects.

Now it has become easy to climb the ladders of fame and success, due to the great thirst for what is new, whether in the world of art, sports, or technology.

Therefore, the many opportunities around us have become accessible to everyone, through which success can be achieved. All it takes is to maintain the goals and strive to achieve them.

Essay about success in life

Success in life requires achieving goals, striving, diligence, holding on to your dreams, and having complete faith in yourself and your dream.

And no matter how circumstances around you change, you must still stick to your dream and strive to achieve it. This is how he achieves success in life, when a person arranges his priorities and sets a clear plan for how to use the time, he can achieve many achievements and gain a lot of experience.

When you set short-term goals, medium-term goals, and long-term goals, and then seek to achieve them and stick to these goals without distraction, you will definitely get satisfactory results or very close to what you expected.

And if you do not reach your goal, you will be close to it and have experience and knowledge of its requirements, and then you can stick to and continue to try until success is achieved.

Short essay on success in life

Success in life is the fruit of fatigue and effort from long days of staying up late or waking up early for study or training.

Life is not always generous and gives opportunities on a plate of gold, you must have the required skills first so that life gives you a chance. Such as having high skills in a sport such as soccer, basketball, or any other game.

Or getting tired and diligent in studying to a great extent so that you can get the first positions that will help you get a prestigious job.

Any golden opportunity requires that you be talented or have the skills for this job. Then comes the big prize, success in life. When you achieve your goal and get what you want, you have already achieved success in life.

The wonderful thing about diligence, fatigue, and improving a person’s abilities, is that self-confidence becomes greater. And he is very willing to face anything without fear and hesitation because he can rely on his abilities and talents and submit them. This guarantees him many chances of success.

Importance of success in life essay

Success in life, especially at an early age, helps to greatly benefit from what you have achieved. Whenever your success is great and you are young and have the health to enjoy it, only then will success have meaning for you.

As for those who achieve success to be immortalized after them or to leave it to their children, the success will certainly be great and appreciated as well.

The importance of success in life

1- Self-realization by bringing out his full capabilities and striving to achieve his goals and succeed in them.

2- Self-satisfaction, the more a person can succeed in life, the more he has self-confidence and he is able to deal differently and more confidently.

3- Benefiting society from its success, many people seek to achieve remarkable change and leave an unforgettable imprint in their history, so when a person invents something that benefits humanity, he leaves an imprint behind him that immortalizes his name and helps society to progress and improve.

Therefore, whatever your goal of success or the concept of success for you, in the end the benefit will accrue to you, whether material or historical benefit. It is wonderful if it is materialistic to be at an early age so that you can live and enjoy it.

How to become successful in life essay

Success in life requires perseverance, effort, patience, strength, and most of all, thoughtful future plans, and good money management. This is how a person achieves great success in life.

When you make future plans from a young age and strive to achieve them and strive for yourself, in addition to clinging to what you have and not giving up easily and giving up what you have for something that is not guaranteed, this helps to get closer to what you plan.

Self-confidence is gained from the experiences  that you gain from falling and getting up, as you benefit from it how to deal with all things.

After confidence comes striving and perseverance to achieve the goal, the more you stick to your dream and strive to achieve it, the closer you get to it.

Then comes the lessons learned from others, and you must take them into account, and do not ignore them, as often misplaced trust drops its owner.

My idea of success in life essay

My idea of ​​true success in life is to have health, good companionship, and true love from family and friends. All material things and others can be achieved, but if health is lost, it is difficult to obtain it again and replace it.

Therefore, success requires effort and continuous work to maintain health, follow a good healthy diet, a lot of exercise, and make sure to eat healthy foods free of any harmful substances.

Besides dealing well with others, and being the best person in all situations, no matter how much sacrifice or concession you require.

Nothing is permanent and friends and family may lose them at any time, so it is good to hold on to them and pay attention to what makes them happy, and avoid what grieves them.

So, from my point of view, this is how you  achieve success in life.

Essay on how to achieve success in life

Undoubtedly, there are many success stories surrounding us that have inspired many people to become like their starting point in their attempt to achieve success in their own lives as well.

