essay about how to be successful in life

Essay on How to be Successful in Life

Every person in this world wants to attain something in life. It might be that somebody wants to become a dancer, singer, environmentalist, banker, etc. The choices vary according to the individual. It is easy to dream and imagine being successful in our life but the journey of this victory is really a challenging one. There are many successful people in the world but every one of them has infinite effort and dedication in becoming successful.

Short and Long Essay on How to be Successful in Life in English

The most important question that arises in our minds is how we can be successful in our life. This is a commonly asked topic in exams for writing an essay on it. Many students find it difficult in writing essays on this topic. In the same reference, I have provided essays on this topic. I think it might benefit the students in getting an idea about writing an essay, project, or assignment on this topic.

10 Lines Essay on How to be Successful in Life (100 – 120 Words)

1) Success is something everyone strives for to get a good life.

2) Hard work will help you to achieve success in life.

3) Confidence is another factor that will help you to be successful.

4) To be successful in life, you should not fear failure.

5) Determination and dedication are required to be successful.

6) You will achieve success if you don’t lose sight of your goal.

7) Keep trying and never quit to reach success.

8) You will be successful in life if you believe in yourself.

9) Continuous practice and patience will help you to become successful.

10) Motivation is required at every step to reach the peak of success.

How to be Successful Essay – 250 Words

Introduction

We all have some goals in our life. Success is the ultimate thing that we require in any work that we do in our life. This can be achieved only with hard work and determination. Success gives us immense pleasure and satisfaction in our life.

Success requires sacrifice

We all want to be successful in any work that we do in our life. Success gives great pleasure and contentment to us. The process of being successful is not as easy as it is to say. It requires great sacrifice and hard work. We need to reduce our comforts and work with greater determination to attain success in our life. The most important thing that we need to inculcate in our lives is time management that helps us in doing our work on time. It is always said in order to gain something in life we have to lose something. The desire for success becomes more interesting when it starts giving challenges to us. Later when we become successful we feel that the struggle that we have done earlier is now fruitful. Being successful is one of the most beautiful experiences of life.

Failures should never be treated as hindrances in the path of success

We all make effort to be successful in accomplishing our goals in life. This makes us happy and provides encouragement to move forward in our life. Many times it happens that people face failure in their first step of success. It does not mean that we should stop doing efforts and become hopeless. The act of being hopeless and depressed takes us far away from success. Failure always states that there is a mistake in our effort and therefore we must learn from our failure instead of making it a hindrance in the path of success.

Success requires patience as it is not attained in a short period of time. We must believe in doing an effort and results will surely be fruitful.

How to be Successful Person – Long Essay (1100 Words)

We all are attracted by people achieving success in different fields. Many of the successful people are also the role models for many people and students in the society. The act of being successful is not as easy as it is in saying or seeing others. It is only we who can make our way towards becoming successful in our life.

What is Meant by Success?

Success is something that is can be achieved by making the best use of our abilities and the resources that we have. Success isn’t very easy as spelled but requires greater patience. It totally depends upon us that how we want to shape of life and carrier. Every person in this world has a different opinion regarding the word success in his/her life. It is the real satisfaction and happiness that one gets after achieving the goal of life. Success brings happiness to our lives and motivates us to do our best. We all dream of becoming successful in life, but success is only achieved by people who are really concerned about it.

Few Ways of becoming Successful in Life

We all are born with some purpose in our life. It is because life without a significant goal is meaningless. We all understand ourselves and our abilities in a better way than anyone else. The utilization of our own ability in getting our goals accomplished makes us successful in our life. Here are some tips that can help you in becoming successful in your life.

Recognize your passion or goal – Everybody in this world is born with a unique talent. It is most essential for you to recognize your passion. Passion in doing any work gives you inner happiness and satisfaction. If you identify your passion and work accordingly the path of your success becomes clear. For example, if you have a talent for dancing and want to make it your carrier then you need to focus on polishing your dancing skill. This can only make you a successful dancer in your life. In other words, it can be said that it is essential to recognize the goal of your life and work upon it till it makes you shine.

Have the courage to accept failure – There are many challenges in the way of success. The people who are really serious about their passion or dreams make their way by facing challenges. It may happen that you might face failure in life while proceeding towards being successful. You must not lose hope but try to find out your mistakes that had been behind getting failure. According to our former President Dr. Abdul Kalam, the word FAIL means First Attempt in Learning. Failure is always accompanied by success. It makes you realize and learn from your mistakes. It is necessary that you must never panic about failure and have the courage to accept it. Success is a long process and therefore you need to have patience in you. This will surely make you successful in your life.

Hard work – It is always said that there is no substitute for hard work in getting success. People who are talented from birth also need to work hard in their life to become successful. Hard work helps you sharpening your passion and skill. You really have to become extraordinary for becoming successful in your life.

Stay motivated – In no condition, you must forget about your goal in life. As you have seen a spider even after the destruction of its web it again starts weaving a new one without losing hope. There must be something in your life that might remind you about your goal every time. This will make you more motivated for doing hard work for achieving your goal. The picture of your goal must be in front of your eyes every time either you are slept or awake. You may write some quotations or draw and paste them on your room wall so that whenever you enter your room you must get energized once again. Motivation is a very essential key factor for becoming successful in our life.

Be disciplined and time-bounded – Discipline and time management is most important for attaining success in life. Living a disciplined life helps you to concentrate towards the goal of your life. After deciding on your goal you need to do proper planning for accomplishing it. You have to make time management for everything you do in your life. It is because time is most precious and if lost can never be regained. Opportunity only knocks once and you must not let it go in vain. Therefore the right decision at right time can only make the journey of life a successful one.

Does being Successful mean being Able to Earn a Lot of Money?

Money and success both are important for an individual. We all have some goals in our life and after accomplishing them we get a good carrier and earn a good amount of money. It is true that money is necessary for everything in your life but only money can never provide you happiness. In my opinion, every highly earning person is not really a successful one. The real meaning of being successful is getting happiness and satisfaction in life after being able to do that what you love to do in life.

A child getting good marks in the examination is a success, getting your dream job is a success, being able to fulfill your dreams is a success. The act of fulfilling your dreams makes you very happy and is the real meaning of success. There are many people in this world who earn money by wrong means and therefore they are rich enough. It does not mean that they are successful. Thus there is a great difference between being able to earn a lot of money and being successful. Richness is not the right way of measuring success. Successful people can earn good money along with respect in society.

Success is aspired by everyone in this world but only a few people become capable of tasting real success. Everything is possible in this world and people are making it happen. In the same way, becoming successful is difficult but not impossible. It requires several sacrifices, hard work, dedication, time management. The people who are focused and have a keen desire to make their dream come true can surely become successful in their life.

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

Ans . Real success means fulfilling your dream goal of your life that you love doing.

Ans . The habit of being honest with oneself is most important for becoming successful.

Ans . We have to leave our comforts and concentrate on our aim for being successful in life.

Ans . Success is important because it gives us self-confidence and hopes to move to the next level in life.

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How to Be Successful in Reaching Your Goals

9 Psychological Strategies to Get Ahead in Life

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

Build a Growth Mindset

Improve your emotional intelligence, develop mental toughness, strengthen your willpower, focus on intrinsic motivations, set achievable goals, nurture traits linked to high potential, cultivate strong social support, avoid burnout.

Success is often defined as the ability to reach your goals in life, whatever those goals may be. In some ways, a better word for success might be attainment, accomplishment, or progress. It is not necessarily a destination but a journey that helps develop the skills and resources you need to thrive.

At a Glance

There are many different tactics for how to be successful in life, but the strategy that works best for you may depend on what success means to you . If you think of success as doing well at work or earning a high salary, your professional goals and accomplishments will take priority.

While professional success can be one piece of the puzzle, it leaves out many other important areas of life. Family, romantic relationships, academics, and athletics are just a few areas where people may strive for success. Your definition of success may vary, but many might define it as being fulfilled, happy, safe, healthy, and loved.

While there is no single right way to be successful, you can improve your chances by building a growth mindset, improving your emotional intelligence, developing mental toughness, and strengthening your willpower, among other strategies.

Because goals are self-created, what people view as success can vary depending on their needs, goals, and situation. There may not be a perfect combination of ingredients that can guarantee success. Still, there are some basic steps you can follow that can improve your chances of being successful in life, love, work, or whatever happens to be important to you.

Guido Mieth / Getty Images

Research by psychologist Carol Dweck suggests that there are two basic mindsets that influence how people think about themselves and their abilities: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset .

People who possess a fixed mindset believe that things such as intelligence are static and unchangeable. Those with a fixed mindset believe that success isn't a result of hard work—it's simply a consequence of innate talents.

Because they believe that such talents are something people are either born with or without, they tend to give up more easily in the face of a challenge. They quit when things do not come easily because they believe that they lack the inborn skills needed to excel.

Those who have a growth mindset, on the other hand, feel that they can change, grow, and learn through effort. People who believe that they are capable of growth are more likely to achieve success. When things get tough, they look for ways to improve their skills and keep working toward success.

People with a growth mindset believe that they have control of their life, while those with a fixed mindset believe that things are out of their control.

What can you do to build a growth mindset?

• Believe that your efforts matter . Rather than thinking their abilities are fixed or stuck, people who have a growth mindset believe that effort and hard work can lead to meaningful growth.
• Learn new skills . When faced with a challenge, they look for ways to develop the knowledge and skills that they need to overcome and triumph.
• View failures as learning experiences . People with growth mindsets don't believe that failure is a reflection of their abilities. Instead, they view it as a valuable source of experience from which they can learn and improve. "That didn't work," they might think, "so this time I'll try something a little different."

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Overall intelligence has long been believed to be one factor contributing to success in different areas of life, but some experts suggest that emotional intelligence may actually matter even more.   Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand, utilize, and reason with emotions. Emotionally intelligent people are able to understand not only their own emotions, but those of others as well.

To improve your emotional intelligence:

• Pay attention to your own emotions . Focus on identifying what you are feeling and what is causing those feelings.
• Manage your emotions . Step back and try to view things with an impartial eye. Avoid bottling up or repressing your feelings, but look for healthy and appropriate ways of dealing with what you are feeling.
• Listen to others. This not only involves hearing what they are saying, but also paying attention to nonverbal signals and body language.

Mental toughness refers to the resilience to carry on and continue trying even in the face of obstacles. People who possess this mental strength see challenges as opportunities. They also feel that they have control over their own destiny, are confident in their abilities to succeed, and are committed to finishing what they start.

What can you do to improve your mental toughness and increase your chances of being successful in life?

• Believe in yourself . Cut out negative self-talk and look for ways to stay positive and self-encouraging.
• Keep trying . Even when things seem impossible or setbacks keep holding you back, focus on ways that you can develop your skills and keep soldiering forward. One of the key habits of successful people is always looking at setbacks or failures as learning opportunities.
• Care for yourself . Staying strong also means that you treat yourself with kindness. Check in with yourself regularly to ensure you have the things you need to thrive.
• Look for growth opportunities . Learning more about yourself and challenging yourself to try new things can provide opportunities for self-discovery.

In a long-running longitudinal study, psychologists followed a group of children who were identified by their teachers as highly intelligent. As they compared how these subjects fared throughout childhood and into adulthood, researchers found that those who ultimately were the most successful in life shared some key characteristics, including perseverance and willpower.  

These characteristics tend to be part of an individual's overall personality, but they are also something you can improve. Delayed gratification , learning to persist in the face of challenges, and waiting for the rewards of your hard work can often be the key to success in life.

Strategies you can use to improve your willpower include:

• Distraction . For example, if you are trying to lose weight but are having a difficult time staying away from your favorite snacks, distracting yourself during your moments of weakness can be an effective way to avoid giving in to temptation.
• Practice . Willpower is something you can build, but it takes time and effort. Start by making small goals that require will power to achieve, such as avoiding sugary snacks. As you build your ability to use your will power to achieve such small goals, you may find that your willpower is also stronger when working on much larger goals.

What is it that motivates you the most? Do you find that the promise of external rewards keeps you reaching for your goals, or is it the more personal, intrinsic motivators that keep you feeling inspired? While extrinsic rewards such as money, awards, and praise can be helpful, many people find that they are most motivated when they are doing things for personal satisfaction.

If you are doing things because you enjoy them, because you find them meaningful, or because you enjoy seeing the effects of your work, then you are driven by intrinsic motivations. Research has shown that while incentives can be a better predictor of some types of performance, intrinsic motivators tend to be better at predicting performance quality.  

While it is often the external motivators that get people started, it is the internal motivators that kick in and keep people going in order to maintain those new behaviors.

What can you do to boost your sense of intrinsic motivation?

• Challenge yourself . Pursuing a goal that is achievable but not necessarily easy, is a great way to increase motivation to succeed. Challenges can keep you interested in a task, improve your self-esteem, and offer feedback on areas you can improve on. Choosing a slightly challenging task will help motivate you to get started—it feels exciting!
• Stay curious . Look for things that grab your attention and that you want to learn more about.
• Take control . It can be difficult to stay intrinsically motivated to pursue a goal if you don't feel that you have any real influence over the outcome. Look for ways that you can take an active role.
• Don't fear competition . There might be other people trying to reach the same goals as you, but this doesn't mean you should give up. Don't compare your progress or journey to anyone else's. You can look to others for motivation and inspiration, but remember that we all have different paths.

Successful people know that they need to start by having attainable goals to achieve. These goals are not necessarily easy to reach, but by having something to aim for, you will be better able to move forward and overcome obstacles.

When setting goals :

• Be as specific as possible : Choosing a goal like "I'm going to spend 20 minutes a day learning a new language" is more achievable than setting a general goal like "I'm going to learn French."
• Break your goal into smaller steps : Even if you select a specific goal, it can often seem difficult to achieve. Try breaking it into smaller steps that allow you to focus on moving forward without becoming overwhelmed.
• Reward progress : Recognize your successes along the way and allow yourself to enjoy your accomplishments.

One of the biggest reasons people don't follow through on their goals [is] because they aren't what THEY want to do. Make sure your goals align with your personal values and needs, not what you 'think' you should do.

Psychologists have long attempted to link specific traits or personality characteristics to success in life and work. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one widely used assessment that is often utilized by businesses to screen job candidates. However, research often fails to show that the MBTI actually correlates to performance.  

According to some more recent research, there are certain traits that tend to be consistently tied to success.   Researchers Ian MacRae and Adrian Furnham have identified six key traits that can play a role in how well people do at work.   However, they note that there are optimal levels of these traits. Too little of these characteristics can hinder success, but so can having too much.

