To me, being successful means...
Learning new things for a better tomorrow, everyday. Never be afraid to fail, as that is what makes us stronger.
My definition of success has changed over time.
It used to be about money, and material things. Now I’m just glad for all I have and enjoy the little things in life.
To me, being successful means...
Finding the intersection between your talent and your interests. Learning to practice self-care and self-compassion. Learning to be yourself unapologetically.
My definition of success has changed over time.
Read MoreTo me, being successful means...
Setting values and living to them is to me being successful. Do what you say and say what you mean.
My definition of success has not changed over time.
I have been very constant in my beliefs on how to live my life
To me, being successful means...
Finishing what you start.
My definition of success has not changed over time.
Read MoreTo me, being successful means...
Feeling fulfilled with the decisions you have made to have gotten to where you are today.
My definition of success has changed over time.
It used to be about money and title.
To me, being successful means...
Being a content, self supporting participating member of society.
My definition of success has changed over time.
It’s not about money or material possessions. But it is about relationships and experiences. Having said that I do agree with the study that establishes “happiness” requires a certain minimal income level ($75k for a family of four); beyond which the “happiness” arc flattens out.
To me, being successful means...
Being successful means not being afraid to try, fail and try again.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I used to associate success quantitatively. Especially growing up in a community that values high achievers, never receiving 100% or A+, I grew up constantly feeling like a failure.
To me, being successful means...
Obviously being able to sustain yourself financially is one component to happiness, however the bigger part of the equation is the genuine relationships you surround yourself with. Authentic connections with family and friends become a higher level of priority as one matures!!
My definition of success has not changed over time.
Read MoreTo 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.
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.
To me, being successful means...
Being true to yourself. Following your dreams. Finding what makes you happy. Being comfortable with your place in life.
My definition of success has not changed over time.
Not really. I always wanted to make my way. I never really bought into all of society's ideas of who or what I should be.
To me, being successful means...
Making a positive difference in the world so that it's at least a little better when you left it than when you entered it.
My definition of success has changed over time.
My definition of success is much less oriented towards personal achievement now than it was when I was, say, in high school.
To me, being successful means...
Doing what you love
My definition of success has not changed over time.
Read MoreTo me, being successful means...
Finding joy each day in something: be it an action I perform, an interaction with family, friends, colleagues, an experience in nature or a story I hear. Joy is a deep happiness that comes from within which is what makes life meaningful and keeps me grounded despite external conditions. Being happy with what I have, where I am in life and career. I do not base my success on comparisons with others.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I now know that success is internal. It is not defined by my outward conditions and materialistic trappings but who I am as a person and a member of society. Success is my own view of fulfilling the destiny life has laid out for me by being true to my beliefs.
To me, being successful means...
Success begins when you reach contentment with what you have and who'd you become. Love your life and find meaning in the true journey of life which cannot be controlled.
My definition of success has changed over time.
You cannot find success by constantly comparing your life with the life of others.
To me, being successful means...
First of all being happy in my own skin and content with my own company and using that to make a difference in the world.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I was brought up to become educated and to earn a living and make a great retirement for myself.
To me, being successful means...
achieving YOUR dream and nobody else's!
My definition of success has changed over time.
I've matured. When your young, there's peer pressure to be as good or better than the next student. At [high school name omitted], I wanted to take advanced classes because it was the thing to do, not because I really wanted to do it on my own. Now I do things because I want to...not because it's the cool thing to do!
To me, being successful means...
Having a loving family and the means to support whatever endeavors they want to pursue.
My definition of success has not changed over time
Read MoreTo me, being successful means...
being consistently happy.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I used to believe that goal achievement and productivity through all odds defined success. That lifestyle made me physically ill. So I slowly realized what had to change.
To me, being successful means...
Doing something that is just the right amount of challenging, fulfilling and fun which also helps make the world a better place. If you're going for power, first ask yourself why you want it.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I don't think I started off my education with an idea of success at all. Certainly in college it was more about getting good grades and advancing with little thought to the value of what I was doing.
This is a collection of anonymous life and career stories from Palo Alto alumni for everyone. They shatter the myth that there is only one path to success.
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