But I see that real success in life does not need to follow the stories of others or try to imitate the steps, because I see that the real success in life is that you have your own inspiration, and your own life, and not look at the lives of others.

It does not matter how much money or friends you have, or acquaintances in prestigious places, it is enough to be happy and live in your way, and have health, and no matter what your food or what you have, a lot or a little, it does not matter, it is enough to be thankful and grateful for it.

This is the perspective of success in life from my point of view, it may change in the future, it may remain the same, I do not know what I will learn from life tomorrow. But I hope that my convictions will remain, in a sense of contentment with what I have.

Paragraph on success in life

Success in life requires a lot of fatigue and diligence, a lot of patience and planning, a careful study of goals and ambitions, a vision for the future, and an organized schedule with specific goals according to priority with close goals, medium-term goals, long-term goals,

Walking in this footsteps, not rushing, and trying to succeed quickly without building firm rules that maintain success, from my point of view, these are the basics that help in achieving success in life, and I follow them mainly in many important matters in my life.

Being successful in life essay

In order to become successful in life, I must set my goals and make plans for how to manage my life, and choose the appropriate ways and means for my personality, which make me progress in my life happily, and not waste my life without enjoying my life and having a good life and future.

Therefore, it is great to choose things that you love, whether in the academic aspect, hobby, or work. Forming advance plans for the implementation of these plans and setting up a model that defines the type of goal and the time required for its achievement .

Putting finished goals in a list and unfinished business in a list, allocating time for them and managing enough hours for rest, allocating time for study and development in any of the matters of life, until you reach a good result in all the things you do, and the formation of a strong personality and self-confidence that you can rely on in your next life.

Why you can succeed in life essay

It is wonderful that there are many successful experiences that surround us in life. You can see the success achieved by many people around the world, how to achieve this, and what ideas they took to achieve this success.

All of these things can be studied and benefited from their experience. In addition to reading and attending some lectures on human development and self-development, and reading about such matters.

Once you collect such things and information, you will find that you have a great opportunity to start preparing a plan for your future and your life.

And you can rely on many of the means and methods used by those before you and develop them by integrating them in several different experiences, and benefiting from them.

This is how I can succeed in life and make use of the time and spend all the time in carrying out good tasks and works that benefit me without wasting time.

How to become successful in life paragraph

Undoubtedly, there are many successful experiences that many people have presented before. We can see a lot of successful people around us.

If we look into everyone’s lives, we will find that everyone has a dream, and these people stuck to their dream, and tried to achieve it to benefit from it and benefit humanity.

And the greatest people who worked for the benefit of humanity, and we find in their stories a lot of fatigue and effort, and that they sacrificed pleasure and enjoyment all the time in their lives in exchange for presenting their dream to humanity.

Where they worked for hours and long years, trying to solve all the obstacles, and find appropriate solutions that could benefit humanity.

And use everything that is available to them, and strive to achieve more things that help them develop these dreams and bring them to light.

In the end, after studying and designing, holding on to the dream, a lot of patience, and a lot of completed tasks that they worked on, we find them to be a world famous in front of us today.

We are proud of them and we see the amount of success they achieved in their short life, but it lives for many years that cannot be counted.

We have provided you with success in life essay, and you can read more topics through the following link:

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Success: How Do You Define It? Essay

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Introduction

The meaning of success.

Success is a word that all the human beings use a number of times during their social life. It is been used, discussed and researched frequently by the social scientists and psychologists. In this world so many people have been trying hard for success, many are achieving success, and others are not fortunate. They are doomed and buried in their endeavors to accomplish success. Many unfortunate have been perusing success for long years, but some are getting it almost suddenly without much hard work. Success is the very concept upon which many wars have been fought between countries and many innocent were killed.

Success to one man may be the dominion over another; to another man it may be his internal gratification. 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. Since all the words are only symbols and meaning is added to it later by general consensus, the word success also gets several meanings according to the context in which it is used.