If you are trying to learn how to be successful in life, consider what you can do to nurture these key traits:

Conscientiousness

Conscientious people consider the effects of their actions. They also consider how other people will react and feel. You can nurture this trait by:

• Thinking about the consequences of actions
• Considering other people's perspectives

Accepting of Ambiguity

Life is full of situations that are not always clear. People with a great deal of potential for success are better able to accept this ambiguity. Rather than being rigid and inflexible, they are ready to adapt when the unexpected comes their way. You can learn to embrace ambiguity by:

• Challenging your perspectives and considering opinions and ideas other than your own
• Not fearing the unfamiliar
• Being willing to change
• Valuing diversity

Capable of Adjustment

In addition to being able to accept ambiguity, success often hinges on the ability to quickly adjust to change. You can nurture this ability to adjust by:

• Reframing difficult situations, to see them as opportunities to learn and grow rather than simply obstacles to live through
• Being open to change; when plans or situations change, step back and look at ways to cope

The world's most successful people often exemplify great courage. They are willing to take risks, even in the face of potential failure. Research suggests that courageous people utilize positive emotions to overcome fear.   You can improve your tolerance of risk by:

• Quelling negative emotions and focusing on more positive feelings
• Balancing risk with common sense; being cautious and pragmatic can also pay off, depending upon the situation

People who are successful tend to be curious about the world around them. They are always eager to learn more, including new knowledge and skills. You can cultivate your sense of curiosity by:

• Relating tasks to your interests: If you find filing boring, for example, look for a more efficient way to categorize the information to play to your strengths as an organizer.
• Learning new things

Competitiveness

Successful people are able to utilize competition to motivate, but avoid falling prey to jealousy. You can nurture a healthy sense of competition by:

• Focusing on your own improvements; rather than worry about being the best at something, pay attention to your progress
• Being happy when others succeed

Some personality traits and types may be better suited for certain jobs than others. However, no specific personality trait can guarantee success, nor can being low in that trait doom someone to failure.

While there are differences in opinion on just how much personality can be altered , nurturing some of these high potential traits might help you develop skills that can serve you well in many different aspects of your life.

Doing things alone can be difficult, but having a strong social support system can make things easier. Different types of social support can be important for success.

• Emotional support can provide the comfort, security, and empathy you need as you face challenges.
• Esteem support can boost your confidence and encourage you to keep going.
• Informational support can provide mentorship, advice, and other necessary resources to reach your goals.
• Tangible support can help you in active and practical ways. This might involve someone helping you perform a task or taking care of the task for you.

Having even one close person in your life that you feel you can go to in any circumstance is more helpful for your relational well-being than having 10 friends who are surface level. It's about quality, not quantity.

Mentors, friends, co-workers, and family members can cheer you on when things get tough and even offer advice and assistance that can help you improve your chances for success.

Burnout can happen when you are exposed to chronic stress . It can seriously impede success and lead to exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced performance.  

Reduced motivation makes it harder to stick to your goals and can make you feel apathetic and uninterested.

Self-care strategies, such as getting enough sleep and engaging in healthy eating, can relieve some stress. But addressing burnout often requires getting to the bottom of the issue that is causing the problem.

Sometimes, this might mean reassessing your goals. If your goals are creating too much stress or if you are trying to achieve too much too fast, it can be a recipe for burnout. Look for ways to reduce stress, whether that involves shifting your goals, changing your plans, or even doing something more significant like moving somewhere else or changing jobs.

Keep in Mind

There is no single measure of success, and certainly no single answer for how to be successful in life. Yet by looking at some of the habits of successful people, you can learn new tactics and strategies to implement in your own daily life. Cultivate and nurture these abilities, and over time you may find that you are better able to reach your goals and achieve the success you want in life.

Dweck CS, Yeager DS. Mindsets: A view from two eras . Perspect Psychol Sci. 2019;14(3):481-496. doi:10.1177/1745691618804166

Urquijo I, Extremera N, Azanza G. The contribution of emotional intelligence to career success: Beyond personality traits . Int J Environ Res Public Health . 2019;16(23). doi:10.3390/ijerph16234809

Giles B, Goods PSR, Warner DR, et al. Mental toughness and behavioural perseverance: A conceptual replication and extension . J Sci Med Sport . 2018;21(6):640-645. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2017.10.036

Shoda Y, Mischel W, Peake PK. Predicting adolescent cognitive and self-regulatory competencies from preschool delay of gratification: Identifying diagnostic conditions .  Developmental Psychology. 1990;26(6):978-986. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.26.6.978  

Cerasoli CP, Nicklin JM, Ford MT. Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic incentives jointly predict performance: A 40-year meta-analysis . Psychol Bull . 2014;140(4):980-1008. doi:10.1037/a0035661

Pittenger DJ. Cautionary comments regarding the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator .  Consult Psychol J Pract Res. 2005;57(3):210-221. doi:10.1037/1065-9293.57.3.210 

Komarraju M, Karau SJ, Schmeck RR, Avdic A. The big five personality traits, learning styles, and academic achievement . Pers Indiv Differ . 2011;51(4):472-477. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2011.04.019

MacRae I, Furnham A, Reed M. High Potential: How to Spot, Manage, and Develop Talented People at Work . Bloomsbury; 2018.

Eagleson C, Hayes S, Matthews A, Perman G, Hirsch CR. The power of positive thinking: Pathological worry is reduced by thought replacement in generalized anxiety disorder . Behav Res Ther . 2016;78:13-18. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2015.12.017

Maslach C, Leiter MP.  Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry.   World Psychiatry . 2016;15(2):103–111. doi:10.1002/wps.20311

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McLain DL, Kefallonitis E, Armani K. Ambiguity tolerance in organizations: Definitional clarification and perspectives on future research . Front Psychol . 2015;6:344. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00344

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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

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Finding Success Starts with Finding Your Purpose

• John Coleman

It’s never too early — or too late — to ask the big questions.

Many people work their whole lives to achieve material success only to find their happiness and sense of purpose wanting when that success comes. They often spend their later years looking for purpose in their lives in order to feel a sense of meaning. Searching for meaning late in your life is a missed opportunity. Success without significance — purpose, service, and meaningful relationships — is not really success at all. It’s important to properly reflect on how you can live a life imbued intensely not just with the superficial trappings of “success” but with deep purpose and joy in all we do — starting now. Ask yourself:  What is the core purpose of my work and the ways in which it makes the world better? Who are the key relationships in my life, and how can I deepen them? What more can I do at work, at home, and in my community to serve others? How am I becoming better each day?

In 1995, Bob Buford wrote the bestselling book Halftime , which popularized the concept of “moving from success to significance” in the second half of life. Buford realized that many businesspeople work their whole lives to achieve material success only to find their happiness and sense of purpose wanting when that success comes. And he rightly encouraged those people to seek out meaning and impact in their later years.

• JC John Coleman is the author of the HBR Guide to Crafting Your Purpose . Subscribe to his free newsletter, On Purpose , follow him on Twitter @johnwcoleman, or contact him at johnwilliamcoleman.com.

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Success Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on success.

Success Essay- In today’s world everyone wants to be successful but what is a success. The perspective of success varies from person to person. For the record, the people before us have a different view on success and the person after us will have a different view on success.

Moreover, people compare different people performance to evaluate their success. But success is not something that you can copy from others. You have to make your own path to achieving success. In modern-day, people are obsessed with success because of the glamour and lifestyle of successful people .

What formulates a person successful?

There are many ways in the world to be successful. But most people think of celebrities, artist, politicians, and businessmen whenever they heard the word success.

Moreover, they think doing what they will make you successful but that not the case. They forget the most basic thing that makes a person successful that is their hard work, dedication, and the desire to achieve their dream. More importantly, they what they like to do not what that others told them to do. Successful people do what they like to do also they do what they feel correct for their business.

If you look in the dictionary for the meaning of the word success then you will find that it means the achievement of one’s goal or aim . So, basically, anyone can achieve success by simply achieving their aim or goal.

What is the harm of success?

We all knew that we can’t achieve something without sacrificing something. Success also demands various things from you. But these sacrifices will not go in vain if you achieve your goal.

Certainly, many people achieve professional success but in doing so they fail in achieving mental, social and physical success. The tension of lacking behind in other things pulls them apart.

Also, there are cases where people became so obsessed with success that the people around them start to feel uncomfortable around them. In some cases, they have gone mad. Apart from that, people also get depressed if they can’t achieve success like others. So, we can say that there is much harm to success.

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Success and hard work

It may sound unfit to some peoples but success depends a lot of hard work. Without it, you can’t become successful. Hard work does not mean that you do laborious work or the work that make you sweat. Hard work means having a healthy body, strong mind, willpower and positive attitude towards things. And for all those things you need energy. So, be attentive to your body and soul.

Besides, do not just work on your program, push your limit, take charge of other things, improve your skills and most importantly keep learning. Apart from that, be with positive peoples, develop positive habits, and do exercise not only for the body but also for your mind.

To sum it up, we can say that success is like a seed that needs a balanced proportion of all the elements of life. And no one can achieve success in a day they have to go through and face different conditions in life for being successful. Above all, success is the feeling of fulfillment that you feel when you achieve your goal.

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Essays About Success: Top 5 Examples Plus 8 Prompts

Are you writing essays about success? Discover our guide that will help you succeed with essay examples about success and writing prompts.

Success is the achievement of a goal and can be achieved in the short, medium, or long term. Success does not come easily and often takes a great deal of hard work and commitment to achieving your dreams. However, some people walk a smoother path to success than others due to contacts, resources, and financial support.

While we all have different recipes for success, there are common ingredients that effectively support us in our pathway to success. Among them are discipline, patience, perseverance, and consistently followed strategy.

Read on below to see our pick of essay examples and prompts about success.

5 Essay Examples

1.  crypto’s success proves it doesn’t need consumer trust by charlotte principato, 2. china’s success in fighting poverty offers lesson for all by alessandro golombiewski teixeira, 3. the story of the first sherpa to climb to the top of mt. everest by christopher rand, 4. ukrainian success will not be catastrophic by kori schake, 5. the story behind tesla’s success by amy wu, 8 topic prompts on essays about success, 1. academic success, 2. how to succeed in life, 3. success vs. happiness, 4. poems with the theme of success, 5. self-made billionaires: are they real , 6. how childhood experiences can affect success, 7. why exercise is vital to success, 8. is iq the best indicator of success.

“… [O]n top of playing their role in keeping financial assets safe, institutions will also need to provide customers with access to a broad array of cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance products, as well as control over when and how they use them and greater transparency into how assets move.”

Crypto’s success is puzzling many over the influence — or lack thereof — of trust in the current generation of investors. But there is more to learn in today’s most untrusted but booming digital asset. And the lesson is for financial institutions to embrace crypto innovation while marrying this with their business principles on consumer confidence and safety.

“China’s poverty reduction strategy is worthy of reference for the majority of developing countries. In the process of poverty reduction, the Chinese government has had a clear overall plan and strategic direction. It has insisted that economic and social development go hand in hand.”

This essay weaves a remarkable story from the data on China’s drastic poverty alleviation. It is a story of progress that developing, and least-developed countries could turn to for inspiration in crafting anti-poverty policies and strategies. You can also check out these essays about business .

“Over the years, the try at the ascent was a test promoted largely by men who believed in white superiority. In the end, Tenzing, a nonwhite, passed it. Inevitably, this made him a hero to Indian nationalists. Tenzing is a Cinderella who has shown them that they, too, can be belles.”

The historic success of mankind in reaching the summit of Everest happened in the 1950s. Sadly it was little known that two men achieved this feat: one was British mountaineer Edmund Hillary and the other the Nepalese ​​Tenzing Norkay. Norkay succeeds in raking in a “decent” income following the expedition, but his achievement is shadowed by the knighted Hillary. 

“Ukrainians believe they are fighting for the fundamental values of a free society: human dignity, political liberty, national security. Those beliefs have electrified the society, which is engaged in impressive civic activism in support of the defense effort—something that will be studied by Western countries as mastery of 21st-century warfare.”

The counteroffensives of Ukraine have been successfully pushing Russian troops to retreat, exposing the decay in Russia’s military prowess and directing the world’s attention to its warfare tactics. While shrouded in grief over the loss of numerous civilian lives, Ukraine presses forward bolder and, in the process, wins overwhelming international support for the country to succeed against Putin’s Russia. 

“Tesla’s release positioned it as one of the few successful independent automakers and a pioneer in the electric car market… When the Model S premiered in 2013, Tesla made headlines… The electric plug-in car received a near-perfect score of 99 out of 100 from Consumer Reports, which also named it as ‘the best car ever tested.'”

The essay tracked the beginnings of Tesla as a startup up to its success today as a $900 billion company. It looks holistically at its current operations, technology development strategies, and global expansion. Through the lens of analysts, it also gives readers a glimpse into the future of Tesla, which is projected to rake in almost 30% of the global electric car sales by 2030. 

Some would define academic success as acing an exam, while for others, it’s about making it to the top of the class. We measure academic success mainly depending on what standard we aim to live up to and what we think is the best learning journey and pace. For this essay, talk about your barometers for academic success. Then, share your studying techniques and learning strategies for reaching new academic heights.

Over the years, there has been a lot of pressure for people to achieve significant life milestones faster, causing burnout and mental health disorders in a large population. Do you agree that pushing yourself to the limits is the right way to succeed in life? Your essay may take off from these questions, or you can provide your take on how to lead a successful life.

The road to success is beset with many impediments that could bring people down emotionally and mentally. For this essay, differentiate between success and happiness and determine which one is better to pursue. Back up your essay with research and real-life stories. 

For example, if you choose happiness over success, you may cite studies showing how successful people are more prone to mental health instabilities. You may also turn your essay into a feature-like write-up by integrating stories of people who have climbed to the top of the corporate ladder only to fall into depression. 

Be creative and turn your essay into a literary analysis. There is a wide array of poems about success at your disposal. One example and the most popular to date is Emily Dickinson’s “Success is Counted Sweetest.” You can dissect the poem line per line. Then, try to interpret the meanings beneath the metaphors and other figures of speech. Finally, articulate how the poem relates to the general aspects of life. 

Debates have been brewing over describing billionaires as “self-made,” with critics arguing there is never such a thing as some even derived capital through inheritance. So for this essay, first lay down the definitions and criteria of what makes a self-made billionaire. Next, delve into the lives of those labeled as self-made billionaires and determine if their conditions meet the criteria enumerated. 

The field of psychology abounds in research studies that link factors from childhood to success or failure in one’s adult life. First, find research studies that interest you or could even relate to your life story. You could also cite others’ experiences as examples that agree with the research. Then, based on your chosen study, suggest how government, schools, and families can reform childhood practices to lead children to a better future. 

Write about the scientific processes that happen to your body when you exercise and what these do in increasing your thinking capacity, energy, and focus, among others. Then, cite people you consider successful and write about their exercise routines. Finally, write about your exercise routine or plans to add exercise to your daily habit. You can also suggest programs for schools to encourage regular exercise among their students better 

Some psychometric experts believe that the intelligence quotient is the best determinant of success, while others think it is but one. For your essay, write about where you stand on this divergence.

