Reflections on Success

            Today, I asked a group of college students if they can define “success” in their lives, and if they would know when they have reached it.  Much to my surprise, only a handful of my wide-eyed students said that they had a rough idea what would constitute success for them.  For most of these young people, they had the faintest idea how they would define this concept, and what would constitute as success in life. 

            This week, I invite you to think about this word: success.  Much like happiness and contentment, this word is much talked about and much sought after.  After all, aren’t we doing many of our endeavors in the service of one day attaining this goal?  And yet, it is one of those words in the English language that is not very easy to define. 

            So, how would you define success in your life?  Here are some ideas: 

§  Is it in acquiring and collecting material things and seeking pleasure? 

§  Is it in the acknowledgment of those who matter to us that we are doing good work, whether this is manifested through prestigious awards and citations or just the sight of a happy family? 

§  Is it in being known and achieving fame, being admired by others? 

§  Is it in being able to fulfill a purpose, a sense of mission that is humanistic and perhaps even spiritual? 

§  Is it in establishing and maintaining valuable relationships (e.g., family and friends)? 

§  Is it in simply enjoying one’s life, from one moment to the next, trying not to miss a single heartbeat? 

§  Is it in having power and control over others? 

            Maybe as you look at the list, there is one, possibly two, that appeal to you.  For some, more than just a couple might constitute your idea of success.  Still for others, some other things not mentioned above characterize your idea of success.  Whatever these might be, it is often important to articulate.  If you want, you might even want to write it down. 

            What is the benefit of writing down these ideas of success, maybe even of your happiness?  It is helpful to see what goals you really want to achieve.  Having goals in one’s life helps us anchor and strive towards something better, something beyond our current state. 

            Of course, in looking towards our goals, I am not insinuating that we lament the fact that we are not yet there.  Far from it; in fact, we need to also appreciate what we have now and what we have done so far.  To what extent have we started the path towards these goals?  Maybe we are just beginning, and we have only taken a few steps.  For others, we might be somewhere mid-way, and this exercise helped either clarify these goals or reinforce previous decisions made. 

            Wherever you find yourself, remember that life is never a straight line.  We often traverse the circumstances in our lives in a rather circuitous manner.  And yet, when we look closely enough, we can see that there is a general direction we are heading, and there are recurrent themes in our lives that serve as landmarks in our journey.