The etymology of the word success says that it is derived from the Latin word ‘successus’ which means ‘an advance, succession, happy outcome’, and it is first recorded in 1586 (*5). The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines the term success as “the achievement of a desired aim, or of fame, wealth or social position” (*1). Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary gives the definition “favorable or desired outcome; also: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence” (*2) Other dictionaries define success as “The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted [or] The gaining of fame or prosperity” (*3), “An event that accomplishes its intended purpose”, “A state of prosperity or fame” (*4) etc. so, all the dictionary meanings directs us to the meaning that success is achieving something; that may be money, fame or prosperity.

Many of the successful men in the world have endeavored to define the term success. Bessie Stanley defines success as follows:

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction. (*6)

Here Stanley’s definition gives a big list as the parameter of success. Thoreau’s strong belief in self-reliance made him say that “I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. (*6). Thoreau is so much confident about the world and the capability of the human beings to advance steadily in life with their will power. Michel Korda echoes Thoreau when he says “To succeed, we must first believe that we can”. Ralf Emerson also thinks in the same line when he says “Self-trust is the first secret of success” (*6).

As we mentioned earlier, the meaning of success will be different to different people. It comes in many forms with many definitions. What an individual is searching in life, in business, or in business defines success for him. A sports star may have one definition of success, and a house wife staying at home may have quite a different definition. A film director seems to count his success by his film becoming a huge hit in the theatres, and a doctor may consider success from a surgery that succeeded. It largely depends on what perspective of life one has.

But apart from all definitions and quotes, success can be said as something that is formed as the finishing point of all the dreams. All the dreams make its end in success. Success cannot be treated as a mere word. For some people, it is all about fulfilling it in life. In the past, success of a person is counted in terms of his or her growing bank balance only, but today all those old concepts have changed. The all-inclusive materialistic mantras have given way to a holistic and positive attitude to life. Success is counted as a result of the synergy of various factors such as material, economical and spiritual satisfaction.

Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who tried to synthesis a large body of research on the topic, motivation. Maslow’s theories posited a hierarchy of human needs, which was divided into two sections; deficiency needs and growth needs. According to Maslow, the individual is ready to act upon the growth needs only after meeting the deficiency needs. The individual attains self actualization when all his growth needs are fulfilled. Maslow says that self-actualization is the ultimate aim of all the individuals’ life. Maslow’s self-actualization can be seen as another word for success.

Maslow’s self-actualization includes both material and spiritual concepts of success. A general misconception about success is that it encompasses only material prosperity. People think that the shortcut to success is to work hard, make a lot of money, and neglect or negate the inner life. Being successful spiritually doesn’t mean success. Instead, it is only a way to sainthood. Both these thought patterns leads someone to go astray.

Some cultures, for example Ancient Indian Culture, gave importance to spiritual success, and the result was growing poverty in the nation. The modern world with its globalization and modernization spirits gives importance to material success and the result is growing dissatisfaction and insecurity feelings even among these successful people. The ideal successful life is defined by many Ancient Indian philosophers as fullness in the outer, material world with that much fullness in the inner, spiritual world each reflecting, considering and supporting each other. So, an amalgam of these two patterns will give real success to a man.

It is not always what someone achieved decides how successful he or she is. In some cases those who are considered by the society as rich or successful may not consider themselves as successful. Rather than how much one has, it is ones attitude towards what he has decides his level of success. Some people think about their inferior sides only and consider themselves as total failures, however superior they are in other areas. A rich man having all the abundance in life may be thinking sadly about his children who are not brilliant enough to manage his wealth, or he may be worrying about his poor health. This is a peculiarity of the human mind. He will not be satisfied with anything in life. So, in this way no one will be labeled as successful.

From the experience of those who were successful in life, modern success trainers have deduced many tips to become successful in life. The first step to become successful in life is to identify ones heartfelt needs versus fantasies. Then focus on one thing at a time, and always be willing to admit need. One should show a strong commitment to accomplish that need. The next step is to prioritize the needs. One way to prioritize ones needs is to make a list of the things that one may do if one has only two days to live. Then think logically and set up a time limit for the most important things in the list.