But first, walk your readers through the current debates on IQ. Then, support your opinion with the latest research correlating IQ with other factors such as social behavior and economic development. Also, add what experts have to say for additional support to your argument.

To check your grammar, try out ProWritingAid. ProWritingAid is one of our top-rated grammar checkers for several reasons, as laid down in this review . 

But if writing essays is not your cup of tea, you can always write a simple five-paragraph essay .

Yna Lim is a communications specialist currently focused on policy advocacy. In her eight years of writing, she has been exposed to a variety of topics, including cryptocurrency, web hosting, agriculture, marketing, intellectual property, data privacy and international trade. A former journalist in one of the top business papers in the Philippines, Yna is currently pursuing her master's degree in economics and business.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Success — What is Success and How to Define It

What is Success and How to Define It

• Categories: Success

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Words: 1355 |

Published: Mar 1, 2019

Words: 1355 | Page: 1 | 7 min read

What is success?

Works cited.

• Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Simon & Schuster.
• Dweck, C. (2017). Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential. Robinson.
• Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company.
• Grant, A. (2013). Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success. Penguin Books.
• Hill, N. (2020). Think and Grow Rich. Independently published.
• Kipling, R. (1910). If. The National Review.
• Loehr, J., & Schwartz, T. (2003). The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal. Free Press.
• Man's Search for Meaning (2006). Viktor E. Frankl. Beacon Press.
• Robbins, T. (2005). Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical, and Financial Destiny!. Simon & Schuster.
• Tracy, B. (2004). The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible. Thomas Nelson.

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Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Beyond money: Toward an economy of wellbeing. Psychological science in the public interest, 5(1), 1-31.Henderson, M., & Harker, J. (2018). The Routledge Handbook of Social Epistemology. [...]

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How to Be Successful in Life: 50 Steps Toward Personal and Professional Success

By: Author Valerie Forgeard

Posted on April 6, 2024

Categories Self Improvement

Achieving success in life is a journey unique to each individual, yet there are universal principles that successful people have followed to reach their goals.

A successful life is not a destination but a continuous process of setting clear goals, hard work, positive thinking, and personal growth.

Whether defining personal success, setting SMART goals, or developing daily habits that foster personal and professional growth, this guide aims to be the ultimate resource for anyone aspiring to lead a successful life.

Key Takeaways

• Clearly define what success means to you
• Set achievable goals that challenge you without leading to burnout
• Cultivate gratitude practices to shift your focus from lack to abundance
• Engage in regular reflection and adjust strategies as needed

50 Tips for Achieving Your Life Goals

Success in life is not a one-size-fits-all formula. It encompasses various aspects, from personal development to professional achievements.

To navigate this journey, it’s helpful to have a comprehensive set of guidelines.

This list presents 50 essential tips, organized into categories, to help you navigate the journey to a successful and satisfying life.

Personal Development

• Set Clear Goals : Define what success means to you.
• Stay Positive : Cultivate a positive mindset.
• Embrace Lifelong Learning : Never stop acquiring new knowledge.
• Build Resilience : Learn to bounce back from setbacks.
• Practice Self-Reflection : Regularly assess your progress.
• Develop Emotional Intelligence : Understand and manage your emotions.
• Stay Curious : Keep an open mind and ask questions.
• Cultivate Healthy Habits : Regular exercise, balanced diet, and enough sleep.
• Read Daily : Expand your perspectives and knowledge.
• Practice Mindfulness : Stay present and focused.

Career and Professional Growth

• Network Effectively : Build and maintain professional relationships.
• Find a Mentor : Learn from someone experienced.
• Continuously Upgrade Skills : Stay relevant in your field.
• Set Professional Goals : Have clear career objectives.
• Embrace Challenges : Step out of your comfort zone.
• Seek Feedback : Use it for improvement.
• Take Initiative : Show willingness to lead and innovate.
• Be Adaptable : Adjust to changing workplace dynamics.
• Manage Time Efficiently : Prioritize tasks effectively.
• Stay Organized : Keep your workspace and tasks in order.

Financial Wisdom

• Budget Wisely : Keep track of your income and expenses.
• Save Regularly : Build a financial safety net.
• Invest in Yourself : Spend on education and self-improvement.
• Understand Investments : Grow your wealth wisely.
• Avoid Debt Traps : Use credit responsibly.
• Plan for Retirement : Start saving early.
• Learn Financial Literacy : Understand basic financial concepts.
• Seek Professional Advice : Consult with financial advisors.
• Live Within Your Means : Avoid overspending.
• Regular Financial Reviews : Assess your financial health periodically.

Relationships and Networking

• Communicate Effectively : Be clear and empathetic in your interactions.
• Build Strong Personal Relationships : Invest time in family and friends.
• Show Appreciation : Express gratitude to those around you.
• Be a Good Listener : Pay attention to others’ needs.
• Support Others : Offer help when needed.
• Network Intentionally : Connect with people in and out of your industry.
• Respect Boundaries : Understand and respect personal limits.
• Be Trustworthy : Maintain integrity in all relationships.
• Resolve Conflicts Peacefully : Seek mutually beneficial solutions.
• Celebrate the Successes of Others : Share in their achievements.

Health and Well-being

• Prioritize Mental Health : Practice stress-relief techniques.
• Maintain Physical Health : Regular check-ups and exercise.
• Balance Work and Life : Make time for personal life.
• Pursue Hobbies : Engage in activities you love.
• Seek Professional Help When Needed : Don’t hesitate to get support.
• Practice Relaxation Techniques : Yoga, meditation, or deep breathing.
• Get Adequate Sleep : Rest is crucial for overall well-being.
• Eat Balanced Meals : Nutrition affects your energy and mood.
• Stay Hydrated : Water is essential for health.
• Listen to Your Body : Be aware of and respond to its needs.

Define Your Success

Before you embark on your journey, you’ve got to define what success means to you clearly. It’s not just about reaching a destination; it’s about aligning your path with your values.

Take the time to reflect on what truly matters to you, not just what you’re told should matter. This is your story, and you’re the one who sets the success metrics.

You’ll find liberation in crafting a vision that resonates with your core beliefs. Remember, success isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept; it’s profoundly personal and ever-evolving.

Set Achievable Goals

You’ve defined what success means to you; now it’s time to chart your course with clear, achievable objectives.

Break down your journey into milestones, ensuring each step is grounded in reality and attainable within your set timelines.

Define Clear Objectives

Setting clear, achievable goals is fundamental in mapping out your path to success. Start by engaging in goal clarification. It’s about pinpointing your goals and breaking vague dreams into tangible targets. Remember, a goal without a plan is just a wish.

With objective mapping, you create a roadmap for your journey, ensuring each step moves you closer to where you want to be.

Don’t just dream of freedom; define it. What does freedom look like for you? Is it financial independence, the ability to travel, or the flexibility to spend time with loved ones? Lay out your objectives clearly, and make sure they’re realistic and time-bound.

Your motivation is soaring when you know exactly what you’re working towards.

Milestone-Based Planning

How do you translate your objectives into daily actions that propel you toward success?

Milestone-based planning is your roadmap to freedom. Setting achievable goals creates a series of stepping stones that lead to your ultimate vision.

Goal visualization isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a powerful tool that can bring your future achievements into the present moment. And with progress tracking, you’ll witness your growth in real time.

• Visualize Success : Feel the triumph with each goal you envision.
• Set Milestones : Break down your journey into attainable steps.
• Celebrate Wins : Savor the sweet taste of every achievement.
• Track Progress : Watch your dreams convert into reality.
• Adjust as Needed : Navigate the path to success with agility.

Let these strategies be your guide to a life of fulfillment.

Realistic Timelines Setting

Establishing a realistic timeline is crucial as you set goals to steer you toward success. Time management isn’t just about finding hours in the day; it’s about crafting a life you’re excited to live. It requires you to set achievable goals that challenge you without leading to burnout.

Here’s a simple table to guide your deadline strategies:

Develop a Positive Mindset

Your mindset is the foundation of your journey to success; it’s time to strengthen it with positivity.

Start by cultivating gratitude daily; this simple practice can transform your outlook and fuel your drive.

Confront negative thoughts head-on, challenging them with evidence and optimism.

Embrace a growth mindset that sees every setback as a stepping stone to greatness.

Cultivate Gratitude Practices

Cultivating gratitude practices can transform your life’s outlook, paving the way for success by fostering a mindset that appreciates the present and fuels positivity. An attitude adjustment toward gratitude isn’t just feel-good fluff; it’s a strategic move. Start with thankfulness journaling—each day, jot down things you’re grateful for. This simple act can shift your focus from what you lack to the abundance in your life.

• Savor small victories : Celebrate the tiny wins that often go unnoticed.
• Acknowledge others : Expressing gratitude to people reinforces positive bonds.
• Embrace nature’s beauty : Let the world around you inspire awe and thankfulness.
• Find lessons in challenges : Every setback hides a potential gift.
• Reflect nightly : End your day by counting blessings, not sheep.

Embrace these practices to unlock a life brimming with freedom and joy.

Challenge Negative Thoughts

Every one of your thoughts has the power to either undermine or propel your success, so it’s crucial to challenge the negative ones and cultivate a positive mindset. Recognize that thought patterns can trap you in a cycle of doubt or liberate you into a world of possibility.

To overcome doubt, start by acknowledging its presence. Then, question its validity and reframe your mindset. Replace ‘I can’t’ with ‘How can I?’ This simple shift opens doors to solutions and silences the inner critic.

Embrace Growth Mindset

In the journey toward success, embracing a growth mindset is crucial as it enables you to view challenges as opportunities to learn and improve. You’re not just overcoming growth barriers; you’re transforming them into stepping stones. Mindset shifts are pivotal in propelling you forward.

Imagine the sense of freedom when you:

• Break free from self-imposed limitations.
• Revel in the process of continual learning.
• Transform setbacks into setups for future triumphs.
• Cultivate resilience that outshines temporary defeat.
• Foster innovation by questioning the status quo.

Embrace Continuous Learning

Your journey to success must include a commitment to never stop learning. Lifelong learning isn’t just a lofty ideal; it’s a practical strategy for skill diversification and the ultimate pursuit of freedom.

Every new skill you acquire dismantles another barrier to your potential. Delve into books, take courses, and challenge yourself with new experiences.

By embracing continuous learning, you’re not just collecting knowledge; you’re sharpening your ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world. It’s about being proactive, not reactive, and positioning yourself at the forefront of innovation.

Don’t just chase success; let it be a byproduct of your insatiable curiosity and your relentless drive to know more today than you did yesterday. Keep learning, keep growing, and you’ll find that success has a way of finding you.

Cultivate Discipline and Persistence

While setting goals and chasing dreams, remember that discipline and persistence are the bedrock upon which lasting success is built. You’ve got to master time management, ensuring that every hour is a step towards your aspirations. When setbacks arise, engage in failure analysis; turn every stumble into a lesson that propels you forward.

• Rise with the sun : Embrace the quiet hours of dawn to plan your day.
• Embrace the grind : Find joy in the hustle; every effort fuels your journey.
• Failure is a teacher : Analyze setbacks to arm yourself for future battles.
• Consistency is key : Forge habits that transform your daily grind into a rhythm of victory.
• Celebrate small wins : Acknowledge every milestone to stoke the fires of motivation.

Forge a path to freedom through relentless discipline and unwavering persistence.

Build Strong Relationships

Fostering robust relationships is as crucial to success as maintaining personal discipline and persistence. You can’t soar to great heights without the wind beneath your wings provided by solid relationships. Understanding relationship dynamics is about more than just making connections; it’s about nurturing them with effective communication skills and mutual respect.

Embrace these pillars of strong relationships and watch as doors open and opportunities flow. Your journey to freedom isn’t a solo ride; it’s a shared adventure. So, connect deeply, communicate effectively, and cherish the alliances you form. They’re the bedrock of your success.

Practice Self-Care

Self-care is essential in fueling your energy and focus to achieve your ambitions. To soar high and freely toward your goals, you must first ground yourself in habits that nurture your body and mind.

• Mindful Meditation : Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and let tranquility wash over you, freeing your mind from the chains of daily stress.
• Healthy Eating : Nourish your body with wholesome foods, feeling the vigor of life coursing through you with every bite.
• Regular Exercise : Move, stretch, and challenge your physical limits, feeling the rush of endorphins that scream freedom.
• Quality Sleep : Rest under the stars of your dreams, awakening refreshed and ready to conquer.
• Positive Affirmations : Speak to your soul, affirm your worth, and watch yourself become unstoppable.

Striking the Balance

Achieving success in life often requires a delicate balance, a harmonious blend of ambition, well-being, and personal fulfillment. True success is not just the attainment of professional or financial goals but also maintaining a healthy work-life equilibrium. It’s about recognizing that relentless pursuit in one area should not lead to neglect in another. This balance is critical for long-term achievement and happiness.

Balancing success involves setting clear, attainable goals while ensuring that personal health and relationships are not compromised. It requires prioritizing tasks, managing time efficiently, and setting boundaries to prevent burnout. Successful individuals often integrate their career aspirations with personal interests and family time, creating a holistic approach to life’s various demands.

Moreover, sustainable success is underpinned by the ability to adapt and change. It involves re-evaluating goals and methods regularly, being open to new opportunities, and being flexible enough to adjust plans when necessary. Emotional intelligence plays a crucial role here, as it allows for self-awareness and empathy, which are essential in understanding and managing one’s needs and those of others.

Ultimately, balancing success means recognizing that professional achievements, personal growth, and relationships are not mutually exclusive but interconnected elements that, when aligned, lead to a richer, more fulfilling life.

Reflect and Adjust Regularly

You’ll need to regularly assess and tweak your strategies to ensure you’re on the most effective path to success. The importance of self-awareness can’t be overstated; the compass guides your journey. Without it, you’re wandering in the dark.

Take time to reflect on your progress, celebrating victories and acknowledging areas needing improvement. Habit reassessment is crucial; it ensures you’re not mindlessly repeating actions that don’t serve your ultimate goals.

Embrace the power of adaptation. Success isn’t a rigid, one-size-fits-all formula—it’s a dynamic, evolving process. If something isn’t working, dare to change course. Your freedom lies in your ability to make choices that align with your aspirations. Reflect, adjust, and soar.

In summary, a successful life is a product of various factors working in harmony – clear goal setting, relentless hard work, resilience in the face of failure, and a positive attitude.

It’s important to remember that success goes beyond material achievements; it encompasses personal growth, mental health, and the ability to influence others’ lives positively.

While the definition of success varies from person to person, the principles of setting specific goals, embracing personal growth, and maintaining a positive outlook remain constant.

