by David Stephenson

Created on: February 06, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

The meaning of success can be as different as those who are trying to achieve it. As individuals we are all different and we have our own belief systems which we use to understand our lives and their meanings. I feel that success viewed by most western philosophies is primarily measured by material and financial gains. There seems to be a competitive sentiment amongst people that they have to have the biggest house, largest bank account and most expensive car. I believe this is true simply because that is the only way that "success" can be physically measured. To me, success is something that happens within our own hearts but that can not be seen only felt by the person who feels it. In a material world just as with scientific study there needs to be some tangible element in which you can measure success.

The most dominant factor in the typical view of success is money as I mentioned before. It is a simple way that everybody can understand easily. In life you go to school and college with the simple idea of preparing for a good tangible career to provide you with the income you need to live a comfortable life. This is the basic pattern that is expected of someone who would be considered successful. If you fail to do these things you are not perceived as someone who is successful in the eyes of society. Though it all comes back to the fact that the idea of success lies within yourself. There is no definable pattern that you could call success purely because it is a concept that can mean something different to everyone. My wider concept of success is the element of comfort. You could relate this to a nice reclining chair, just transpose that idea into your life. I consider success to be comfort in life, having a feeling that you are content with your surroundings with lack of a pressing feeling to change, simply feeling as if you are in the right place with no where else that you should be.

When it comes to success you need to look within yourself to find it, not within a term defined by the collective thoughts of society. Depending on where you started life whether it be from a wealthy home or a poor household you will have your own view on what success can be and that is what you need to define for yourself.

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