Using visualizations of the set goals will increase the rate at which enthusiasm is generated in the mind. Cutting pictures related to the goals and putting them on the pin up board will help to boost enthusiasm. This enthusiasm changes the whole body chemistry, breaking down all mental blocks. Having a staunch belief in God will help to achieve goals and to be successful. One should have a willingness to receive ever without doubting ones worthiness is a quality that one should cultivate in their lives. Always ask to oneself “what should I do today to ahead towards my goal”. This conversation with one’s heart will help to create a strong mental energy to be successful in the deeds that one is involved in. The final tip for success is to surrender one’s little self to the true self, and go on with the plan.

Whatever definitions the word success has, or whatever ways are there to achieve it, true success is the achievement and realization of a valuable ideal that your heart has desired for and is connected to. It can be called as ones birth passion or success passion. People often tend to die for such passions. This is why some people explode out and do their maximum and come back successfully in life, and some others struggle all their life for it without any achievement. These two categories are operating two different spheres of success and action. Success is double and highly spirited when it is filled with emotion, boosted by passion, controlled by destiny and created with the fire of the heart. So, there is no success like the success where the heart is connected to it with the flames of passion.

• *1. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1997.
• *2- Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary. Web.
• *3- TheFreeDictionary. Web.
• *4- Worldweb Online. Web.
• *5. Online etymology dictionary. Web.
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1. IvyPanda . "Success: How Do You Define It?" August 16, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/success-how-do-you-define-it/.

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Essay on Failure Is The Stepping Stone To Success

Students are often asked to write an essay on Failure Is The Stepping Stone To Success 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 Failure Is The Stepping Stone To Success

Introduction.

Failure is often seen as a bad thing. But, if we change our view, we can see it as a stepping stone to success. It’s a chance to learn and grow.

Learning from Mistakes

When we fail, we learn what doesn’t work. This helps us find what does work. We gain knowledge and experience from our mistakes.

Building Character

Failure also builds our character. It makes us strong and resilient. It shows us that we can face challenges and not give up.

Path to Success

So, failure is not the end. It’s the start of a journey to success. By learning and growing from our failures, we can reach our goals.

250 Words Essay on Failure Is The Stepping Stone To Success

In life, everyone aims to be successful. But the road to success is not always smooth. We often face hurdles and sometimes, we fail. Yet, it is crucial to understand that failure is not the end. Instead, it is a stepping stone to success.

When we make mistakes, we learn what not to do. This is important because it helps us avoid the same mistakes in the future. For example, if a student fails in a test, he will study harder next time to pass. This is how failure acts as a stepping stone to success.

The Role of Persistence

Being persistent is key to overcoming failure. When we fail, we should not give up. Instead, we should try again with more determination. The story of Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, is a great example. He failed thousands of times before he succeeded.

Turning Failure into Success

To turn failure into success, we need to have a positive mindset. We should view failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. By doing so, we can turn our failures into stepping stones towards success.

In conclusion, failure is not something to be feared. It is, in fact, a stepping stone to success. It teaches us valuable lessons, makes us persistent, and helps us grow. So, the next time you fail, remember that it’s not the end, but the beginning of a journey towards success.

500 Words Essay on Failure Is The Stepping Stone To Success

Understanding failure.

Failure is when we are unable to achieve our goals or meet our expectations. It is a part of life that everyone experiences at one point or another. It can be in school, at home, or in our daily activities. Failure can make us feel sad and disappointed. But we should not let these feelings stop us from trying again.

Learning from Failure

Each failure teaches us something. It shows us what doesn’t work and encourages us to find a different way to reach our goals. For example, imagine you are trying to ride a bicycle for the first time. You may fall down many times. But each fall teaches you something new. You learn how to balance, how to pedal, and how to steer. Eventually, you learn to ride the bicycle. In this case, each fall or failure was a stepping stone to your success.

Failure and Success

Building resilience.

Facing failures can make us stronger. It builds our resilience, which is our ability to bounce back from difficult situations. When we fail, we have two choices. We can give up, or we can try again. By choosing to try again, we are building our resilience. We are showing that we are not afraid of failure. We are ready to learn from it and move forward.

