Success

What is success?

In order to answer this question, we should first consider the goal.   For it is against a goal that we can measure success.

For example, if your goal is to finish college, you will know you succeeded once you obtain your degree.  Or if your goal is to get married, you will know you succeeded when you stand before an officiant exchanging vows of matrimony.  If your goal is to make $1 million dollars, you will know you have succeeded when your assets total $1 million.

But if your goal is to succeed at life in general, this is much more complex and hard to measure.

Life is full of goals and milestones.

Of emotions.

Of people.

And to 'succeed' at life you first need to know how to live life.  And to live it well.

For what appears to be success in one area may bring disappointment to the overall picture.
And what may appear to be a step back in another area may bring great joy to your life in general.

I read the quote below many years ago and its words have stuck with me as a beautiful description of success in life and a response to the question:  What is success?

"To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson