Success Wishes

We all seek success throughout our lives. What becomes immediately apparent when thinking about success, however, is everyone’s definition of it may be different. Going a week without cigarettes is going to mean more to a current or former smoker then it will to someone who never lit up in the first place. Finishing a marathon means more to someone who has always loved to run, or who worked very hard to love to run, then it does for all those who imagine from the comfort of their sofas that it must be a lot of work to run.

Someone who hopes to be a stellar parent will have a different definition than someone who aspires to run a multi-million dollar business. “Success is counted sweetest by those who ne’er succeed,” wrote Emily Dickinson, a 19th century American poet. Dickinson’s success as a poet was recognized only after her death, so we can speculate she considered herself unsuccessful. Reading definitions of success helps us winnow down a personal definition. That very act helps us name what we want to achieve.

Once we have a definition in hand, we must contemplate the route to success. Thoughtful words about success can be a welcome motivator when seeking this route. Acknowledgement of the mystery surrounding success energizes some people, while others find reassurance in hearing persistence is key. “Nothing succeeds like success,” wrote French novelist Alexander Dumas.

Sharing words about success is a way to savor and appreciate that success whether that success is yours or another person’s. Depending on the tone or mood of the words they can help us acknowledge what the success can do for us. By recognizing or defining success in a given setting we mark some of the best things human beings have to offer one another.