In conclusion, failure is not something to be afraid of. It is a stepping stone to success. Each failure is a lesson that brings us closer to our goals. So, the next time you fail, do not be disheartened. Remember, it is just a stepping stone on your path to success. Embrace it, learn from it, and move forward with more determination. Success is waiting for you at the end of your journey.

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‘Thread that needle’: Kamala Harris’ criminal justice policies in California angered progressives and police 

As the new Democratic standard bearer, Vice President Kamala Harris has described her contest with former President Donald Trump in blunt terms — tough prosecutor versus civil and criminal defendant .

“I took on perpetrators of all kinds, predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own game,” Harris said at a rally in Wisconsin on Tuesday. “So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type.”

But critics say that Harris’ record as a prosecutor, first as the district attorney in San Francisco and later as the California attorney general, reveals a political chameleon rather than a tough-on-crime top cop, according to interviews with current and former law enforcement leaders across the state, civil rights advocates and politicians.

In a statement, Harris campaign spokesperson James Singer said, “During her career in law enforcement, Kamala Harris was a pragmatic prosecutor who successfully took on predators, fraudsters, and cheaters like Donald Trump.”

Harris has written two books about her time as a prosecutor and attorney general. In her 2009 book, “Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer,” published near the end of her tenure as DA, Harris described herself as a prosecutor who was “tough on crime by being Smart on Crime,” said she promoted programs to fix recidivism and made “improving my office’s felony conviction rates my number one priority.”

Five years later, after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, which vaulted the Black Lives Movement onto the national stage and made criminal justice reform a top issue, Harris embraced the calls for change.

In her 2019 memoir, “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,” published while she was senator, Harris described herself as a “progressive prosecutor.”

“I knew I was there for the victims. Both the victims of crimes committed and the victims of a broken criminal justice system,” Harris wrote. “For me, to be a progressive prosecutor is to understand — and act on — this dichotomy.”

Trump and his allies are now trying to emphasize the “progressive” part of Harris’ identity. On Tuesday, the former president attacked Harris as a “radical left person” and blamed current crime in the city on her tenure as district attorney.

“Really, what you should do is take a look at San Francisco now compared to before she became the district attorney, and you’ll see what she’ll do to our country,” Trump said.

'Tough' and 'compassionate' 

Harris, the daughter of an economist and a scientist , was born in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley and graduated from Howard University in 1986. She then attended the University of California law school in San Francisco, then known as Hastings, graduating in 1989, according to her congressional biography , and immediately began working as a prosecutor. She first worked at the Alameda County District Attorney’s office, prosecuting child sexual assault cases and later moved to the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, which provides legal services to the city and represents it in civil claims; she served as head of the office’s division on children and families.

Louise Renne, who as San Francisco city attorney at the time was Harris’ boss, said she hired Harris because she was known for being “tough on the law” as well as “compassionate and kind,” Renne told NBC News in an interview this week.

In 2003, after working five years in San Francisco, Harris was elected the city’s first Black, South Asian and female district attorney.

During her seven years in that office, Harris began formulating a reputation of being a careful prosecutor committed to holding individuals who commit serious crimes accountable and helping nonviolent offenders turn their lives around.

Lateefah Simon, who started the office’s first youth offender re-entry division under Harris, praised her approach.

“She’s the only district attorney that I would ever work for to this day, because I believed the ethics that she put into the office,” said Simon, who is now running for Congress in the Bay Area as a Democrat. “She tried to create an office that was fair and balanced.” 

Four months after Harris was sworn in, a gang member shot and killed police Officer Isaac Espinoza in April 2004. She declined to charge the gunman with a capital offense, sparing him from the death penalty. Harris’ decision rankled California’s political leadership.

During Espinoza’s funeral, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., slammed Harris’ decision. “This is not only the definition of tragedy, it’s the special circumstance called for by the death penalty law,” Feinstein said at the time. 

Throughout her tenure as district attorney, Harris focused on securing convictions. Felony conviction rates rose from 52% to 71%, and gun crime convictions rose to 92% in the first five years she was in office, according to her book.

“We are sending three times as many offenders to state prison [as] we were in 2001, three years before I took office,” Harris wrote in her 2009 book.

