Ryan Richardson
1/28/09 English 112.
What is the concept and meaning of success and does education play an important role in it? Is money or achievement defined as having success? Is there a strong relationship between “What you know” and “Who you know” that leads to success? For many years, people have been trying to find the answers to these perplexing questions. Also for many years, people have heard and studied many “success” stories to try and find clues to such questions. The very word “Success” has been difficult to pin. At times, its meaning can be as simple as a dictionary definition. At other times, the word can be extraordinarily abstract, giving it multiple meanings. Personally, I define success as a concept in which you achieve a goal or goals in which you have put time, effort and, perhaps most important of all, passion into. Success is a concept in which people worldwide often misunderstand. Different ideas about what success is and how it is achieved have been depicted for years. The main factor that spreads these different ideas on success is the media. The media’s depictions range from making a million dollars to living in “the Hills” and from being known worldwide to supporting a family. Knowing the true meaning behind success is vital today because of the plethora of depictions and stories about what it takes to be successful. Many of these depictions only show glamorized visions of success. Some depictions concentrate on the notion that success is rooted in material things or that a person’s success or even worth is judged by his or her possessions. To me, success is judged not only by possession, but also by “substance”. Substance can be defined as “what the person has that can make him successful” or “what is he or she made of?”
Throughout history, specifically American history, my definition of success has been practiced and perfected by many people for centuries. One example is Abraham Lincoln. He spent great time and made equally great effort to achieve success in the American government. He faced many disappointments along the way but his patience and efforts would not fail him. Ultimately, he became president. Another great example is Thomas Edison. He had great passion for his line of work and used it at his attempt to create the light bulb. He spent countless hours and endured thousands of failures trying to perfect his craft, but his passion to invent remained strong. After all his failures, he finally succeeded in inventing the first functioning fluorescent bulb. Still another example of my definition of success is Prince. As a musician, he is a true success story. With equal amounts of extreme talent, persevering drive, and true devotion to his unique style of music, he constantly perfects his craft with each new album that he makes. His effort, time and passion have made him one of the biggest names in music history. All three of these examples have one thing in common; they all share the characteristics of what I think successful men are. Each of them has a certain “drive” in them that helps them achieve their goals. To me, success is best reached when true passion for what you do is involved. Passion and devotion are the key components to succeeding. Notice that nothing was completely handed to these three men. All three of my examples had to work hard and devote countless hours for what they wanted and due to their diligence; they all reaped the benefits in the end. When you want to succeed in something, passion is what starts you off and devotion is what keeps you going until your goal is reached.
Malcolm X once said “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” To me, this quote may be a factor for potential success. In modern society, education is a key towards having a prosperous future and, according to my definition; a prosperous future is a factor of success. Education, especially higher education, opens doors for people. Through education, people can develop their potential and hopefully find their own “drive” that will eventually help them achieve their goals. Understand that education is only one of many factors that lead to success. If you have an education, your chances for success automatically increase.
In some cases, it’s not “what you know”, it’s who you know. Sometimes you can achieve success just by knowing someone who has a connection to your personal goal. Networking is a great way in which success can be met. Through networking, you are connected with a community of people who just might hold the key to your achievements. Often times, success can’t be met by one person alone. Keeping in contact with a few helpful people will be needed sooner or later in order for success to be met. Having the right connections could easily point you towards your ambitions.
A common fact about success is that it does not come easily. The road to success in any major form is a extraordinarily slow process that includes failures and irritating disappointments. For this long journey to success, you must focus on two things, your goal and patience. Patience and dedication go hand and hand. You simply can’t have one without the other. Success is far from easy to attain, but when times get difficult, you can’t simply give up. With patience and dedication, it is only a matter of time until you achieve success.
When I was a freshman in High School, I wanted to join the school Jazz Band. I knew that I was talented on drums and I believed that by being involved with the band, I could hone my skills. I soon found out that freshman had to be involved with the percussion ensemble before they could get an addition for the Jazz Band. So, all through my freshman year, I learned the basics of drumming, the categories of drums and how to properly play them. I immediately developed a deep passion for the drums and I began to hone my skills both inside and outside the classroom. I began to learn different drum parts that I might have heard in a song or seen being played on TV. I let my passion take root and grow and develop. It took me countless hours of preparation, practice and discipline from my music instructor to develop my skills. Sometimes I became irritated if I had difficulty learning a part, but I stuck with my new found talent. At the end of the year, I auditioned for the Jazz band. My instructor gave me a c.d. of songs to learn. At the addition, I played each song as If I was part of the C.D. Ultimately; I became a drummer for the Jazz Band. In the three years after that, I became highly successful in my craft.
In conclusion, the concept of success can be seen as achievement of one’s goals through applied time, effort and passion. All three factors are key figures in which anyone can become successful with. Other factors such as education, patience and networking help a great deal. In my opinion, success can be both an external and internal thing. As you achieve success in whatever you do, not only do you succeed at your goal, but you succeed as an empowered human being. You succeed at the concept on which this nation was built. The steps you take toward success are not easy, but the reward is self empowerment and a sense of achievement.