By integrating these principles into your personal life, you can navigate your path to long-term success, ensuring that each step is a step towards becoming the best version of yourself.

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How to Be Successful in Life

Last Updated: April 18, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Kamila Tan . Kamila Tan is a Recovery Coach, former Division I Collegiate Athlete, Inspirational Speaker, and Mental Health Advocate. She is the Founder of Embracing Strength LLC, a coaching business with the mission to provide support for athletes recovering from disordered eating and body image issues and provide support for their families. Kamila informs her work helping athletes pursue recovery with her experience playing beach volleyball as a Division I NCAA collegiate athlete. Kamila holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master of Public Health from the University of California at Los Angeles, and is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 2,312,623 times.

Regardless of how old you are, where you live, or what your career goals are, it's likely your ultimate goals in life are to be happy and successful. To be successful means more than just having money and making your mark. It means following your passions, living purposefully, and enjoying the present moment.

Things You Should Know

• Identify your passions , interests, and values so you can set goals based on things that truly matter to you.
• Pursue the knowledge and skills you need to achieve your goals and maximize your potential.
• Create a schedule to manage your time wisely. Set aside time every week to work on passion projects and explore new interests.

Developing a Path to Success

• If you find yourself constantly bored, daydreaming about the future or past or counting down the minutes until the day ends, it is probably because you feel disconnected from what you're doing.
• Cherish your time. Try to spend your free time doing things that you enjoy doing, rather than wasting time. For example, rather than spending your weekends watching television, spend them partaking in your hobbies or spending time with loved ones and new friends.
• Measure your productivity by engagement, not achievement. Not everything you do has to be productive in the conventional sense, but activities should be engaging and enjoyable.
• Keep in mind that it is perfectly fine to spend some time doing nothing and just being lazy each day. This can actually help with your imagination and self-awareness. Strive for a balance between doing things you want to do and allowing yourself to just “be.”

• What do you want your legacy to be?
• How would you like to be remembered by others?
• How do you want to make your community a better place?
• What are some favorite subjects of interest in your life? For example, think of subjects you enjoyed studying in school. Ask why you liked them. [3] X Research source
• For instance, you may have loved musical theater. Think: was it because you loved the music, or was it because you loved working with a big group towards a common goal?

• Set SMART goals ; goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
• Break big goals down. For instance, if your goal is to see the world, you can set the goal of saving money and visiting certain countries.

• Avoid canceling plans, and try not to cancel twice on the same person.
• Make commitments to yourself, and stick to them. Write down your commitments and hang them in places you can see.
• Make sure that your commitments are gradually moving you towards your goals. Review your goals now and then to make sure you are moving in the right direction.

It's okay to start small. "I think everyone starts in the mailroom at some point! It's a right of passage. Your boss has to throw something at you and order you around for at least two years."

Achieving External Success

• In 2011, the median weekly earnings for high school graduates was $638 while those with bachelor's degrees made $1053. That same year, those with masters or doctoral degrees made $1263 and $1551 respectively.
• Not all education has to be formal. Apprenticeships and long-term training programs are also positively correlated with higher incomes. Obtaining a Certificate in your field can help to increase your salary.
• Educate yourself for pleasure as well. The more you know about the world you live in, the more questions you will have and the more interested you will be.

• Keep track of your expenses. Subtract your monthly expenses from your monthly income to determine how much spending money you have available each month. Also, review your bank statements often and notice where you spend your money. This will help you prevent overspending and ensure that your bank statements are correct.
• Understand your income. When calculating your income, be sure to take into account the federal, state, and social security taxes that will be deducted from your gross pay. Don't overlook miscellaneous deductions, such as health insurance premiums, savings bonds and loan payments. The resulting number is your net pay, which is what you end up taking home with you.
• Cut back. If you are not earning enough money to cover your net expenses, then look into your expenses to see where you might be able to cut back.
• Save money . Every month, you should deposit some of your money into a savings account. Consider asking your employer to directly deposit a portion of your income into your savings account.
• Invest cautiously . If your workplace offers a retirement savings plan, put your excess incomes in that.

• Use a planner to help keep you organized throughout the day, week, and month.
• Set reminders on your smart phone and make use of its electronic timer for better time management.
• Make a list of all the things you need to do in a given day, and check off each task as you complete it. This will help you stay organized and motivated.

Achieving Internal Success

• Start paying attention to negative thoughts so that you can move on from them and enjoy the present moment . If a negative thought arises in your head, then acknowledge it, label it a negative thought, and then let it fade away. [8] X Research source Regular meditation or mindfulness exercises can help to make this feel more natural for you.
• Get in the habit of paying attention to small details around you. Appreciate the feeling of the sun on your skin, the sensation of your feet walking on the ground, or the artwork in the restaurant you are eating in. Noticing things like these will help you silence a rambling mind and appreciate every moment.

• Many people have the tendency to compare the low points of their own lives with the high points of other peoples' lives. Remember that no matter how perfect somebody's life may seem, behind closed doors everybody deals with tragedy, insecurity, and other difficulties. [9] X Research source Pay attention to and limit your use of social media to help you remember this.
• Rather than comparing yourself with people who are "better off" than you, think about all of the people who are homeless, chronically ill, or living in poverty. This will help you appreciate what you have rather than feeling sorry for yourself. Try engaging in volunteer work to help make this more apparent. This can help to boost your happiness and confidence as well.

Cultivating Success in Every Aspect of Your Life

• Remember, some chances only come around once. You can't bank them.
• This doesn't mean you should throw away all your savings or get rid of your safety net. It just means you should say yes when you are given an offer to move ahead.

• When making friends with someone, ask yourself if the person makes you feel motivated, positive, and confident, or if they make you feel tired, overwhelmed, or incompetent. Choose to spend time with the positive people, not the ones sucking your energy.
• If you have friends or family members who always make you feel bad about yourself, limit the time you spend with them. Also, make sure to identify relationships that are not helping you to move towards your goals, that stress you out, or that require too much of your time and energy without being reciprocal.
• Look for mentors among the people you admire. If you think you could learn from someone, ask for their advice.

• Respect the boundaries others set for you, too. Listen to your loved ones when they tell you they need space, or want to do something alone.

Expert Q&A

• Keep yourself inspired by anything that inspires you: music, photography, fashion, current events, etc. Nothing else ignites a flame in you like a great source of inspiration. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Having positive role models in your life can help keep you motivated and lead you in the right direction. Your role model may or may not be somebody you know personally. Learn about your role model's life story and try to adopt their work ethic. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Use planners, calendars, and to-do lists to schedule important tasks and passion projects. Checking off completed items gives a sense of progress and motivation. But avoid overscheduling yourself. Leave time for flexibility and self-care.
• Build relationships with positive, supportive people who share your core values and lift you up. Their energy can inspire you to keep pursuing your dreams. Limit time with those who undermine your goals or drain your energy unnecessarily.
• Make a list of your core values and true passions first. Then set S.M.A.R.T. goals aligned with them. This provides meaning and fulfillment beyond just money or status. Define success based on your own fulfillment, not others' standards.
• Stay focused on enjoying the journey rather than fixating only on distant end goals. Appreciate small joys and blessings in each present moment. True contentment comes from within, not external validation.
• Regularly count your blessings during wins and losses alike. Maintain perspective by remembering everyone's life has ups and downs. Focus daily gratitude on what you have, rather than what you lack.
• Break large goals down into smaller, manageable steps. Then make consistent progress each day through self-discipline. Always honor commitments made to yourself and others. Meet your own standards.

• Never get jealous about others achievements. Rather work hard to reach your personal greatest heights. Thanks Helpful 13 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/turning-point/201404/how-live-purposeful-and-fulfilling-life
• ↑ Kamila Tan. Life and Recovery Coach. Expert Interview. 24 June 2022.
• ↑ https://positivepsychology.com/self-compassion-self-love/
• ↑ https://www.apa.org/topics/behavioral-health/lifestyle-changes
• ↑ https://www.apa.org/education-career/guide/subfields/teaching-learning
• ↑ https://positivepsychology.com/perma-model/
• ↑ https://psychcentral.com/lib/depression-and-letting-go-of-negative-thoughts/
• ↑ https://au.reachout.com/articles/5-ways-to-tame-your-social-media-use
• ↑ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055944
• ↑ https://psychcentral.com/lib/10-way-to-build-and-preserve-better-boundaries/

About This Article

One way to be successful in life is by making a plan for success, starting with making a list of things that you’re passionate about. You can ask a friend or family member to help you identify your interests and values, and then set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals. When it comes to making a big decision, ask yourself “Is what I’m doing going to lead me to where I want to be in life?” If the answer is no, consider a different option. Be sure to stick to your commitments and take actions every day to achieve your goals. To learn more about how to manage your finances and time from our Professional Counselor co-author, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Achieve a Good Life? Essay

Introduction, a good life, moral virtues.

Life is a mode of existence and it reflects the experiences of living that characterize human beings whether they are good or bad. It is confounding to describe what a good life is, since it applies to both material life and moral life. For instance, having immense wealth and ability to enjoy every form of pleasure that ever existed on earth can mean that one is living a good life.

On the other hand, living in accordance with the social, religious, and personal morals and ethics means that one is also living a good life. The latter description of good life applies across the board since everybody has the ability to achieve it for everyone has the capacity to think and act morally. This essay explores what a good life is and describes plan of achieving it in terms of integrity, honesty, responsibility, and state obligation.

Living a good life morally means living in accordance with the ethics and morals of the society. A person living a good life expresses virtues such integrity, honesty, responsibility, and obligation to the rules of the state. Although human beings pursue material and intellectual gains as they struggle towards self-actualization, these gains cannot earn them the virtue of being good, but they will rather pass for hardworking individuals.

The rich people have wealth because of their hardworking character and they can access good things of life that bring happiness and pleasure, and live a good life materially; nevertheless, this does not make them good. A poor person can live a miserable life of poverty but with good moral life, while on the contrary, a rich person can live a good life of pleasure and happiness, but with bad moral life. Therefore, when “good” describes virtues, pleasure and happiness due to money cannot make life good.

Morals and ethics that individuals observe to express virtues in life cause them to lead a good life. Integrity and honesty are two virtues that enhance people’s lives and they are inseparable because one cannot have integrity without being honesty or vice versa. Educationally, integrity is a skill that demands learning and continued practice in order to internalize the virtue.

The development of integrity is a life-long process that needs patience and endurance since it is a skill. If likened to a building, honesty and truth are two central pillars that support integrity as a virtue throughout the life of an individual. To develop this virtue of integrity in life, one must always adhere to its two pillars, because integrity is not a discrete achievement but a continuous achievement that needs constant efforts to maintain it.

Responsibility is a powerful virtue which if exercised well by an individual, it does not only yield great benefits to the individual, but also to other people and the entire society. The golden rule demands that there must be reciprocal responsibility in the society to enable people live harmoniously.

Sense of responsibility in the society lessens the impacts of problems experienced because of collective response that lead to immediate solution. Becoming part of the solution in the society is being responsible and the excuse of blaming others would not arise. Since rights and responsibility relate to one another, it requires one to act within the limits of rights to become responsible. Therefore, the rights that govern social norms and regulations give one the degree of responsibility to struggle and attain good life for the benefit of all.

Citizens have a moral obligation to respect and advocate for the common interests of all people. For justice and peace to flourish in the society, citizens have great moral obligation to ensure they report criminal activities, help the poor, and conserve the environment. By doing this, they foster their states’ bid to build justice and a peace in society where virtues spring up, and thus a good life.

Like responsibility, adherence to the laws of the land will enable one to develop a sense of obligation to the state. It is a great obligation of the citizens to help the state fight vices in the society and the best way to do it is by becoming loyal to the laws and being active in enforcing them. The concerted efforts of the state and its citizens will improve the lives of the people resulting into a good life.

To achieve good life based on observance of moral principles demands strict observance and application of ethics in everything. Complete observance of ethics yields virtues that make life good in any community.

The goodness of a person cannot result from material wealth, but it emerges from the good moral qualities that one has achieved in life. Virtues like integrity, honesty, responsibility, and obligation to the state are attributes of an individual and have no material value attached to them. This means that, a good life does not mean wealthy living.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, November 2). How to Achieve a Good Life? https://ivypanda.com/essays/life/

"How to Achieve a Good Life?" IvyPanda , 2 Nov. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/life/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'How to Achieve a Good Life'. 2 November.

IvyPanda . 2023. "How to Achieve a Good Life?" November 2, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/life/.

1. IvyPanda . "How to Achieve a Good Life?" November 2, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/life/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "How to Achieve a Good Life?" November 2, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/life/.

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Charlie Munger on How to Lead a Successful Life

A young rustic once said, “I wish I knew where I was going to die, and then I’d never go there.” While a ridiculous-sounding idea, the rustic had a profound truth in his possession. The way complex adaptive systems work, and the way mental constructs work, problems frequently become easier to solve through inversion. If you turn problems around into reverse, you often think better. For instance, if you want to help India, the question you should consider asking is not “How can I help India?” Instead, you should ask, “How can I hurt India?” You find what will do the worst damage, and then try to avoid it.

Perhaps the two approaches seem logically the same thing. But those who have mastered algebra know that inversion will often and easily solve problems that otherwise resist solution. And in life, just as in algebra, inversion will help you solve problems that you can’t otherwise handle.

Let me use a little inversion now. What will really fail in life? What do we want to avoid? Some answers are easy. For example, sloth and unreliability will fail. If you’re unreliable, it doesn’t matter what your virtues are, you’re going to crater immediately. So faithfully doing what you’ve engaged to do should be an automatic part of your conduct. Of course you want to avoid sloth and unreliability.

Another thing to avoid is extremely intense ideology, because it cabbages up one’s mind. You see a lot of it in the worst of the TV preachers. They have different, intense, inconsistent ideas about technical theology, and a lot of them have minds reduced to cabbage. That can happen with political ideology. And if you’re young, it’s particularly easy to drift into intense and foolish political ideology and never get out. 

I have what I call an iron prescription that helps me keep sane when I drift toward preferring one intense ideology over another. I feel that I’m not entitled to have an opinion unless I can state the arguments against my position better than the people who are in opposition. I think that I am qualified to speak only when I’ve reached that state. 

More From TIME

Another thing that often causes folly and ruin is the self-serving bias, often subconscious, to which we’re all subject. You think that “the true little me” is entitled to do what it wants to do. For instance, why shouldn’t the true little me get what it wants by overspending its income? 

Well, there once was a man who became the most famous composer in the world, but he was utterly miserable most of the time. One of the reasons was that he always overspent his income. That was Mozart. If Mozart couldn’t get by with this kind of asinine conduct, I don’t think you should try it. 

