The Definition of Success

Success:

1)       Accomplishment of an aim; favorable outcome.

2)      Attainment of wealth, fame, position.

3)      Thing or person that turns out well.

These are the definitions of success.  But how is success attained?  Some say luck.  Others say hard work and determination.  Still others say that the key to success is education and the ability to learn.  I believe that success in any shape or form is a combination of all of these factors.

In his 2009 “My Education, My Future” speech, President Barack Obama directly links education and success by repeating the word ‘success’ a total of eight times in the speech itself.  In fact, in one of the defining moments of the speech he says that people succeed because “they understand that you can’t let your failures define you—you have to let them teach you.  You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.” In his address to students, the President focused on the first definition of success:  the accomplishment of a goal.  “I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education—and do everything can do to meet them…Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.  I want you to really work at it.”

For many students, setting goals and work hard does not equal the success that they envision—the second definition:  The attainment of wealth, fame, position.  Media often makes it seem as though one can become a star instantaneously.  Be a rapper.  Be an athlete.  Be a reality star.  “Why work hard when these goals can happen even to me?,” a student may think.  Like most, students are blinded by the glare of fame, and unaware of the work it takes to achieve the success of fame.

Click The Above Photo To See the "Successful" video.

Hip-Hop artist Drake seems to have exploded onto the hip-hop scene in this latter part of 2009.  Few realize that his first mixtape was released in 2006.  His first studio release will be released in 2010.  Drake’s  single, “Successful” comments on the allure of success in all of its definitions.

The chorus, sung by featured artist Trey Songz, pays homage to definition #2:

Yeah I want the money/Money and the cars/Cars and the clothes/The hos/I suppose I just wanna be/I just wanna be successful

At the end of the 1^st verse, Drake notes that by setting goals for himself, he can achieve success—even when others doubt him.

Yeah I want it all, that’s why I strive for it/Dis me and you’ll never hear a reply for it/Any award show or party I get fly for it/I know that it’s coming I just hope I’m alive for it.

As the video for ‘Successful’ comes to a close, Drake leaves us with the words of none other than President Barack Obama:

“Making your mark on this world is hard.  If it were easy, everybody would do it.  But it’s not.  It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way.  The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t.  It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.”

The 3^rd and final definition of success:  A thing or person that turns out well, was highlighted in ViaCom’s special segment entitled “Get Schooled.”  Aired simultaneously on all of ViaCom’s networks, this 30 minute special focused on the lives of three individuals whose education provided them with the confidence to excel and work with individuals who were leaders in professional sports, music and politics.

Lifted from the pages of the dictionary, found in the lyrics of a rapper and in the words of our 44^th President, it is clear that success is the combination of hard work, education inside the classroom, and learning from mistakes inside and outside the classroom.

“Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up.  Noone’s written your destiny for you…But the truth is, being successful is hard.” –President Barack H. Obama

‘The Definition of Success’ originally appeared on www.justdumbproductions.com on September 16, 2009.