I was about seven years old when I had just learned the word “success”. At the time, I thought it was directly linked to the word “money.” Because so many people tend to correlate the two words together, I always had the notion that you had to be rich to be successful when I was younger. The idea of money and success is a rather tough one to fully grasp because there are so many variations that could potentially change your viewpoint. In society, almost everyone values money and wants to be rich, so at a tender age, kids pick up the concept that money is very important, and having lots of it will make your life better almost instantly. And while that is true to some degree, I have since learned that money is definitely not the most important thing to possess. Success, money, and happiness are probably some of the most discussed topics, and each of them can have different meanings for different people.
Money certainly plays a big role in life. It’s how you pay for your housing, groceries, insurance, and many other necessities you may want (or need). It’s also a path to happiness since it could help you reach your hobbies. For example, if you like painting, you’ll need paint, and money can provide that. Not having enough money has the potential to spoil someone’s whole future, and this is why many people have a great need to gather as much of it as possible. And once they have a ton of it, they don’t need to stress about not having enough. Some might value money to a great extent because they crave the lifestyle of those who are rich. After all, almost all billionaires have huge mansions, their own private airplane, and several of them have yachts. It’s not a surprise that most people would want to live life like they do, and it’s very understandable. At a young age, I surely thought this was the best way to live life, and the “funnest”. From time to time, I would think about the big spaces, soft, large couches and beds, and vast, green lawns, as well as big gates surrounding the perimeter of the house. It all seemed so grandiose. On the outside, money might appear to just be some object for exchange, but if you dig a little deeper, the word may have a different meaning to you.
Secondly, success is another part of life that many people think about. Almost, if not all, people want to be successful, but the word is such a broad spectrum that it’s hard to define what the word actually means, or what the word “incorporates.” And everyone defines success differently. Some individuals might think that money is success, and once you have lots of it, you “qualify” as successful. Others might completely disregard the aspect of money in a job, and simply go for what makes them happiest. As we age, our perception of success changes drastically. For instance, at four, winning a stuffed animal at the state fair was enough to make me feel successful at the time, but now, a decade later, it seems petty. At eight, having just begun receiving report cards, a “100” scribbled across the top of my test would’ve meant the world to me, but that feeling has slowly dulled over time. Now, my feeling of success would come from something like being accepted into my desired college or getting the job I have wanted since the sixth grade.
Lastly, happiness is also a term many people ponder upon. Happiness is perhaps one of the most subjective words out there. Somebody could work 9-5, live a modest life, and be completely happy, while somebody else could have all the money out there and what others deem successful, and still not be happy. Success or money, or both, does not directly result in happiness, and just because somebody doesn’t have what society considers success or money doesn’t mean they aren’t happy with themselves. Again, what we consider happiness changes as we grow and have more experiences. When I was smaller, getting the window seat on the airplane might be something I cherished, but now, it seems insignificant.
As I have grown, I’ve begun thinking about my future and discussing it occasionally with my friends as a way of planning. Sometimes we would share what we wanted to be when we grow up, and the words “success,” “money,” and “happiness” have been thrown around quite a lot. To me, success means you’re doing something you have a passion for and love, and you’re happy doing it. But I also think that along with that comes responsibility. You need to be able to sustain, at the very least, yourself, so money also plays a small part of success as a whole. Ultimately, these three words could have very different meanings to any two given people, and it’s all about what you decide to do with your “meanings.”
Money certainly plays a big role in life. It’s how you pay for your housing, groceries, insurance, and many other necessities you may want (or need). It’s also a path to happiness since it could help you reach your hobbies. For example, if you like painting, you’ll need paint, and money can provide that. Not having enough money has the potential to spoil someone’s whole future, and this is why many people have a great need to gather as much of it as possible. And once they have a ton of it, they don’t need to stress about not having enough. Some might value money to a great extent because they crave the lifestyle of those who are rich. After all, almost all billionaires have huge mansions, their own private airplane, and several of them have yachts. It’s not a surprise that most people would want to live life like they do, and it’s very understandable. At a young age, I surely thought this was the best way to live life, and the “funnest”. From time to time, I would think about the big spaces, soft, large couches and beds, and vast, green lawns, as well as big gates surrounding the perimeter of the house. It all seemed so grandiose. On the outside, money might appear to just be some object for exchange, but if you dig a little deeper, the word may have a different meaning to you.
Secondly, success is another part of life that many people think about. Almost, if not all, people want to be successful, but the word is such a broad spectrum that it’s hard to define what the word actually means, or what the word “incorporates.” And everyone defines success differently. Some individuals might think that money is success, and once you have lots of it, you “qualify” as successful. Others might completely disregard the aspect of money in a job, and simply go for what makes them happiest. As we age, our perception of success changes drastically. For instance, at four, winning a stuffed animal at the state fair was enough to make me feel successful at the time, but now, a decade later, it seems petty. At eight, having just begun receiving report cards, a “100” scribbled across the top of my test would’ve meant the world to me, but that feeling has slowly dulled over time. Now, my feeling of success would come from something like being accepted into my desired college or getting the job I have wanted since the sixth grade.
Lastly, happiness is also a term many people ponder upon. Happiness is perhaps one of the most subjective words out there. Somebody could work 9-5, live a modest life, and be completely happy, while somebody else could have all the money out there and what others deem successful, and still not be happy. Success or money, or both, does not directly result in happiness, and just because somebody doesn’t have what society considers success or money doesn’t mean they aren’t happy with themselves. Again, what we consider happiness changes as we grow and have more experiences. When I was smaller, getting the window seat on the airplane might be something I cherished, but now, it seems insignificant.
As I have grown, I’ve begun thinking about my future and discussing it occasionally with my friends as a way of planning. Sometimes we would share what we wanted to be when we grow up, and the words “success,” “money,” and “happiness” have been thrown around quite a lot. To me, success means you’re doing something you have a passion for and love, and you’re happy doing it. But I also think that along with that comes responsibility. You need to be able to sustain, at the very least, yourself, so money also plays a small part of success as a whole. Ultimately, these three words could have very different meanings to any two given people, and it’s all about what you decide to do with your “meanings.”
