What is Success?

1. “Success is something that you have to define for yourself, and no one can do it for you" (Christian).

2. The Success of Something vs. Personal Success

2.1. Personal Success Success means something different for everyone. The success of something is more easily defined and agreed on in comparison to personal success. Personal success is individualized for each and every person, it could mean seeing where life takes you and appreciating and living in the moment, finding yourself and happiness. Or it could mean going to school, getting a high paying job, getting married, buying a house, having kids. “A one-size-fits-all approach is impossible” (Christian). Many successes are met by goal setting for the success of something as well as personal success. The goals to reach this success can vary greatly.

2.1.1. Success of Something The success of something on the other hand is a more structured concept. For example for a business to be successful, some criteria would be self-sustaining, profitable, big. Large corporations are viewed as very successful because they have a huge client base, making tons of money. Apple, Amazon, Facebook, the founders of these companies are viewed as extremely successful individuals. If society saw success differently they might think they are unsuccessful. Jeff Bezos, divorced in 2019. Steve Jobs, denying paternity to his daughter Lisa Brennan as an infant. Or, Mark Zuckerberg being accused of “colonizing” an island in Hawaii for personal reasons (Murdock). Society views them as successful because their net worth is billions of dollars, but their personal lives may not have been so successful. The success of something is much more easily determined and agreed upon in this sense.

3. Happiness

3.1. The Correlation of Success and Happiness Success being an immeasurable concept and decided by societies creates standards for success. Deeming yourself successful in life by finding happiness and being content is oftentimes not how you are viewed from an outer perspective. Outside perspectives looking in on your life are oftentimes going to use your income, familial situation, age, physical health, where you reside to decide your status and therefore how successful you are. Similar to a piece from The Little Prince: Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask: “What does his voice sound like?” “What games does he like best?” “Does he collect butterflies?” They ask: “How old is he?” “How many brothers does he have?” “How much does he weigh?” “How much money does his father make?” Only then do they think they know him. (Saint-Exupery 10) In this situation, it is expressed that numbers are how adults get to know someone. People are not defined by their social status or numbers and should not be deemed unsuccessful in life because of classifications. Success can mean whatever you want it too, someone being happy and content with their life despite not being upper class could be the ultimate success. Money and status don’t deserve the stature they have achieved in this life. In my opinion, happiness is the ultimate success, opening the question: What is happiness and how is it achieved?

3.2. This chart is a generalized representation supporting the idea that you can achieve happiness despite status. There is actually no correlation between status and happiness, at least there doesn’t need to be.

4. “The real truth is that happiness is often subjective and difficult to measure. Success is often judged externally or by comparison to other people” (Riopel).

5. Oxford Languages and Google Defining Success

5.1. Success:

5.2. 1. “The accomplishment of an aim or purpose” (Oxford).

5.3. 2. “The attainment of popularity or profit” (Oxford).

5.4. 3. “A person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains prosperity“(Oxford).

6. Ready Player One

6.1. What is Success? Success is an immeasurable concept. Certain goals, accomplishments, or points can signify success, but ultimately reaching success or being successful has individual meaning for individual people. Ready Player One’s endgame was winning James Halliday’s game, The Oasis. For the main character Wade Watts or Z, to be successful was to win Halliday’s game. The requirement to be successful was to understand the creator James Halliday best with the reward of control over The Oasis. Winning was the ultimate success. However, each character discovers smaller, more personal, arguably more significant successes along the way. For example, Wade finding happiness in reality. Realizing that he didn’t need The Oasis to escape real life. Or Samantha navigating through IOI headquarters and helping save The Oasis from Sorrento and his corporate plans. Success isn’t always the biggest wins or major rewards. Success means something different for everyone and people encounter successes throughout their lives big and small. There is no universal definition of reaching success in life because being successful means something different for every individual.

7. Final Thoughts

7.1. 1. Success is not defined by the measurable aspects of life and can mean something different for every individual.

7.2. 2. The achievement of happiness is dependent on each individual, not on their viewed level of success or status.

7.3. 3. There is no universal definition of success. It is immeasurable and defining success is dependent on each individual.