How do you define success? Is it financial status, professional/personal achievements, celebrity? Many people are quick to equate success with money and power.  In reality, success is a very personal thing and how you measure it gives you a better understanding of yourself.

The poem “Success” attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, (1803-1882) American poet and essayist, captures the essence of success for me.

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.   

Related Reading
Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell
Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain
Success Magazine – www.success.com
“Still I Rise”, by Maya Angelou