She also increased convictions for drug sellers, from 56% in 2003 to 74% in 2008, Harris noted. At the same time, Harris also implemented the Back on Track program, which provided nonviolent offenders — many of whom were low-level drug dealers — with the chance to receive a high school diploma, job training and access to available work, instead of prison sentences.

“The imperative today is both to go after the worst criminals and also to redirect the future of lower level offenders,” wrote Harris in her 2009 book.

Her relationship with progressives grew strained. She pushed for the prosecution of truancy cases — which resulted in the parents of children who were habitually absent from school being prosecuted and forced to pay fines of up $2,500 and potentially serving up to a year in jail. Some critics said the policy disproportionately affected Black families.

A Harris campaign aide said the policy was effective: "Truancy dropped by 33 percent because of the policy and it also helped people in the community — this wasn’t one or two days; this was kids missing 60 to 80 days out of a 180-day school year."

Harris also clashed with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors over a policy related to undocumented immigrants . In 1989, the board made San Francisco a “sanctuary city,” which meant that local police were generally not allowed to share any information with federal immigration agencies that they had obtained from interactions with undocumented people.

Harris, along with then- San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom , later supported a policy that would require law enforcement to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if an undocumented juvenile immigrant was arrested under suspicion of committing a felony.  

David Campos, who has served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors as well as the Police Commission, said he and other progressives have not always agreed with Harris, but supports her bid for the presidency.

“She will be able to bring forward an experience, that perspective, that points to results where she was able to thread that needle between being tough on crime and also being reform-minded when it comes to criminal justice,” said Campos, who is now the vice-chair of the California Democratic Party.

A Harris campaign aide said, "If you’re angering the far left and the far right, you’re probably doing something right."

Prison reform

Several years after Harris was elected state attorney general in 2010, California voters passed a ballot measure that enacted sweeping sentencing reforms across the state. In an effort to relieve overcrowding in the state's prison, the proposition reclassified a list of felonies as misdemeanors, including certain drug crimes and theft — including shoplifting of property valued at less than $950.

The attorney general’s office under Harris released a summary of the law , called Proposition 47, which predicted that prison and jail populations would decrease while funding for truancy reduction programs and mental health services would rise. It also predicted that the state criminal justice system would save hundreds of millions of dollars due to the changes, and local prosecutors and sheriffs would have reduced workloads.

As of last week, prison officials reported, there were 92,480 people locked up in California’s prison systems, down from a height of more than 156,000 inmates during the early 2010s before the law was passed. But as NBC News reported last year , California’s reforms created a prison-to-homelessness pipeline, as counties were overwhelmed with an influx of returning inmates.

Violent crime, meanwhile, has increased across the state. The state attorney general’s office reported that from 2014 to 2023, violent crime had risen by more than 30% — including jumps in rapes, aggravated assaults and murders.

Although Harris didn’t take a formal position on the measure, Republicans accused her of misrepresenting Proposition 47 to the public. Steve Cooley, who served as the Los Angeles County district attorney from 2000 to 2012, blamed the rise in crime on Harris and the referendum.

“The damage has been untold and, in a sense, irreparable,” said Cooley, who ran as a Republican against Harris for attorney general. “It was beyond a bait and switch. It was fraud by misrepresentation.”

Critics also blame a rise in retail theft in California on Proposition 47. They say the reforms enable serial shoplifters to cycle in and out of police custody with little accountability. Even if they are repeatedly arrested, they are only charged with misdemeanors as long as the goods are valued at less than $950.

Frustration over shoplifting is now driving voters to try to amend the law. In November, California residents will decide whether to amend Proposition 47 to allow people with two theft convictions to be charged with a felony after being caught stealing a third time. It would also permit judges to sentence repeat “hard drug” offenders to prison instead of jail.

Douglas Eckenrod, a former deputy director of parole for the California prison system, who is now running for sheriff as a Republican in Sedona, Arizona, said Harris was too lenient on criminals. 

“Kamala Harris is not a hard-liner [on crime],” Eckenrod said. “Prop 47 couldn’t happen without the AG’s office support. Her support of it was literally critical.”