Generally speaking, envy, resentment, revenge, and self-pity are disastrous modes of thought. Self-pity can get pretty close to paranoia. Paranoia is one of the very hardest things to reverse. You do not want to drift into self-pity. I had a friend who carried a thick stack of linen-based cards. When somebody would make a comment that reflected self-pity, he would slowly and portentously pull out his huge stack of cards, take the top one, and hand it to the person. The card said, “Your story has touched my heart. Never have I heard of anyone with as many misfortunes as you.” 

Well, you can say that’s waggery, but I suggest it can be mental hygiene. Every time you find you’re drifting into self-pity, whatever the cause, even if your child is dying of cancer, self-pity is not going to help. Just give yourself one of my friend’s cards. Self-pity is always counterproductive. It’s the wrong way to think. And when you avoid it, you get a great advantage over everybody else, or almost everybody else, because self-pity is a standard response. And you can train yourself out of it.

Of course, you also want to get self-serving bias out of your mental routines. Thinking that what’s good for you is good for the wider civilization and rationalizing foolish or evil conduct based on your subconscious tendency to serve yourself is a terrible way to think. You want to drive that out of yourself because you want to be wise, not foolish, and good, not evil. 

You also have to allow, in your own cognition and conduct, for the self-serving bias of everybody else, because most people are not going to be very successful at removing such bias, the human condition being what it is. If you don’t allow for self-serving bias in the conduct of others, you are, again, a fool.

The general counsel was technically and morally correct, but his approach didn’t persuade. He recommended a very unpleasant thing for the busy CEO to do and the CEO, quite understandably, put the issue off, and put it off, not with any intent to do wrong. In due course, when powerful regulators resented not having been promptly informed, down went the CEO and the general counsel with him.

The correct persuasive technique in situations like that was given by Ben Franklin. He said, “If you would persuade, appeal to interest, not to reason.”

The self-serving bias of man is extreme, and should have been used in attaining the correct outcome. So the general counsel should have said, “Look, this is likely to erupt into something that will destroy you, take away your money, take away your status, grossly impair your reputation. My recommendation will prevent a likely disaster from which you can’t recover.” That approach would have worked. You should often appeal to interest, not to reason, even when your motives are lofty.

Perverse associations are also to be avoided. You particularly want to avoid working directly under somebody you don’t admire and don’t want to be like. It’s dangerous. We’re all subject to control to some extent by authority figures, particularly authority figures who are rewarding us. Dealing properly with this danger requires both some talent and will.

I coped in my time by identifying people I admired and by maneuvering, mostly without criticizing anybody, so that I was usually working under the right sort of people. A lot of law firms will permit that if you’re shrewd enough to work it out with some tact. Generally, your outcome in life will be more satisfactory if you work under people you correctly admire.

Adapted from Poor Charlie's Almanack , to be published by Stripe Press on Dec. 5th

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How to Write a Successful Essay

Last Updated: March 9, 2022 References

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. This article has been viewed 68,714 times.

No matter whether you're working on a college research paper or a middle school essay, you can boost your writing skills and make your essay even more successful. A good essay has a convincing argument, evidence to back up the main points, and clear writing. Ready to take your writing from good to great? We'll give you clear-cut writing tips to create a successful essay.

Writing the introduction

• Make sure that your topic relates to the assignment, and that you can support it using various mediums, such as the internet or a book.

Writing the body of the essay

Finishing the essay

• For your conclusion, state your thesis in a different, unique way. Summarize your whole paper, and leave a lasting impression on your readers.

Essay Template and Sample Essays

Expert Q&A

• Never repeat what you've already said. If you do, it'll sound less interesting. Thanks Helpful 7 Not Helpful 0
• Remember to use transitions. Transitions connect ideas and establish a flow to your paper. Like the thesis, transitions are a necessary part of all papers. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• Don't go overboard on the appearances of your essay. It'll look cheesy and plus it'll cost a lot of money. Remember, after your current school year is over, your teacher will just throw it away, so it isn't smart to load up on the pictures and ribbons. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 1

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• ↑ https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/writing/how-to-write-an-essay.html
• ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/mar/07/how-to-write-an-essay
• ↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.
• ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zv7fqp3/articles/znvn92p
• ↑ https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/ending-essay-conclusions

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How To Be Successful

I’ve observed thousands of founders and thought a lot about what it takes to make a huge amount of money or to create something important. Usually, people start off wanting the former and end up wanting the latter.

Here are 13 thoughts about how to achieve such outlier success. Everything here is easier to do once you’ve already reached a baseline degree of success (through privilege or effort) and want to put in the work to turn that into outlier success. [1] But much of it applies to anyone.

1. Compound yourself

Compounding is magic. Look for it everywhere. Exponential curves are the key to wealth generation.

A medium-sized business that grows 50% in value every year becomes huge in a very short amount of time. Few businesses in the world have true network effects and extreme scalability. But with technology, more and more will.  It’s worth a lot of effort to find them and create them.

You also want to be an exponential curve yourself—you should aim for your life to follow an ever-increasing up-and-to-the-right trajectory. It’s important to move towards a career that has a compounding effect—most careers progress fairly linearly.

You don't want to be in a career where people who have been doing it for two years can be as effective as people who have been doing it for twenty—your rate of learning should always be high. As your career progresses, each unit of work you do should generate more and more results. There are many ways to get this leverage, such as capital, technology, brand, network effects, and managing people.

It’s useful to focus on adding another zero to whatever you define as your success metric—money, status, impact on the world, or whatever. I am willing to take as much time as needed between projects to find my next thing. But I always want it to be a project that, if successful, will make the rest of my career look like a footnote.

Most people get bogged down in linear opportunities. Be willing to let small opportunities go to focus on potential step changes.

I think the biggest competitive advantage in business—either for a company or for an individual’s career—is long-term thinking with a broad view of how different systems in the world are going to come together. One of the notable aspects of compound growth is that the furthest out years are the most important. In a world where almost no one takes a truly long-term view, the market richly rewards those who do.

Trust the exponential, be patient, and be pleasantly surprised.

2. Have almost too much self-belief

Self-belief is immensely powerful. The most successful people I know believe in themselves almost to the point of delusion.

Cultivate this early. As you get more data points that your judgment is good and you can consistently deliver results, trust yourself more.

If you don’t believe in yourself, it’s hard to let yourself have contrarian ideas about the future. But this is where most value gets created.

I remember when Elon Musk took me on a tour of the SpaceX factory many years ago. He talked in detail about manufacturing every part of the rocket, but the thing that sticks in memory was the look of absolute certainty on his face when he talked about sending large rockets to Mars. I left thinking “huh, so that’s the benchmark for what conviction looks like.”

Managing your own morale—and your team’s morale—is one of the greatest challenges of most endeavors. It’s almost impossible without a lot of self-belief. And unfortunately, the more ambitious you are, the more the world will try to tear you down.  

Most highly successful people have been really right about the future at least once at a time when people thought they were wrong. If not, they would have faced much more competition.

Self-belief must be balanced with self-awareness. I used to hate criticism of any sort and actively avoided it. Now I try to always listen to it with the assumption that it’s true, and then decide if I want to act on it or not. Truth-seeking is hard and often painful, but it is what separates self-belief from self-delusion.

This balance also helps you avoid coming across as entitled and out of touch.

3. Learn to think independently

Entrepreneurship is very difficult to teach because original thinking is very difficult to teach. School is not set up to teach this—in fact, it generally rewards the opposite. So you have to cultivate it on your own.

Thinking from first principles and trying to generate new ideas is fun, and finding people to exchange them with is a great way to get better at this. The next step is to find easy, fast ways to test these ideas in the real world.

“I will fail many times, and I will be really right once” is the entrepreneurs’ way. You have to give yourself a lot of chances to get lucky.

One of the most powerful lessons to learn is that you can figure out what to do in situations that seem to have no solution. The more times you do this, the more you will believe it. Grit comes from learning you can get back up after you get knocked down.

4. Get good at “sales”

Self-belief alone is not sufficient—you also have to be able to convince other people of what you believe.

All great careers, to some degree, become sales jobs. You have to evangelize your plans to customers, prospective employees, the press, investors, etc. This requires an inspiring vision, strong communication skills, some degree of charisma, and evidence of execution ability.

Getting good at communication—particularly written communication—is an investment worth making. My best advice for communicating clearly is to first make sure your thinking is clear and then use plain, concise language.

The best way to be good at sales is to genuinely believe in what you’re selling. Selling what you truly believe in feels great, and trying to sell snake oil feels awful.

Getting good at sales is like improving at any other skill—anyone can get better at it with deliberate practice. But for some reason, perhaps because it feels distasteful, many people treat it as something unlearnable.

My other big sales tip is to show up in person whenever it’s important. When I was first starting out, I was always willing to get on a plane. It was frequently unnecessary, but three times it led to career-making turning points for me that otherwise would have gone the other way.

5. Make it easy to take risks

Most people overestimate risk and underestimate reward. Taking risks is important because it’s impossible to be right all the time—you have to try many things and adapt quickly as you learn more.

It’s often easier to take risks early in your career; you don’t have much to lose, and you potentially have a lot to gain. Once you’ve gotten yourself to a point where you have your basic obligations covered you should try to make it easy to take risks. Look for small bets you can make where you lose 1x if you’re wrong but make 100x if it works. Then make a bigger bet in that direction.

Don’t save up for too long, though. At YC, we’ve often noticed a problem with founders that have spent a lot of time working at Google or Facebook. When people get used to a comfortable life, a predictable job, and a reputation of succeeding at whatever they do, it gets very hard to leave that behind (and people have an incredible ability to always match their lifestyle to next year’s salary). Even if they do leave, the temptation to return is great. It’s easy—and human nature—to prioritize short-term gain and convenience over long-term fulfillment.  

But when you aren’t on the treadmill, you can follow your hunches and spend time on things that might turn out to be really interesting. Keeping your life cheap and flexible for as long as you can is a powerful way to do this, but obviously comes with tradeoffs.

Focus is a force multiplier on work.

Almost everyone I’ve ever met would be well-served by spending more time thinking about what to focus on. It is much more important to work on the right thing than it is to work many hours. Most people waste most of their time on stuff that doesn’t matter.

Once you have figured out what to do, be unstoppable about getting your small handful of priorities accomplished quickly. I have yet to meet a slow-moving person who is very successful.

7. Work hard

You can get to about the 90th percentile in your field by working either smart or hard, which is still a great accomplishment. But getting to the 99th percentile requires both—you will be competing with other very talented people who will have great ideas and be willing to work a lot.

Extreme people get extreme results. Working a lot comes with huge life trade-offs, and it’s perfectly rational to decide not to do it. But it has a lot of advantages. As in most cases, momentum compounds, and success begets success.

And it’s often really fun. One of the great joys in life is finding your purpose, excelling at it, and discovering that your impact matters to something larger than yourself. A YC founder recently expressed great surprise about how much happier and more fulfilled he was after leaving his job at a big company and working towards his maximum possible impact. Working hard at that should be celebrated.  

It’s not entirely clear to me why working hard has become a Bad Thing in certain parts of the US, but this is certainly not the case in other parts of the world—the amount of energy and drive exhibited by entrepreneurs outside of the US is quickly becoming the new benchmark.

You have to figure out how to work hard without burning out. People find their own strategies for this, but one that almost always works is to find work you like doing with people you enjoy spending a lot of time with.

I think people who pretend you can be super successful professionally without working most of the time (for some period of your life) are doing a disservice. In fact, work stamina seems to be one of the biggest predictors of long-term success.

One more thought about working hard: do it at the beginning of your career. Hard work compounds like interest, and the earlier you do it, the more time you have for the benefits to pay off. It’s also easier to work hard when you have fewer other responsibilities, which is frequently but not always the case when you’re young.

I believe that it’s easier to do a hard startup than an easy startup. People want to be part of something exciting and feel that their work matters.

If you are making progress on an important problem, you will have a constant tailwind of people wanting to help you. Let yourself grow more ambitious, and don’t be afraid to work on what you really want to work on.

If everyone else is starting meme companies, and you want to start a gene-editing company, then do that and don’t second guess it.

Follow your curiosity. Things that seem exciting to you will often seem exciting to other people too.

9. Be willful

A big secret is that you can bend the world to your will a surprising percentage of the time—most people don’t even try, and just accept that things are the way that they are.

People have an enormous capacity to make things happen. A combination of self-doubt, giving up too early, and not pushing hard enough prevents most people from ever reaching anywhere near their potential.

Ask for what you want. You usually won’t get it, and often the rejection will be painful. But when this works, it works surprisingly well.

Almost always, the people who say “I am going to keep going until this works, and no matter what the challenges are I’m going to figure them out”, and mean it, go on to succeed. They are persistent long enough to give themselves a chance for luck to go their way.

Airbnb is my benchmark for this. There are so many stories they tell that I wouldn’t recommend trying to reproduce (keeping maxed-out credit cards in those nine-slot three-ring binder pages kids use for baseball cards, eating dollar store cereal for every meal, battle after battle with powerful entrenched interest, and on and on) but they managed to survive long enough for luck to go their way.

To be willful, you have to be optimistic—hopefully this is a personality trait that can be improved with practice. I have never met a very successful pessimistic person.

10. Be hard to compete with

Most people understand that companies are more valuable if they are difficult to compete with. This is important, and obviously true.

But this holds true for you as an individual as well. If what you do can be done by someone else, it eventually will be, and for less money.

The best way to become difficult to compete with is to build up leverage. For example, you can do it with personal relationships, by building a strong personal brand, or by getting good at the intersection of multiple different fields. There are many other strategies, but you have to figure out some way to do it.

Most people do whatever most people they hang out with do. This mimetic behavior is usually a mistake—if you’re doing the same thing everyone else is doing, you will not be hard to compete with.

11. Build a network

Great work requires teams. Developing a network of talented people to work with—sometimes closely, sometimes loosely—is an essential part of a great career. The size of the network of really talented people you know often becomes the limiter for what you can accomplish.

An effective way to build a network is to help people as much as you can. Doing this, over a long period of time, is what lead to most of my best career opportunities and three of my four best investments. I’m continually surprised how often something good happens to me because of something I did to help a founder ten years ago.

One of the best ways to build a network is to develop a reputation for really taking care of the people who work with you. Be overly generous with sharing the upside; it will come back to you 10x. Also, learn how to evaluate what people are great at, and put them in those roles. (This is the most important thing I have learned about management, and I haven’t read much about it.) You want to have a reputation for pushing people hard enough that they accomplish more than they thought they could, but not so hard they burn out.

Everyone is better at some things than others. Define yourself by your strengths, not your weaknesses. Acknowledge your weaknesses and figure out how to work around them, but don’t let them stop you from doing what you want to do. “I can’t do X because I’m not good at Y” is something I hear from entrepreneurs surprisingly often, and almost always reflects a lack of creativity. The best way to make up for your weaknesses is to hire complementary team members instead of just hiring people who are good at the same things you are.

