What is Success?

Brad Eckert, 15, US

I've often wondered how we, as humans, measure success. Do we say that someone is successful when they are always happy. Or have a lot of money. Who bump elbows with the stars. Or is it something different. The other day while reading through a magazine I discovered a poem that seemed to tell me the answer to my question. It's called "What is Success?" and it's written by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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.

Perhaps, Emerson was right. Is succeeding as simple as helping out someone else? Maybe. We've been struggling with this problem for so many years. I mean look at today's Hollywood celebrities. The people that our society glamorizes and idols. The people who in our eyes can do no wrong. Look at their past and you'll notice something. They fought. A lot of times on their first try, they failed. Ignoring what most people said, they got right back up and tried again. and they didn't stop till they reached their goal.

Everyone knows the story about Michael Jordan. He was cut from his high school basketball team. What if he listened to the coach and decided to never try basketball again? To just give up, because he was deemed a failure. And Walt Disney, the creator of the million dollar giant Walt Disney World, was fired from his first newspaper job because he had no "creativity." Beethoven was told at an early age that he had no talent for music. The Beatles were turned down because "Groups of guitars were on their way out." Woody Allen flunked motion picture production at New York University. And the list goes on.

The point is, don't let others predict your future for you. We're all capable at achieving our dreams and don't need help from others in discovering this out. So, you mess up a few times. Is that going to end your future? No! We all make mistakes. So, what is success? Is it something that others predict for us? Do we let others tell us who we'll be, how we'll stand, what to wear, and everything else? Of course we do! We're teens. We follow society. We learn by examples and then do our best to copy the "trend." But that's not how success is measured. It's measured by who you are and what you stand for. Don't be known for something that you didn't create. Be unique and follow your own way. Create your own style. Be known for something that you can be proud of in twenty years. Make a difference.