To me, being successful means...
Finding balance, continuing to work toward your priorities -- keep them in sight; your personal well-being should be one of your priorities; learning to know and respect yourself.
My definition of success has changed over time.
Less focused on titles and resume bullets, more focused on well-being and impact on those around me.
To me, being successful means...
Personal contentment with that choices I've made. Enjoying laughter, music, dancing, poetry, museums, concerts and the great outdoors because there is nothing like the weather, flora and fauna we grew up with anywhere else.
My definition of success has changed over time.
Career path equals money equals happiness is no longer a belief! More like a myth!
To me, being successful means...
Enjoying the little moments in life and appreciating what I have.
My definition of success has changed over time.
When I was younger, success always meant how much money one makes, or what title one has, and what materials one owns. Now that I am in my 40s, materials don't mean a thing, waste of money actually. Title and money mean nothing if you don't have a time to enjoy life.
To me, being successful means...
Success is not related to money, nor is it about how many possessions you have or what you look like on the outside. Perhaps love is involved, but not necessarily love for a life partner, but more love of self and love for life. Success means you are making a positive difference for other human beings. Success is not selfish. Success is being able to find happiness in things such as the outdoors, art, friends, family, books, walking, running, etc. Success is working on something and accomplishing a goal, no matter how simple or small.
My definition of success has not changed over time.
Read MoreTo 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...
Being comfortable in your skin and proud of who you are. It means living a big life, the kind of life where your choices come from love and not fear.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I think there was somehow instilled in me a checklist of sorts... it never came from my family, I knew they loved me unconditionally, but it came from the people around me & I measured myself against that invisible made up checklist for so long until I realized that it was that checklist that was blocking any of my chances at true success.
To me, being successful means...
Like the old Spanish saying goes: "Salud, amor, y dinero… y tiempo para disfrutarlos!" ("Health, love and money… and time to enjoy them!")
My definition of success has not changed over time.
Read MoreTo me, being successful means...
Being happy.
My definition of success has changed over time.
As a teenager, success used to mean attending college and having a great career.
To me, being successful means...
being happy, sharing your happy moments with others, being around friends and family
My definition of success has changed over time.
success was defined if I was able to get a paying job, not just another internship
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.
To me, being successful means...
staying true to who you are and having good, solid values. Having a strong moral character throughout life and in all circumstances. This is true strength and true success in my book.
My definition of success has changed over time.
In high school, success was about your GPA, how good you were in sports, how many friends you had, if you were on Homecoming Court or selected for a "pop poll" in the yearbook. It's truly embarrassing to look back and remember how I hoped I could acquire these meaningless identities.
To me, being successful means...
Being true to myself -- all the time. Most of the time, this is easy, but in the times when it matters most, it tends to be hard.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I used to immediately think of material wealth and popularity when I thought about success. Now, I think about the quality, not quantity, of relationships I have and about the things I feel proud of doing in my life.
To me, being successful means...
doing "good" in the world and helping make it a better place, even if it is just one person at a time.
My definition of success has changed over time.
When I was younger, I presumed success was about prestige and measures of intelligence (ie grades). Then I got into the working world and realized that no one cares what grades you got - they really care about how you interact with other people, not how "smart" you are.
To me, being successful means...
Feeling fulfilled in a major aspect of your life, whether it is in the context of family, career, spirituality, etc. Pursuing interests. Having interests. Feeling happy with yourself and the person you are. Feeling content and at peace. Being financially comfortable and emotionally stable.
My definition of success has not changed over time.
My definition of success really hasn't changed much over time. In high school, I may have also included more age-appropriate things like getting good grades or making my parents happy, but I always knew success was a big-picture rather than snapshot thing. I think I was always aware that true success was more of an intrinsic rather than extrinsic accomplishment.
To me, being successful means...
Working hard at something you care about, genuinely caring about others and having others genuinely care about you, staying humble and curious, and making my family proud.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I used to think that I would find a dream job and that I would find something that I was the BEST at. I had plans on being the next Mia Hamm, the next Hillary Clinton, or the next Tina Fey. But those people are so so rare and if we're being honest I'm not nearly talented enough in one aspect of my life to be the next revolutionary. I have passions, sure, but I also realize that if I were to become the next big revolutionary there would be a million different wonderful small achievements that would have to come first. Tina devoted her life to comedy, Hilary to politics and activism, and Mia to soccer. And they had a natural talent that they knew was their calling. I don't know mine. Maybe it will come later, but I'm ok waiting. Because there's something so refreshing knowing that I am the one that gets to decide what my calling(s) is/are. I'm only 22, and it's the coolest feeling to know that success is what I make of it. There's no wrong answer. My expectations of myself can often be the most rigorous, but I guess what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
To me, being successful means...
doing work that is meaningful and having a caring family and circle of friends
My definition of success has changed over time.
My definition of success was to have EVERY element I dreamed of. I now understand there are sacrifices and compromises. There is going to be some suffering along the way, but that doesn't mean you did something wrong.
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...
Setting long term goals and accomplishing those goals, regardless of what they are.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I used to think the goal was making a million dollars. Then I realized that not everyone can make a social media platform.
To me, being successful means...
There are quite a few areas in which "success" can be applied. There is professional and personal arenas. But most of them involve building heathy relationships in which you can invest in cheerfully and draw upon when needed.
It would be disingenuous to say that money isn't a factor, but the reality I've come to realize is that you have usually make a trade with regards to where my time is applied. I have spent a lot of time focused on making money, so I can have some comfort, some self control and indulge in a little excess.
For me, Success is the ability to balance between those aspects and where it is spent (on myself or on others).
My definition of success has changed over time.
Yeah, it was originally about power and money. Recognition by others was what I was trapped by. I've started 2 companies, joined 4+ startups and had been part of 3 acquisitions. It felt like it was wasted, not that these are bad things, but the attitude and expectations I had, did not allow me to enjoy them for what they were. Now it about the ride, the journey and those who will come along side you. It about building up grit, the perseverance to go through "hard stuff" and not run from it or be frozen by it, but to move through it. If you learn the most from your mistakes, then don't be afraid to make them and to own them. That is not the same being stupid or lazy about things and trying to learn from them ... put the best effort in that you can, do the prep work, run through the obstacles ... let the chips fall where they may. Be proud of the effort.
To 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.
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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