To me, being successful means...
Freedom to realize potential, realize potential, follow the desires of your hear.
My definition of success has changed over time.
Earlier in life it was attached to monetary / professional wins.
To me, being successful means...
Being happy and feeling that your work and life make a difference. It’s also being able to support yourself and your family and having enough money in the bank to take care of emergencies. Sometimes you have to sacrifice to maintain success (i.e., keeping a job with benefits if you’re the one that provides the health insurance). Some people may believe that you should sacrifice the health benefits and follow your passion, but I believe success is being able to support those I love. And I’m female, so I’m not coming from a male breadwinner viewpoint.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I used to think you had to have a high level job to be considered successful. I think you can be successful at any level - but you should live the life you can afford.
To me, being successful means...
looking at your past with acceptance and without regrets; looking at the present with contentment and thankfulness; looking at your future with hope, drive to grow, and excitement for what's to come.
My definition of success has changed over time.
Status quo matters less to me now - I am more in tune with what I want from my life, not what I think my peers would see and appreciate.
To me, being successful means...
knowing myself and being able to apply my strengths and talents to make a difference in the world. it also means having a few good friends and a loving family.
My definition of success has changed over time.
when i was in high school, i pretty much defined success as being able to get good grades and get into a good / top college.
To me, being successful means...
Loving yourself, loving a craft or finding a passion, and loving others.
My definition of success has changed over time.
My definition has changed from a "paper chase" perspective, where I thought achieving high academic marks was most important, to something related more to what simply makes me happy.
To me, being successful means...
Leaving the world better than you found it.
My definition of success has changed over time.
Read MoreTo 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.
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.
To me, being successful means...
Living happily- having time to spend with my wife and family without too much stress.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I have realized that the most important things to me are people, relationships and ideas, not grades, jobs or money.
To me, being successful means...
Acting in a way that was true to my values. That meant for me, dropping out of UC Berkeley half way through my first quarter of my senior year, and travelling....For me, being successful means following my heart...
My definition of success has not changed over time.
Sometimes I do think I could have been more financially successful if I had been more traditional in my career choices, but I know I would not have been as satisfied with my life.
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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