success
I used this word a couple times in my last blog post, and instead of just moving on from it I started to realize I really don't like this word. Success almost seems gross. It almost implies that to be successful in life is to have lots of money and lots of fame and lots of all these earthly things. But what about happiness? If someone is really really happy do we call them successful? If someone really loves what they're doing, do we call them successful? Even if they're "just" picking up trash, singing on the sidewalk, or working as a cashier at our local Walmart? No, we don't. We keep walking and don't give these people much of a second thought, much less call them successful. We have reserved that word for the Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerbergs, Steve Jobs, Barack Obamas of the world, which isn't bad, but I don't think they're the only ones who should be considered successful. Actually, if they're not truly happy, I wouldn't call them successful at all. Success shouldn't be defined by a number or by an invention or by a patent: it should be defined by how happy we are with our lives and how proud we are of where we are right now. Success should be much more than just this.