What is success?

Everyone knows the meaning of success. But do we really think of the true meaning? Because that word like many others can have many different meanings, especially depending on the person giving the definitions opinion.

The other day, my dad asked me "what is success", you see usually I wouldn't think too much of it, what they taught me in school is, accomplishment, other times I would hear it means being rich, healthy, or even famous. But the way my dad worded it confused me in a way.

I spent a while thinking of that question.

What are the possible meanings of success? What America might perceive success to be as, which I have heard a lot of people actually say is just "rich". Rich can be part of the meaning. But success can be way more and not just "rich", or "fame".

Here are 3 different perspectives of what success is by just 3 different people.

I asked a person I knew, what they think success is. They gave a great story on how success is almost like the aftermath. When you take a test you are not successful while you are still taking the test, it is the outcome that matters. Did you get a good grade or not? He used this example on life. The test you are taking is your life now, so how are we successful yet when we are still in the middle of a test. As Muslims, he said to really determine who is successful or not is when we die whether we go to heaven or hell.

His story was worded in a different way, but you get the point.

Another perspective of "what is success", is what I was thinking. Success can depend on the person themselves. Do they themselves feel like they are successful? Did they do what they've wanted to do? How do they feel about themselves, because in the end they are the only one who knows themselves. How often can you ask someone if they are satisfied with their life and would be content if they died now? Not very often. Because we always have something to do. So success? Is how you feel about it and yourself.

A final perspective that I have heard is from my very knowledgeable dad, who asked me this question. He said that success can mean many things. For example, say you are a surgeon and had to preform surgery. Was it a success? Did the surgeon accomplishment what they wanted to during the surgery? If so, that surgery was a success. His main point was that success depends on the person. One person can say they finished their high school, they succeeded, or they finished their college degree, and it succeeded. Or someone started a business in which it succeed. Or someone raised their family and had kids. Success he said, like a term. You can succeed in many things and fail in other things. But, success depends on the person.

You can see how I got my answer a little bit of course, from his

This made me think how even the simplest questions can have a deeper meaning and answer behind it.

Sometimes we compare ourselves to others or people we see on our phones or tv. Thinking that they are more successful than us. But success is only what we perceive it to be ourselves. Hopefully these 3 different perspectives by 3 different people, will make you think more about it

Think about it more and start to question it more

What do you think success is?

Mariam S