A particularly valuable part of building a network is to get good at discovering undiscovered talent. Quickly spotting intelligence, drive, and creativity gets much easier with practice. The easiest way to learn is just to meet a lot of people, and keep track of who goes on to impress you and who doesn’t. Remember that you are mostly looking for rate of improvement, and don’t overvalue experience or current accomplishment.

I try to always ask myself when I meet someone new “is this person a force of nature?” It’s a pretty good heuristic for finding people who are likely to accomplish great things.

A special case of developing a network is finding someone eminent to take a bet on you, ideally early in your career. The best way to do this, no surprise, is to go out of your way to be helpful. (And remember that you have to pay this forward at some point later!)

Finally, remember to spend your time with positive people who support your ambitions.

12. You get rich by owning things

The biggest economic misunderstanding of my childhood was that people got rich from high salaries. Though there are some exceptions—entertainers for example —almost no one in the history of the Forbes list has gotten there with a salary.

You get truly rich by owning things that increase rapidly in value.

This can be a piece of a business, real estate, natural resource, intellectual property, or other similar things. But somehow or other, you need to own equity in something, instead of just selling your time. Time only scales linearly.

The best way to make things that increase rapidly in value is by making things people want at scale.

13. Be internally driven

Most people are primarily externally driven; they do what they do because they want to impress other people. This is bad for many reasons, but here are two important ones.

First, you will work on consensus ideas and on consensus career tracks.  You will care a lot—much more than you realize—if other people think you’re doing the right thing. This will probably prevent you from doing truly interesting work, and even if you do, someone else would have done it anyway.

Second, you will usually get risk calculations wrong. You’ll be very focused on keeping up with other people and not falling behind in competitive games, even in the short term.

Smart people seem to be especially at risk of such externally-driven behavior. Being aware of it helps, but only a little—you will likely have to work super-hard to not fall in the mimetic trap.

The most successful people I know are primarily internally driven; they do what they do to impress themselves and because they feel compelled to make something happen in the world. After you’ve made enough money to buy whatever you want and gotten enough social status that it stops being fun to get more, this is the only force I know of that will continue to drive you to higher levels of performance.

This is why the question of a person’s motivation is so important. It’s the first thing I try to understand about someone. The right motivations are hard to define a set of rules for, but you know it when you see it.

Jessica Livingston and Paul Graham are my benchmarks for this. YC was widely mocked for the first few years, and almost no one thought it would be a big success when they first started. But they thought it would be great for the world if it worked, and they love helping people, and they were convinced their new model was better than the existing model.

Eventually, you will define your success by performing excellent work in areas that are important to you. The sooner you can start off in that direction, the further you will be able to go. It is hard to be wildly successful at anything you aren’t obsessed with.

Until then, if you aren't born lucky, you have to claw your way up for awhile before you can take big swings. If you are born in extreme poverty, then this is super difficult :(

It is obviously an incredible shame and waste that opportunity is so unevenly distributed. But I've witnessed enough people be born with the deck stacked badly against them and go on to incredible success to know it's possible.

Thanks to Brian Armstrong, Greg Brockman, Dalton Caldwell, Diane von Furstenberg, Maddie Hall, Drew Houston, Vinod Khosla, Jessica Livingston, Jon Levy, Luke Miles (6 drafts!), Michael Moritz, Ali Rowghani, Michael Seibel, Peter Thiel, Tracy Young and Shivon Zilis for reviewing drafts of this, and thanks especially to Lachy Groom for help writing it.

Student Essays

Essay on How to be Successful in Life [ Importance, Skills, Benefits ]

Being successful is something that everyone should aim for in life. Success doesn’t just happen it takes a lot of hard work and determination to reach such an objective. You would need to master various skills that you need to know in order to be the expert at what you do, but that’s only one side of the coin. Read the following Essay further, that describes what does it mean by being successful in life, meaning, purpose and what are necessary skills to be successful in Life.

Essay on How to be Successful in Life

Success comes in many forms. Some people want to become successful in their careers, while others have a passion for something else. Whatever your reason is, the goal is always the same… to be successful. And being successful takes hard work and determination. You must be willing to do what others are not willing to do.  There are no shortcuts, so forget about the “get rich quick” schemes you see everywhere.

You’ll definitely get laughed at if you try to use them in real life. It may seem like an impossible task at first but once you set your mind to it and apply yourself, success will come knocking on your door.

Importance of being successful in Life

Success will open many doors for you. It’ll enable you to do the things that you want to do and to become who you want to be. Success is not measured by how big your house is or how fancy your car is; it’s about happiness, fulfillment and satisfaction. You must also know that success is not permanent either, so make sure to enjoy it as much as you can before it’s too late.

>>>> Related Post: Essay on Resilience For Students

Always remember that there is no such thing as “THE ONE”. Success will come in many forms, and if you follow your passions and interests then success will find its way into your life.  It may take some time but with hard work and determination anything is possible.

Steps  Necessary to be Successful in Life

There are many things that you should consider first before embarking on this journey called success.

First, you need to identify the reasons why you want to be successful. You should really think about it because if you don’t know what your reasons are then success will just pass by and never knock on your door.

Next, determine how much time and effort will be necessary for you to be successful. Are you willing to give up your social life and personal time in order to accomplish this goal? Whatever the cost maybe, determine if it’s worth it or not. You also need to consider if there is a price that you’re not willing to pay in order to become successful. If so then you should not allow it to influence your decision.

Finally, set a deadline for yourself. It doesn’t matter if the date is far ahead or near, but you should have one in mind. This will motivate you and keep you focused on the task at hand. The best way to do this is by writing down your goals and posting them somewhere you can see them everyday. You should even share your goals with other people too to raise the stakes and make it more real for you. This will give you a bigger reason to succeed and work even harder than before.

Be sure that you’re ready though because once you set your mind on something then there is no turning back. There are no shortcuts so you have to start on the bottom, work your way up and keep climbing until you reach success.

Necessary Skills for Success in Life

Now that you’re ready, it’s about time that you started working towards your goal. You should first spend some time thinking of skills that are necessary for you to have if you want to be successful. You should identify your weaknesses and what you need to improve on, then start working towards that skill. Most importantly though learn from the mistakes of others and avoid doing them yourself by any means necessary.

The best way to start this whole process is by taking your time and breaking your plan into small steps or milestones if you will. This way, instead of feeling overwhelmed about everything that needs to be done in order for you to become successful, you’ll feel motivated because it would not seem like such a huge task anymore.

Remember though that there are lots of things that can hinder you from reaching your destination like lack of money, materials, time and even the people around you. You should be willing to work hard in order to compensate for any problems you might have down the road.

At first it would be really difficult so don’t expect to succeed right away. If it was easy then everyone would do it and there wouldn’t be any people with dreams or ambitions. You should also know that whatever you want to achieve in life will require sacrifice so don’t expect things to go smoothly all the time. There will always be setbacks, but with hard work and a positive attitude then nothing can stop you from realizing your dreams.

>>> Related Post: Essay on Self Motivation is the Key to Success

Once you have the right mindset, work ethic, skills and knowledge then success will be waiting for you on the other side. You just have to open your eyes to it and take that first step towards greatness.  If you’d like to read more of my stories please click on the links below.

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Essay on How to get Success in Life

December 13, 2017 by Study Mentor Leave a Comment

We all work towards achieving our goals in order to succeed, to knock on the doors of success. Success can be described as the feeling of having achieved the desired goal and having accomplished the undertaken task.

Success can be attributed to many factors such as determination, dedication, sincerity, commitment, persistence, consistency etc. All of these factors, when applied in the right measure given success as the output. Whether luck has a role to play in one’s success purely depends on their own belief systems.

Table of Contents

Meaning of Success

When a child is born, he is given a name, he is slowly taught to walk on his own feet, sent to school, engaged in sports, in co-curricular activities, he is also sent abroad for his higher education. Right from the time the child is born till he develops his own niche to live independently on his own feet, he is mentored by his parents.

Why do the parents take so much care of their offspring, why do they think twice before choosing every step for their children? It is simply because parents dream of their children’s success. All parents simply wish and want to see their children becoming successful. So how exactly is success measured comes the next question?

Success means different things to different people. Some people might earn degrees with high percentages and then land in big, corporate jobs with hefty pay cheques. This could be the meaning of success in their life.

Another person may be quite happy with his job, but he thinks of success as getting married and settling down with his children in his own home.

According to this person, success has a different meaning. In both scenarios, people have reached an upper position which is somewhat recognized, probably it took a lot of efforts to reach that top spot, reaching that position higher up the ladder itself may have amounted to what they think as success.

General Perception

In general, if we see a person who is quite popular and is happy with his achievements, we call him a successful person. Any big actor or actress who has made a mark in films is said to be successful in life.

Usually people who have achieved laurels in their chosen fields are said to have emerged successful in life. What is that one factor in them that makes us call them successful people?

The fact that they are recognized, they are confident in their own fields and have achieved something and become extraordinary.

Between successful people and ordinary people like us, there is a thin line of difference. All of us have twenty four hours in a day. Beyond twenty four hours, nobody is granted even a second more on privilege. It’s the same with everyone and everywhere.

What sets successful people apart is their effective utilization if the same time. We may sit lazing around in our couches for hours together, but a person wanting to taste success would be working on his goal, trying to make it true. APJ Abdul Kalam was a very successful person in his life.

He achieved laurels as a scientist and also as the President of India. He was an extraordinary man. He rose from the ordinary but made his path special by showing a desire to make it big.

That inner desire creates a strong goal to be achieved. Then, the mind starts working and thinks of the dream all the time. Any hardships, any setbacks don’t bother the mind and its keeps moving forward to realize its dream. Once the dream is achieved, it has reached the level of success.

Attributes of Success

There are successful people in almost all areas and fields. People become successful in their ways, they show that they are able to do something which nobody does ordinarily, and they go a step ahead, push themselves towards the goal and never stop or look behind.

Supposing a school student wishes to see success in his exams, he puts a goal in front of him to achieve success in his final exams. What the guy does is, he first prepares a time table to organize his studies. In this way, he is able to break down his task so that it becomes easy to manage the study load.

After preparing the time table, next would be to effectively stick to the schedule given in the time table. The guy must make sure to complete the tasks mentioned in the time table. With each passing day, if he is able to complete the day’s tasks effectively, then he sure must have done a good preparation.

Good preparation translates into improved confidence. Next comes the tale of memory. Good memory helps in recalling the learnt matter and putting the content on paper. Presenting answers in the right way, to the right extent leaves a good impression on teachers. A good handwriting basically gives a good first look to the teachers.

Reaching Our Goal

So basically, as the saying goes, practice makes a man perfect. It is with everyday efforts, with sincerity and perseverance that anybody reaches success. Having a goal to achieve is one of the first steps to taste success in life. Without a goal, life goes haphazardly without direction.

A goal in life brings in a definite goal to work on. Goals create roads to walk on and make our dream come true. Determination and dedication are key words in the dictionary of success. We must be determined to reach the goal we have set.

If we have set a certain goal like cleaning the house in the evening, then it takes some efforts and determination to set out ourselves to do the task.

If we bring in our laziness and don’t stand up to do the task, it becomes a pending work and all the energy goes for a waste. If we channelize our energy and put it into effective use, then we can see amazing results.

Dedication towards our work calls for discipline in work. If we have decided to complete a certain chapter on a particular day, then it is our duty to make time for the task and achieve its completion. Consistency is another important word to reach the ladder of success.

We must be consistent in our efforts, in our performance to be able to rise up stairs in the ladder. Time management is the most effective tool and key for reaching success.

If we have organized our time effectively so that we can go that extra step and do something additional, then we have set ourselves different from the rest of the crowd.

Role of Hard Work

Finally, success relies on a lot of hard work. There is no success without hard work. If a man is rich and successful with a big bungalow to live in, lots of money, jewellery, high position, all this would be in his purse only because he would have worked hard to earn them.

Without a boat to sail on, we won’t reach our destination. Having the boat would be of no use if we don’t put efforts to sail in that boat. Hard work is like the base of a long pillar of success.

Success is like a ladder. It is a definitive spot at the top and the intermediary steps are all small achievable leading to the final destination of success. There may be many occasions when we would rise in happiness, but also certain other times when we may fall down due to various reasons.

There is no person who has tasted success without having fallen down in the process. Falling down may be a common thing, but the determination to stand up again gives the courage to move forward. Even with plenty of downfalls if we are able to rise up each time, then we become powerful from inside.

There is learning associated with each fall and that learning enables us to push ourselves further towards our goals. There are many successful people who spend sleepless nights in order to work towards their dream. That burning desire inside our bellies, the strength and courage to achieve our dream causes a fire in our minds.

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Success in life essay 15 models

Success in life essay contains many wonderful ideas on how to achieve success in all areas of life. Success is the ambition of every human being who always seeks to achieve it. All of this will be found here through Success in life essay in English.

Success in life essay

No one likes failure, but on the contrary everyone is always striving for excellence and success, but why can not we all achieve success ?! This is what we will learn here where success has several factors you will find here on Success in life essay.

Success, the dream of every person in this life, and a wish that everyone seeks to reach. Success is a major reason for sustaining life with great motivation.

To succeed in life must succeed in all areas, in study, work, social life, human relations, and in our relationship with the Creator; because all things of life depend on each other.

Reasons for Success in Life;

Belief in God: A man needs in his instinct to God, Without realizing this instinct, man remains confused. And belief in God earns man comfort and tranquility. 

Setting specific goals:  Successful man has specific goals to be achieved in the short and long term, and is required to achieve.

Short goals are usually mini-targets to reach the larger goal,  For example, obtaining a doctorate in English literature requires several goals, the least of which is to obtain a bachelor’s degree, and then master.

 These goals require a set of other objectives, such as passing exams, preparing reports, Thus, a person feels a goal in his life that seeks it, which gives him motivation for progress and achievement.

Continually developing skills:  Our world is witnessing many different aspects of development. The devices and inventions are renewed every day, Therefore, man must be aware of these inventions,  As well as skills development in various aspects, such as communication skills, language learning and others.

Optimism and self-confidence: One of the most important factors that help to succeed is the confidence of the person in himself, in addition to being optimistic about the positive outcome.  If he fails, he must try again, not surrender, and work hard to correct the mistakes he has made to avoid failure.

Being with the Successful:  The companion has the greatest impact on human ambition .  Escorting the losers increases human frustration and pessimism, while accompanying the successful increases hope, motivation, and self-confidence.

  Assistance other people: The help of others brings inner satisfaction and psychological comfort, which sharpens the spirit of man, and pays him to give more to himself and to others, And thus becomes more productive, as it receives the satisfaction of God and the love of people, which means success in social and religious life.

