Being my own version of an adult is so much better than high school

/

To me, being successful means...
What a question. For some reason I tend to think of my life now by how my kids are doing, my husband, myself and the state of other relationships I have in my life. When all of those things are hitting I feel successful but when they're not I don't. It seems too close-in and too short term for such a global definition but that's how I measure my life day to day. The bigger, grandiose definitions are wonderful and make for good quotes to remind myself of sometimes but I don't think anyone really stays true to them.   

My definition of success has changed over time. 
In high school it was about grades, sports and college ranking. In college it was grades, social status, job offers. In career it was work reviews, weddings and grad school. As a Mom, it's are my kids happy, having fun and learning. With my husband, right now, it's are we getting along, lol.

Read More

Hoping my journey to be a part of change has mattered

/ Hobee's in Town & Country [now closed]/

To me, being successful means...
Getting to a place in your life when you offer advice and opinions without looking around the room for confirmation that you gave the right answer.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
Not about money or position but about a confidence that you know you are now the grown up in the room.

Read More

Purposeful, Playful, Passionate

/ Palo Alto Baylands/

To me, being successful means...
never giving up on oneself and learning lessons from failures as much or more than accomplishments

My definition of success has changed over time. 
As a young person/adult, I thought success was measured by achievements and milestones (eg. getting a degree, securing a job, owning property, getting married, and having children). Life taught me it's not about the what that made my life fulfilling, but the who and why. The relationships and personal connections (fleeting as well as enduring) that I made helped shaped the way I viewed as well as moved in the world. Learning to savor and value the experience of my journey than impatiently focused on reaching my destination.

Read More

No Matter What, Don't Give Up

/

To me, being successful means...
Being able to look in the mirror and be happy with the person looking back. It helps to have a secure home and loving family, too. But those are rarely present or quickly flee without the mirror test, so that comes first. Can you be happy looking in the mirror?

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I learned that despite popular wisdom success is a group sport. I can't stand people who claim or imply that they "did it all on my own." The more I have scratched the surface of those stories over the years the more I find they are either delusions or outright lies. I recall one person I met years ago telling me how he had created a huge real estate empire entirely on his own, how "no one gave me a thing!" -- starting out with nothing, he insisted. I later learned he had inherited five SF properties from his dad. But he could not admit that. He just had to lie and claim to be a self-made man. What I have learned is that there is no such thing. There are just people who don't or won't recognize the people or situations that helped them.

Read More

Poor Palo Alto kid harnesses lessons learned into career of social justice

/ Mitchell Park/

To me, being successful means...
Being financially stable doing something that makes you fairly happy doing.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I used to think it was one or the other, financially stable versus being happy with what you are doing, defined success. Since I have come to the conclusion that it's a fair balance of the two.

Read More

Money isn't everything

/ Cafe Borrone/

To me, being successful means...
Being happy.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I used to think success was based off money and position within society/job. I look at it now as a feeling. You are successful if you are content with the stage in life you are at without comparison to others

Read More

Learning from your mistakes

/

To me, being successful means...
Feeling happy and proud of the things I am doing.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I learned to accept what I am doing and how long my path takes. I learned that I can't be perfect at everything.

Read More

Live a Life of Meaning

/

To me, being successful means...
Finding out what fulfills you over the long term and then persevering through the obstacles and challenges that will present themselves to you. I say "over the long term" because no matter how much you love something, there will be days, weeks that are challenging.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I thought success was a position, an award, an accolade or some other quantifiable thing. Now, I believe that kind of success also has a large element of luck as well. So therein lies the question, is a success that depends on luck really success at all? I'd argue not. Success is tied to your motivations, desires, effort, work, and resiliency. Therefore, success is more about finding a passion and driving forward through obstacles.

 

Read More

Palo Alto stereotype?

/ Mitchell Park/

To me, being successful means...
Success means spending my time being useful, learning, and having close relationships with my family and friends.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
Success used to be more about what other people thought of me, now it's about what I think of me and what those I love think of me.

Read More

A Donut a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

/ Happy Donuts/

To me, being successful means...
To be content with where you are, but most importantly, who you are.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I used to measure my success by where I stood compared to my peers. In hindsight, it's silly to think that a group of people, with all varying personalities and interests were expected to follow the same path.

Read More

Mediocre high school student finding success in college

/ The Dish/

To me, being successful means...
Being successful is something that is constantly changing to me. In high school, that math test was the biggest deal in my life. Then which college I went to seemed important. In college, a long term relationship that turned into a breakup seemed like the end of the world. Now, graduating from college, the job that I have seems to taken priority. That being said, being content in the present is something that to me signifies success. Nothing else really matters.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I think my concept of self confidence has improved after leaving Palo Alto. Having that confidence has allowed me to find success in more ways.

Read More

The 60's, VietNam, corporate law, and family. Learning to say yes.

/ St. Michael's Alley [original location]/

To me, being successful means...
Having good, lasting relationships with family and friends, leading a purposeful life in which I honor the things that light me up and contribute to the lives of others.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
In high school and college, I really didn't think about it much. I just knew I wanted to get a job, maybe have a family, and I was preparing for that. I really hadn't gone much beyond that. As a result, I set out on a pretty conventional path....Today, I look more at human values, relationships, and a sense of purpose. I wish that I had been a little more free, less fearful, about exploring different paths. For example, I think I might have loved teaching history at the college level.

Read More

finding a way

/ the swings in Mitchell Park/

To me, being successful means...
being happy-- doing what you love surrounded by people you care about

My definition of success has changed over time. 
used to think you had to be rich to be successful but that's not true. although having lots of money can be a measure of one form of success, its better to be happy doing something you like than to be rich but miserable 

Read More

I love you because You are You!

/ Blatz (fold-in ice cream) [now closed]/

To me, being successful means...
feeling good about oneself and one's contribution, place and station in life.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
When I was younger (especially when I went to [high school name omitted]), I thought my life was determined by where I went to college. I found that one's professional journey is much more complicated than where one went to school and that matters less than finding things you enjoy to do, feeling good about yourself and your life. There is still a nagging urge to accomplish but I can see it is more of a story than reality.

Read More

Life is short -- enjoy and keep learning and experiencing new things.

/ Main Library/

To me, being successful means...
Doing what you want to do and having a good balance between work, family and life.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
It used to be focused only on work success, now it is more holistic.

Read More

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.

/

To me, being successful means...
Being happy. having friends and family who support me in all areas of my life. Having a job/career that I am excited about and proud of.

My definition of success has not changed over time. 

 

Read More