The Meaning Behind Succeeding--Sean

 

To succeed is something that a lot of us dream of achieving. Whether it be to become the

most spectacular dancer, the most creative artist, or the most enduring athlete, we all try to be successful at something. But where does success come from? Who dictates whether we’ve succeeded or not after all our work, grit, dedication, and determination? Is it the boss you work under? The people you try to serve? Those around you that judge every movement and decision you make? Or is it you, yourself, that decides whether you’ve succeeded or not? It could be all of these, some of these, one of these, or maybe even none of them. Truth is, we all seek success and find the confirmation that we’ve succeeded in various places in our lives. But the one common character in succeeding, the one indicator of success is, I believe to be, a continuous drive to keep moving forward; to constantly dream of achieving more.

The most basic measure of success today is money. I’m sure many of you have heard the saying, “money can’t buy you happiness,” and to that, many people counter with, “money can’t buy you happiness, but I’d rather be crying in a mansion.” Both statements are very valid perspectives. While money and wealth definitely give you a better standing in life, for some of us, it doesn’t exactly reach into the crevices of our heart and quench our desires to succeed. Though some may actually enjoy money with its use as a physical representation of hard work and achievement. Some people may not even care about wholeheartedly succeeding, and just want to live lavishly, which is completely fine too. But as Benjamin Franklin said, “without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”

Chasing success is quite literally like running on a treadmill. Some may, after hitting a set of miles, like to slow to a walk; to relax after working for however long they determined to work.

Some might even hop off the treadmill, completely content with their mileage. But those people determined to really succeed, and really achieve greatness, they stay on the treadmill forever; forever chasing more and more. There will always be improvements to be made, there will always be more that you can do. Success isn’t a physical thing that we can hold our hands after toiling for some time, it’s in some ways not even meant to be achieved at all. Not because it’s overly difficult to obtain but because its purpose is to keep inching away from your grasp, pushing you to keep moving forward. The act of succeeding, is the act of continuously improving and pushing yourself. Sure, you’ll trip along the way, lose your footing. A lot of the time you’ll just want to give up because it’s so daunting to keep moving when it feels like you’ve already traveled across continents. But there’s merit to getting back up, to keep moving despite how difficult it is. The more you chase after success, the more you accomplish, the more you grow. Then you start to dream of achieving more and it just repeats over and over again. That to me, is what it means to succeed; to not reach the top of the mountain, but to reach every peak you find, continuously searching for more to conquer.