Avoid vanity:  Humans should enjoy humility no matter how high they are,  When a person is tempted by himself, and thinks that he has reached a great amount,he does not continue in the achievement and giving,  Thus others develop and perform ,and he will remain where he is, and gradually turn into a failed person.

How to be successful in life essay

There is no doubt that everyone aspires to succeed in life and achieve the goals that he wants to achieve. To succeed in life, steps are studied from the experiences of men who were able to overcome all obstacles and succeed in a remarkable and honorable manner.

It can be said that the most important factor a person needs to succeed is faith in his dream. Anyone can dream, plan, set goals, and work with great effort and sincerity in his work.

But the most thing that makes a lot of business or plans fail is to stop believing in a dream, to stop getting up every day in a lively, energetic and passionate way to achieve this dream. Once they go through some hardships, many give up on their dream.

Then comes the importance of good planning and thoughtful management of any goal. Planning in advance can save you a lot of time, so it is difficult to get distracted, as happens with many people.

How to achieve success in life essay

Undoubtedly, life does not give many golden opportunities. I’m absolutely sure of this, I can see a lot of people around me regret missing the golden opportunities that were offered once in their lives.

So I made two plans for myself, which I strive to achieve:

Diligence in studying, excelling, and working as a lawyer, I find that this specialization has a very brilliant future and achieves great financial benefits, in addition to the benefits of public relations and getting to know others.

Therefore, I set a plan to strive with all my energy to achieve this goal and work to increase my focus. In addition to participating in some quick wit classes to improve my intellectual level and increase awareness. Of course, I am still in an early stage of education, but it is good to have a goal to achieve.

second plan

I find that participating in sports is something that has a bright future. So learning it from now and improving and developing my skills and maintaining my physical fitness, will certainly guarantee me a good chance to achieve this goal. There are many people who have been able to succeed through one of the sports such as football or basketball.

My plan is to combine a popular sport and art, to ensure several plans that help me succeed. Therefore, I think that I am striving to achieve success and must continue on the path that I am following.

Topic About Success

Every success in life has good planning, fatigue, effort and sacrifice. Nothing comes easily in the world, there are many success stories in life, but they always have another side that no one knows about.

Like someone who succeeded in designing an invention at the age of 50, although he started with this idea 25 years ago, but he did not give up. So no one looks at how his life is and has he practiced the activities he loves enough or not, has he gone out and faced life like others or not, so I say that success is the price of sacrifice.

Many believe that success is the result of effort and adherence to a dream only, but this is not true. In order to succeed, you must harness everything in your life to achieve this success, from waking up early every day, working on improving and constantly planning for the dream you have in mind, expanding relationships and trying to involve people who support the idea, whether morally or financially and to sacrifice all distractions and live for your dream only until it comes true. This is what it takes to succeed from my point of view.

Essay on success in life

The real success in life is the possession of health along with good planning for how to live and maintain it, money comes and goes, Therefore, it is great for a person to work on maintaining his health first and providing as much good external relations as possible, such as making good alms and relationships.

After that comes the role of money, how to spend it, good planning and continuous search for unique opportunities to increase money and form successful projects.

Now it has become easy to climb the ladders of fame and success, due to the great thirst for what is new, whether in the world of art, sports, or technology.

Therefore, the many opportunities around us have become accessible to everyone, through which success can be achieved. All it takes is to maintain the goals and strive to achieve them.

Essay about success in life

Success in life requires achieving goals, striving, diligence, holding on to your dreams, and having complete faith in yourself and your dream.

And no matter how circumstances around you change, you must still stick to your dream and strive to achieve it. This is how he achieves success in life, when a person arranges his priorities and sets a clear plan for how to use the time, he can achieve many achievements and gain a lot of experience.

When you set short-term goals, medium-term goals, and long-term goals, and then seek to achieve them and stick to these goals without distraction, you will definitely get satisfactory results or very close to what you expected.

And if you do not reach your goal, you will be close to it and have experience and knowledge of its requirements, and then you can stick to and continue to try until success is achieved.

Short essay on success in life

Success in life is the fruit of fatigue and effort from long days of staying up late or waking up early for study or training.

Life is not always generous and gives opportunities on a plate of gold, you must have the required skills first so that life gives you a chance. Such as having high skills in a sport such as soccer, basketball, or any other game.

Or getting tired and diligent in studying to a great extent so that you can get the first positions that will help you get a prestigious job.

Any golden opportunity requires that you be talented or have the skills for this job. Then comes the big prize, success in life. When you achieve your goal and get what you want, you have already achieved success in life.

The wonderful thing about diligence, fatigue, and improving a person’s abilities, is that self-confidence becomes greater. And he is very willing to face anything without fear and hesitation because he can rely on his abilities and talents and submit them. This guarantees him many chances of success.

Importance of success in life essay

Success in life, especially at an early age, helps to greatly benefit from what you have achieved. Whenever your success is great and you are young and have the health to enjoy it, only then will success have meaning for you.

As for those who achieve success to be immortalized after them or to leave it to their children, the success will certainly be great and appreciated as well.

The importance of success in life

1- Self-realization by bringing out his full capabilities and striving to achieve his goals and succeed in them.

2- Self-satisfaction, the more a person can succeed in life, the more he has self-confidence and he is able to deal differently and more confidently.

3- Benefiting society from its success, many people seek to achieve remarkable change and leave an unforgettable imprint in their history, so when a person invents something that benefits humanity, he leaves an imprint behind him that immortalizes his name and helps society to progress and improve.

Therefore, whatever your goal of success or the concept of success for you, in the end the benefit will accrue to you, whether material or historical benefit. It is wonderful if it is materialistic to be at an early age so that you can live and enjoy it.

How to become successful in life essay

Success in life requires perseverance, effort, patience, strength, and most of all, thoughtful future plans, and good money management. This is how a person achieves great success in life.

When you make future plans from a young age and strive to achieve them and strive for yourself, in addition to clinging to what you have and not giving up easily and giving up what you have for something that is not guaranteed, this helps to get closer to what you plan.

Self-confidence is gained from the experiences  that you gain from falling and getting up, as you benefit from it how to deal with all things.

After confidence comes striving and perseverance to achieve the goal, the more you stick to your dream and strive to achieve it, the closer you get to it.

Then comes the lessons learned from others, and you must take them into account, and do not ignore them, as often misplaced trust drops its owner.

My idea of success in life essay

My idea of ​​true success in life is to have health, good companionship, and true love from family and friends. All material things and others can be achieved, but if health is lost, it is difficult to obtain it again and replace it.

Therefore, success requires effort and continuous work to maintain health, follow a good healthy diet, a lot of exercise, and make sure to eat healthy foods free of any harmful substances.

Besides dealing well with others, and being the best person in all situations, no matter how much sacrifice or concession you require.

Nothing is permanent and friends and family may lose them at any time, so it is good to hold on to them and pay attention to what makes them happy, and avoid what grieves them.

So, from my point of view, this is how you  achieve success in life.

Essay on how to achieve success in life

Undoubtedly, there are many success stories surrounding us that have inspired many people to become like their starting point in their attempt to achieve success in their own lives as well.

But I see that real success in life does not need to follow the stories of others or try to imitate the steps, because I see that the real success in life is that you have your own inspiration, and your own life, and not look at the lives of others.

It does not matter how much money or friends you have, or acquaintances in prestigious places, it is enough to be happy and live in your way, and have health, and no matter what your food or what you have, a lot or a little, it does not matter, it is enough to be thankful and grateful for it.

This is the perspective of success in life from my point of view, it may change in the future, it may remain the same, I do not know what I will learn from life tomorrow. But I hope that my convictions will remain, in a sense of contentment with what I have.

Paragraph on success in life

Success in life requires a lot of fatigue and diligence, a lot of patience and planning, a careful study of goals and ambitions, a vision for the future, and an organized schedule with specific goals according to priority with close goals, medium-term goals, long-term goals,

Walking in this footsteps, not rushing, and trying to succeed quickly without building firm rules that maintain success, from my point of view, these are the basics that help in achieving success in life, and I follow them mainly in many important matters in my life.

Being successful in life essay

In order to become successful in life, I must set my goals and make plans for how to manage my life, and choose the appropriate ways and means for my personality, which make me progress in my life happily, and not waste my life without enjoying my life and having a good life and future.

Therefore, it is great to choose things that you love, whether in the academic aspect, hobby, or work. Forming advance plans for the implementation of these plans and setting up a model that defines the type of goal and the time required for its achievement .

Putting finished goals in a list and unfinished business in a list, allocating time for them and managing enough hours for rest, allocating time for study and development in any of the matters of life, until you reach a good result in all the things you do, and the formation of a strong personality and self-confidence that you can rely on in your next life.

Why you can succeed in life essay

It is wonderful that there are many successful experiences that surround us in life. You can see the success achieved by many people around the world, how to achieve this, and what ideas they took to achieve this success.

All of these things can be studied and benefited from their experience. In addition to reading and attending some lectures on human development and self-development, and reading about such matters.

Once you collect such things and information, you will find that you have a great opportunity to start preparing a plan for your future and your life.

And you can rely on many of the means and methods used by those before you and develop them by integrating them in several different experiences, and benefiting from them.

This is how I can succeed in life and make use of the time and spend all the time in carrying out good tasks and works that benefit me without wasting time.

How to become successful in life paragraph

Undoubtedly, there are many successful experiences that many people have presented before. We can see a lot of successful people around us.

If we look into everyone’s lives, we will find that everyone has a dream, and these people stuck to their dream, and tried to achieve it to benefit from it and benefit humanity.

And the greatest people who worked for the benefit of humanity, and we find in their stories a lot of fatigue and effort, and that they sacrificed pleasure and enjoyment all the time in their lives in exchange for presenting their dream to humanity.

Where they worked for hours and long years, trying to solve all the obstacles, and find appropriate solutions that could benefit humanity.

And use everything that is available to them, and strive to achieve more things that help them develop these dreams and bring them to light.

In the end, after studying and designing, holding on to the dream, a lot of patience, and a lot of completed tasks that they worked on, we find them to be a world famous in front of us today.

We are proud of them and we see the amount of success they achieved in their short life, but it lives for many years that cannot be counted.

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3 Ideas from Aristotle on How to Build a Good Life

Happiness is more than just favorable circumstances..

Updated May 8, 2024 | Reviewed by Kaja Perina

• Counter-intuitive advice on leading a good life: Keep in mind your deathbed.

Think of happiness as a verb.

• Find your purpose.

Become the best version of yourself.

Do you believe happiness is the ultimate goal of human life?

If yes, then you might be a budding Aristotelian, says Edith Hall, a classics professor at Durham University and a scholar of the ancient Greek philosophers.

More than two thousand years since Aristotle’s teachings, science has come a long way in its exploration of happiness. Advice on leading a good life is everywhere, from tending to our physical health and our relationships , to finding meaning and flow .

Here’s a counterintuitive suggestion from Hall to add to the list, one that echoes a well-known dictum from the ancient times ( memento mori ), and one that, at first glance, has little to do with happiness : Keep in mind your deathbed .

“The certainty of finitude and impermanence can be a reminder and an instruction: a reminder to live while you still can, and an instruction on how to live while you still can,” says Hall.

People report all kinds of regrets on their deathbeds. Often, they involve something they did—wrongdoings, decisions, attitudes. However, it’s also possible to regret what one neglected to do, whether it’s standing up for a noble cause or treating others well. Aristotle was among the first philosophers to explore the concept of omission, enriching our understanding of personal agency in the time we’ve been given.

Among the best uses of our finite time, according to Aristotle, is to spend it on developing virtues. This way, we could obtain a happiness that is not conditional upon some extrinsic reward, but rather, happiness that results from the “intrinsic serenity” of knowing that we tried our best and moved through life with good intentions. Plus, Hall adds, people will usually like us more for being good.

“Aristotle insisted that becoming happy as an individual is your unique and momentous responsibility,” says Hall. “It's also a great gift that’s within most people’s power, regardless of their circumstances, to decide to become happier.”

Here’s Edith Hall with 3 Aristotelian principles on how to build a good life.

The word “happiness” often conjures up particular images – a loving embrace, a scrumptious slice of cake, a hard-earned accomplishment. As wonderful as these mental pictures are, in reality, they have a startlingly brief lifespan. No thing, person, or experience has the capacity to settle us into a permanent state of bliss (nor would we want to resign our moments to any unrelenting states).

Happiness is more than just favorable circumstances. To Aristotle, happiness was a “sense of fulfillment and satisfaction about your conduct, your interactions and the way your life is going,” all of which imply action (Hall, 2019). Eudaimonia (“happiness of the soul”), according to Aristotle, is a verb. It’s about the way we engage with life’s diverse moments, day-after-day. It’s about doing things that epitomize virtue ethics (i.e., doing the right thing). A happy state of mind is a result of training yourself to be a good person by developing virtues such as discipline, conscientiousness , benevolence and learning to control your vices. After all, “virtues directed towards other people make a constitutive contribution to your own happiness” (Hall, 2019).

In other words, consider happiness as a virtuous activity that aligns with the best possible version of yourself. Make a habit out of trying to do the right thing. Without an ethical code, you run the risk of living life by continuously reacting to it, rather than skillfully and reflectively responding to it.

Find your purpose

Most of our days are built around our roles, responsibilities and routines. However, a good life often needs a purpose.

To help find your purpose, Aristotle suggests asking yourself two questions:

• What legacy would you like to leave?
• By what route is it feasible and pleasurable for you to do that?

Pleasure is an important index of purpose, because people tend to enjoy doing what they’re very good at. Find out what you enjoy doing, and create a long-term plan with smaller goals around your purpose.

With regards to feasibility, it helps to have a Plan B I Don’t Hate . For example, if you enjoy painting and you wish to be a successful painter, you may end up teaching painting in a high school. If you don’t go after what you really want, you risk experiencing the common deathbed regret of not daring to pursue your dreams .

When Aristotle invented the idea of the best version of yourself , he called it “maximizing your potential.” The Greek word for this is dunamis , which has the same root that Alfred Nobel used for the word dynamite . For Aristotle, dunamis symbolized potential. Everything organic has potential. An acorn can turn to a giant oak tree. A human embryo can turn to a magnificent philosopher, an outstanding cook, an exemplary parent.

Bring to mind a picture of your best possible self. According to Aristotle’s instructions, that doesn't mean picturing yourself lounging on a tropical beach, surrounded by riches. Instead, consider what this version of you looks like in a moral sense. Perhaps it’s a picture of you in action, laughing with others, helping your community, being loved and respected. What are the virtues and character strengths that the best possible version of you possesses? How does this version of you embody these character strengths in your everyday life?