In 2017, Harris left her post as California’s attorney general after being elected to the U.S. Senate.

Police reform

Harris’ relationship with both police officers and police reform activists has been fraught. 

When she ran for attorney general in 2010, the San Francisco police union president did not back her, citing her refusal to seek the death penalty in the killing of Officer Espinoza. “That is a relationship that is never going to be OK,” union boss Gary Delagnes told SF Weekly at the time.

Harris also attracted criticism from those on the left. Civil rights attorneys and police reform advocates lambasted her for failing to charge police officers who they said had used excessive force in deadly confrontations. 

John Burris, an Oakland-based civil rights attorney who has sued police departments and officers across the state, said he couldn’t recall a police violence case that Harris, as San Francisco district attorney and later as California attorney general, chose to prosecute. But he added, prosecutors during that era rarely challenged police officers.

“It’s no secret that prosecuting police in shooting cases is an uphill battle for the most part,” Burris said. “I thought that she appreciated those issues, even though I didn’t necessarily agree with the ultimate decision.”

Harris also rarely used a state law, enacted in 2001, that allows the attorney general to investigate problematic local law enforcement agencies for widespread abuses. In December 2016, weeks before she was sworn in as senator, Harris announced that her office would investigate the Kern County Sheriff’s Office and the Bakersfield Police Department over allegations of excessive force and serious misconduct.

A spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, defended her record and said in a statement to NBC News that Harris also opened an investigation into the Stockton School District and its school police department. The California Department of Justice later found that the Stockton school district had referred a disproportionate number of Black, Latino and disabled students to law enforcement.

The spokesperson also noted that Harris launched an open data initiative that releases the number of law enforcement officers killed or assaulted on the job, the number of people who die in custody, and the number of arrests and bookings. She also announced new requirements for reporting officer-involved shootings and use of force incidents. 

Despite complaints that she failed to hold police accountable for abusive behavior, Harris said in her 2019 memoir that she supported the mission of Black Lives Matter. She credited the protests for motivating her to make several policy changes. 

Harris wrote that she required officers in California to attend anti-bias training and ordered some state-level officers to start to wear body cameras.

“I was able to do it because the Black Lives Matter movement had created intense pressure,” Harris wrote. “By forcing these issues onto the national agenda, the movement created an environment on the outside that helped give me the space to get it done on the inside.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated where Harris grew up. She grew up in Berkeley, not Oakland (where she was born).

Alexandra Chaidez is an associate producer with the NBC News Investigative Unit

Simone Weichselbaum is a national investigative reporter for NBC News, focusing on local and federal law enforcement issues. She previously was a police reporter for The Marshall Project, the New York Daily News and the Philadelphia Daily News. She holds a graduate degree in criminology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Andrew Blankstein is an investigative reporter for NBC News. He covers the Western U.S., specializing in crime, courts and homeland security. 

News | Update: Oriel’s Liam Corrigan wins gold in rowing at Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Update: Oriel’s Liam Corrigan wins gold in rowing at Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Three Oriel athletes are medal contenders at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Update: Thursday 1 August, 11.32am. Edited: Thursday 1 August, 13.24pm.

Congratulations to Oriel’s Financial Economics alumnus Liam Corrigan (2021), who has just won gold for the USA in the men’s coxless four final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Update: Thursday 1 August, 8.26am .

Three athletes from Oriel College are currently competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

They are alumnus Liam Corrigan, current student Charlie Elwes and incoming graduate Tom Mackintosh.

Corrigan, rowing for the USA’s men’s coxless four, will compete in the final on Thursday, 1 August, at 11:10 BST.

Mackintosh will participate in the men’s single sculls final on Saturday, 3 August, at 9:30 BST. Previously, he won gold as part of New Zealand’s men’s eight in Tokyo.

Elwes, aiming for his second Olympic medal, will row in Team GB’s men’s eight final on Saturday, 3 August, at 10:10 BST.

Stay tuned for further updates.

John Donne’s personal copy of law book rediscovered in Senior Library

British composer elected visiting fellow in music at oriel college, oriel fellows’ spin-out oxford semantic technologies acquired by samsung electronics.