Consider this thought experiment: You find yourself in a deserted island with thirty other survivors. Everyone pulls together their resources in order to add to the community. Some might offer their medical knowledge. Others might have technical expertise. Each of us has unique strengths and insights that can facilitate individual and collective well-being. These strengths come in many colors: compassion, humor , storytelling skills. What would be your valuable contribution? Exploring those virtues and competencies can give you clues about your best possible self.

Many thanks to Edith Hall for her time and insights. Dr. Hall is a Professor of Classics at University of Durham, a Fellow of the British Academy, and the author of numerous books, including Aristotle’s Way: How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life (2020).

Hall, E. (2020). Aristotle's way: How ancient wisdom can change your life . Penguin.

Waldinger, R. (2015). What makes a good life. Lessons from the longest study on happiness .

Oishi, S., Choi, H., Koo, M., Galinha, I., Ishii, K., Komiya, A., ... & Besser, L. L. (2020). Happiness, meaning, and psychological richness. Affective Science , 1 , 107-115.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2013). Flow: The psychology of happiness . Random House.

Mandolesi, L., Polverino, A., Montuori, S., Foti, F., Ferraioli, G., Sorrentino, P., & Sorrentino, G. (2018). Effects of physical exercise on cognitive functioning and wellbeing: biological and psychological benefits. Frontiers in psychology , 9 , 347071.

Marianna Pogosyan, Ph.D. , is a lecturer in Cultural Psychology and a consultant specialising in cross-cultural transitions.

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8 Business and Life Lessons I Would Give to My Younger Self Here are a few valuable lessons I would teach my younger self, gleaned from both successes and missed opportunities.

By Georgi Todorov • May 10, 2024

Key Takeaways

• Understand that every experience, whether successful or not, contributes to your growth and development.
• Rather than regretting past decisions or blaming yourself, view them as learning opportunities.
• When faced with uncertainty or doubt, consider what advice your future self would give.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

As we grow older and wiser, we often consider how we might have done things differently in our youth. It's crucial not to blame ourselves but rather to extract valuable lessons from those experiences.

In this article, I share eight lessons I would give to my younger self — insights drawn from both successes and missed opportunities, designed to guide anyone looking to navigate life's complexities with foresight and grace.

1. Relax — it will be fine

First and foremost, I'd reassure my younger self to relax — everything will indeed be fine.

Reflecting on my youth, I was perpetually enveloped in unease, a constant companion to my every step. Anxious thoughts about success and whether I'd "make it" in life frequently clouded my mind. But looking back, I realize those worries were a part of the journey that led me to where I am today. So, to my younger self , I'd say, take a deep breath; the path ahead may be uncertain, but it will guide you to your destined place.

Related: 4 Lessons This Entrepreneur Wishes She Could Have Taught Her Younger Self

2. Travel more

I traveled extensively as a digital nomad, especially through Southeast Asia. Yet, I believe there was potential to do so much more. Back then, I felt like I was able to do less work while traveling, and my business was suffering, but the truth is that 49% of digital nomads earn a higher income than when they were employees.

I won't forget that once inspired by the book Shoe Dog , I visited a Japanese networking event in Bangkok in 2017. I was the only guy without business cards. The whole ritual of handling a business card amazed me, but I thought, "That's so outdated" until someone explained to me that business cards are deeply ingrained in the Japanese culture — a practice rooted in over 400 years of cultural history — and still, 74% of Japanese sole proprietors and freelancers use business cards! You can't learn and experience something like that if you don't travel!

3. Work on your personal brand

While I did invest time in building it, looking back, I see the immense long-term benefits I could have leveraged further. A strong personal brand not only accumulates value over time but also opens numerous doors, offering opportunities that might otherwise remain out of reach. After selling my ex-blog Thrivemyway, I made good money, but I lost the accumulated snowballing effect of my brand. The website was in full authority mode. Now with my new personal brand Create & Grow , I'll need at least a year to get to the same level.

4. Start an agency

Building an agency is a great next step when you've already established your personal brand. It's relatively easy to set up (compared to a software business) and profitable to run and sell. Agency businesses are also growing in profits, with 46% of service business owners reporting more than 30% yearly growth .

However, running an agency comes with the risk of over-relying on a single client. Agencies that make a large chunk of their yearly revenue from one client risk a big crash should the client decide to drop. To keep your agency stable and appealing to investors, diversify your clients and focus on recurring (read "predictable") income.

Related: I Wish I Received This Advice as a Young Entrepreneur

5. Learn to stay focused on tasks

I was working at an airport lounge and I managed to finish a huge task in just 90 minutes. That's how I found out about the benefits of uninterrupted, focused work and Parkinson's law . It's crucial to develop productivity skills early on, enabling one to accomplish more tasks efficiently. Interestingly, it takes about 23 minutes to regain focus on a task once you've been distracted. Therefore, maintaining concentration while working is essential for effective time management.

6. Flip a website

Reflecting on the past, venturing into website flipping earlier stands out as a missed opportunity. My experience with selling my ex-blog last year validated the business model of buying, improving and then selling websites for profit. This process involves spotting undervalued websites, enhancing their value and selling them at a higher price after a period of growth, usually 12 months. I thought I would need lots of money to buy a working website. However, according to statistics, you can buy a starter website as low as a few hundred dollars .

7. Work in a startup

Looking back, joining startups in my twenties would have been ideal. That period's high energy is perfect for the fast-paced startup life, offering invaluable experiences and networking opportunities. It's a fact that approximately 20% of new startups close within their first year, and 90% of startups fail primarily due to a lack of funding, market need and proper execution. Now, my focus has shifted, and investing my energy in someone else's risky startup venture no longer matches my priorities.

8. Invest more, optimize taxes earlier

I remember I was at a coworking space in 2016, working my face off to make money freelancing when I overheard a chat about someone buying a Ferrari with Bitcoin profits. I wrongly assumed I'd missed the chance to invest. It wasn't too late. From 2015 to 2023, Bitcoin increased its price by over 173,000% .

This taught me to be more open to emerging investment opportunities, emphasizing that timing can be less critical in fast-evolving markets like crypto.

At the same time, I wish I optimized my taxes earlier. I started a small startup with partners and paying taxes early on suffocated it. Many startups do not pay dividends for many years, resulting in a 0% corporate income tax rate . I optimized my taxes four months after our little startup failed.

Related: The Advice 50 Business Leaders and Celebrities Would Give Their Younger Selves

Reflect on your past with kindness, understanding that each step, even those marked by uncertainty, was crucial in shaping who you are today. Never regret anything or blame your younger self, only use it as a learning experience. And when you're in doubt, ask yourself: What would my future self advise me to do?

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® Contributor

Founder of Create & Grow

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RIP Metaverse

An obituary for the latest fad to join the tech graveyard

The Metaverse , the once-buzzy technology that promised to allow users to hang out awkwardly in a disorientating video-game-like world, has died after being abandoned by the business world. It was three years old.

The capital-M Metaverse, a descendant of the 1982 movie "Tron" and the 2003 video game "Second Life," was born in 2021 when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg changed the name of his trillion-dollar company to Meta. After a much-heralded debut, the Metaverse became the obsession of the tech world and a quick hack to win over Wall Street investors. The hype could not save the Metaverse, however, and a lack of coherent vision for the product ultimately led to its decline. Once the tech industry turned to a new, more promising trend — generative AI — the fate of the Metaverse was sealed.

The Metaverse is now headed to the tech industry's graveyard of failed ideas. But the short life and ignominious death of the Metaverse offers a glaring indictment of the tech industry that birthed it.

Grand promise

From the moment of its delivery, Zuckerberg claimed that the Metaverse would be the future of the internet. The glitzy, spurious promotional video that accompanied Zuckerberg's name-change announcement described a future where we'd be able to interact seamlessly in virtual worlds: Users would "make eye contact" and "feel like you're right in the room together." The Metaverse offered people the chance to engage in an "immersive" experience, he claimed.

These grandiose promises heaped sky-high expectations on the Metaverse. The media swooned over the newborn concept: The Verge published a nearly 5,000-word-long interview with Zuckerberg immediately following the announcement — in which the writer called it "an expansive, immersive vision of the internet." Glowing profiles of the Metaverse seemed to set it on a laudatory path, but the actual technology failed to deliver on this promise throughout its short life. A wonky virtual-reality interview with the CBS host Gayle King , where low-quality cartoon avatars of both King and Zuckerberg awkwardly motioned to each other, was a stark contrast to the futuristic vistas shown in Meta's splashy introductory video .

The Metaverse also suffered from an acute identity crisis. A functional business proposition requires a few things to thrive and grow: a clear use case, a target audience, and the willingness of customers to adopt the product. Zuckerberg waxed poetic about the Metaverse as "a vision that spans many companies'' and "the successor to the mobile internet," but he failed to articulate the basic business problems that the Metaverse would address. The concept of virtual worlds where users interact with each other using digital avatars is an old one, going back as far as the late 1990s with massively multiplayer online role-player games, such as "Meridian 59," "Ultima Online," and "EverQuest." And while the Metaverse supposedly built on these ideas with new technology, Zuckerberg's one actual product — the VR platform Horizon Worlds, which required the use of an incredibly clunky Oculus headset — failed to suggest anything approaching a road map or a genuine vision. In spite of the Metaverse's arrested conceptual development, a pliant press published statements about the future of the technology that were somewhere between unrealistic and outright irresponsible . The CNBC host Jim Cramer nodded approvingly when Zuckerberg claimed that 1 billion people would use the Metaverse and spend hundreds of dollars there, despite the Meta CEO's inability to say what people would receive in exchange for their cash or why anyone would want to strap a clunky headset to their face to attend a low-quality, cartoon concert.

A high-flying life

The inability to define the Metaverse in any meaningful way didn't get in the way of its ascension to the top of the business world. In the months following the Meta announcement, it seemed that every company had a Metaverse product on offer, despite it not being obvious what it was or why they should.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella would say at the company's 2021 Ignite Conference that he couldn't "overstate how much of a breakthrough " the Metaverse was for his company, the industry, and the world. Roblox, an online game platform that has existed since 2004, rode the Metaverse hype wave to an initial public offering and a $41 billion valuation. Of course, the cryptocurrency industry took the ball and ran with it: The people behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT company conned the press into believing that uploading someone's digital monkey pictures into VR would be the key to "master the Metaverse." Other crypto pumpers even successfully convinced people that digital land in the Metaverse would be the next frontier of real-estate investment . Even businesses that seemed to have little to do with tech jumped on board. Walmart joined the Metaverse. Disney joined the Metaverse.

Companies' rush to get into the game led Wall Street investors, consultants, and analysts to try to one up each other's projections for the Metaverse's growth. The consulting firm Gartner claimed that 25% of people would spend at least one hour a day in the Metaverse by 2026. The Wall Street Journal said the Metaverse would change the way we work forever . The global consulting firm McKinsey predicted that the Metaverse could generate up to "$5 trillion in value," adding that around 95% of business leaders expected the Metaverse to "positively impact their industry" within five to 10 years. Not to be outdone, Citi put out a massive report that declared the Metaverse would be a $13 trillion opportunity .

A brutal downfall

In spite of all this hype, the Metaverse did not lead a healthy life. Every single business idea or rosy market projection was built on the vague promises of a single CEO. And when people were actually offered the opportunity to try it out, nobody actually used the Metaverse.

Decentraland, the most well-funded, decentralized, crypto-based Metaverse product (effectively a wonky online world you can "walk" around), only had around 38 daily active users in its "$1.3 billion ecosystem." Decentraland would dispute this number, claiming that it had 8,000 daily active users — but that's still only a fraction of the number of people playing large online games like "Fortnite." Meta's much-heralded efforts similarly struggled: By October 2022, Mashable reported that Horizon Worlds had less than 200,000 monthly active users — dramatically short of the 500,000 target Meta had set for the end of 2022. The Wall Street Journal reported that only about 9% of user-created worlds were visited by more than 50 players , and The Verge said that it was so buggy that even Meta employees eschewed it . Despite the might of a then-trillion-dollar company, Meta could not convince people to use the product it had staked its future on. 

The Metaverse fell seriously ill as the economy slowed and the hype around generative AI grew. Microsoft shuttered its virtual-workspace platform AltSpaceVR in January 2023, laid off the 100 members of its "industrial metaverse team ," and made a series of cuts to its HoloLens team . Disney shuttered its Metaverse division in March, and Walmart followed suit by ending its Roblox-based Metaverse projects. The billions of dollars invested and the breathless hype around a half-baked concept led to thousands — if not tens of thousands — of people losing their jobs .

But the Metaverse was officially pulled off life support when it became clear that Zuckerberg and the company that launched the craze had moved on to greener financial pastures. Zuckerberg declared in a March update that Meta's "single largest investment is advancing AI and building it into every one of our products." Meta's chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, told CNBC in April that he, along with Mark Zuckerberg and the company's chief product officer, Chris Cox, were now spending most of their time on AI. The company has even stopped pitching the Metaverse to advertisers , despite spending more than $100 billion in research and development on its mission to be "Metaverse first." While Zuckerberg may suggest that developing games for the Quest headsets is some sort of investment, the writing is on the wall: Meta is done with the Metaverse.

Did anyone learn their lesson?

While the idea of virtual worlds or collective online experiences may live on in some form, the Capital-M Metaverse is dead. It was preceded in death by a long line of tech fads like Web3 and Google Glass. It is survived by newfangled ideas like the aforementioned generative AI and the self-driving car. Despite this long lineage of disappointment, let's be clear: The death of the Metaverse should be remembered as arguably one of the most historic failures in tech history.

I do not believe that Mark Zuckerberg ever had any real interest in "the Metaverse," because he never seemed to define it beyond a slightly tweaked Facebook with avatars and cumbersome hardware. It was the means to an increased share price, rather than any real vision for the future of human interaction. And Zuckerberg used his outsize wealth and power to get the whole of the tech industry and a good portion of the American business world into line behind this half-baked idea. 

The fact that Mark Zuckerberg has clearly stepped away from the Metaverse is a damning indictment of everyone who followed him, and anyone who still considers him a visionary tech leader. It should also be the cause for some serious reflection among the venture-capital community, which recklessly followed Zuckerberg into blowing billions of dollars on a hype cycle founded on the flimsiest possible press-release language. In a just world, Mark Zuckerberg should be fired as CEO of Meta (in the real world, this is actually impossible ). 

Zuckerberg misled everyone, burned tens of billions of dollars, convinced an industry of followers to submit to his quixotic obsession, and then killed it the second that another idea started to interest Wall Street. There is no reason that a man who has overseen the layoffs of tens of thousands of people should run a major company. There is no future for Meta with Mark Zuckerberg at the helm: It will stagnate, and then it will die and follow the Metaverse into the proverbial grave.

Ed Zitron  is the CEO of  EZPR , a national tech and business public-relations agency. He is also the author of the tech and culture newsletter  Where's Your Ed At .

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