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Essay on Secret of Success

Students are often asked to write an essay on Secret of Success in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Secret of Success

Understanding success.

Success is a broad term, often seen as achieving goals. It’s important to remember that success is subjective and varies from person to person.

The Secret Ingredient

The secret to success is determination. It is the drive that keeps you going even when things get tough. It’s your inner strength and resilience.

Hard Work and Persistence

Hard work and persistence are crucial. They help you overcome challenges and keep striving for your goals. Without them, success is hard to attain.

Learning from Failure

Failure is not the opposite of success. It’s a part of the journey. Learning from failures and mistakes is another secret to achieving success.

250 Words Essay on Secret of Success

The essence of success, passion: the fuel of success.

Passion is the driving force behind any successful endeavor. It ignites the flame of determination, propelling individuals to venture beyond their comfort zones. It is the love for what one does that makes the journey worthwhile, transforming monotonous tasks into exciting opportunities for growth.

Persistence: The Backbone of Success

Success is rarely achieved overnight. It is the product of relentless persistence, the ability to face failures, and the courage to stand up again. Thomas Edison’s countless attempts to invent the light bulb exemplify this secret. His persistence, despite repeated failures, ultimately led to a revolutionary invention.

Learning: The Pathway to Success

Constant learning is an integral part of success. It involves a willingness to acquire new knowledge, adapt to changing circumstances, and embrace growth. It is through learning that one can innovate, solve problems, and advance in their chosen field.

Collaboration: The Bridge to Success

No one achieves success in isolation. Collaboration is key, offering diverse perspectives, fostering creativity, and facilitating problem-solving. It is through cooperation with others that we can achieve goals beyond individual capabilities.

To conclude, the secret to success lies in passion, persistence, learning, and collaboration. These elements, when combined, create a potent formula for achieving success. It is essential to remember that success is a journey, not a destination, and these secrets can guide us on this exciting voyage.

500 Words Essay on Secret of Success

Introduction: the multifaceted nature of success, the power of a growth mindset.

One secret to success lies in the power of a growth mindset. This concept, introduced by psychologist Carol Dweck, suggests that individuals who believe their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work are more likely to achieve success. A growth mindset fosters a passion for learning, rather than a hunger for approval. It encourages individuals to view challenges as opportunities for growth, rather than as insurmountable obstacles.

Embracing Failure as a Stepping Stone

Another key to success is the ability to embrace failure as a stepping stone. Failure is often seen as a setback, a sign of weakness or incompetence. However, successful individuals understand that failure is an integral part of the journey towards success. They view failure as an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to improve. By embracing failure, individuals are able to foster resilience, a crucial trait that allows them to bounce back from adversity and persist in the face of challenges.

Perseverance: The Fuel of Success

The role of effective goal setting.

Effective goal setting is also a critical aspect of success. Goals provide a sense of direction, a roadmap that guides individuals towards their desired destination. They serve as a source of motivation, propelling individuals forward in their journey towards success. Effective goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). They provide a clear and tangible target, making the path to success more manageable and less daunting.

Conclusion: The Journey of Success

In conclusion, the secret of success lies not in a single factor, but in a combination of elements including a growth mindset, the ability to embrace failure, perseverance, and effective goal setting. Success is a journey, a continuous process that requires a commitment to personal growth and development. It is not a destination, but a journey that is enriched by the lessons learned, the challenges overcome, and the growth experienced along the way.

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Essay Papers Writing Online

Tips and tricks for crafting engaging and effective essays.

Writing essays

Writing essays can be a challenging task, but with the right approach and strategies, you can create compelling and impactful pieces that captivate your audience. Whether you’re a student working on an academic paper or a professional honing your writing skills, these tips will help you craft essays that stand out.

Effective essays are not just about conveying information; they are about persuading, engaging, and inspiring readers. To achieve this, it’s essential to pay attention to various elements of the essay-writing process, from brainstorming ideas to polishing your final draft. By following these tips, you can elevate your writing and produce essays that leave a lasting impression.

Understanding the Essay Prompt

Before you start writing your essay, it is crucial to thoroughly understand the essay prompt or question provided by your instructor. The essay prompt serves as a roadmap for your essay and outlines the specific requirements or expectations.

Here are a few key things to consider when analyzing the essay prompt:

  • Read the prompt carefully and identify the main topic or question being asked.
  • Pay attention to any specific instructions or guidelines provided, such as word count, formatting requirements, or sources to be used.
  • Identify key terms or phrases in the prompt that can help you determine the focus of your essay.

By understanding the essay prompt thoroughly, you can ensure that your essay addresses the topic effectively and meets the requirements set forth by your instructor.

Researching Your Topic Thoroughly

Researching Your Topic Thoroughly

One of the key elements of writing an effective essay is conducting thorough research on your chosen topic. Research helps you gather the necessary information, facts, and examples to support your arguments and make your essay more convincing.

Here are some tips for researching your topic thoroughly:

Don’t rely on a single source for your research. Use a variety of sources such as books, academic journals, reliable websites, and primary sources to gather different perspectives and valuable information.
While conducting research, make sure to take detailed notes of important information, quotes, and references. This will help you keep track of your sources and easily refer back to them when writing your essay.
Before using any information in your essay, evaluate the credibility of the sources. Make sure they are reliable, up-to-date, and authoritative to strengthen the validity of your arguments.
Organize your research materials in a systematic way to make it easier to access and refer to them while writing. Create an outline or a research plan to structure your essay effectively.

By following these tips and conducting thorough research on your topic, you will be able to write a well-informed and persuasive essay that effectively communicates your ideas and arguments.

Creating a Strong Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a crucial element of any well-crafted essay. It serves as the main point or idea that you will be discussing and supporting throughout your paper. A strong thesis statement should be clear, specific, and arguable.

To create a strong thesis statement, follow these tips:

  • Be specific: Your thesis statement should clearly state the main idea of your essay. Avoid vague or general statements.
  • Be concise: Keep your thesis statement concise and to the point. Avoid unnecessary details or lengthy explanations.
  • Be argumentative: Your thesis statement should present an argument or perspective that can be debated or discussed in your essay.
  • Be relevant: Make sure your thesis statement is relevant to the topic of your essay and reflects the main point you want to make.
  • Revise as needed: Don’t be afraid to revise your thesis statement as you work on your essay. It may change as you develop your ideas.

Remember, a strong thesis statement sets the tone for your entire essay and provides a roadmap for your readers to follow. Put time and effort into crafting a clear and compelling thesis statement to ensure your essay is effective and persuasive.

Developing a Clear Essay Structure

One of the key elements of writing an effective essay is developing a clear and logical structure. A well-structured essay helps the reader follow your argument and enhances the overall readability of your work. Here are some tips to help you develop a clear essay structure:

1. Start with a strong introduction: Begin your essay with an engaging introduction that introduces the topic and clearly states your thesis or main argument.

2. Organize your ideas: Before you start writing, outline the main points you want to cover in your essay. This will help you organize your thoughts and ensure a logical flow of ideas.

3. Use topic sentences: Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph. This helps the reader understand the purpose of each paragraph.

4. Provide evidence and analysis: Support your arguments with evidence and analysis to back up your main points. Make sure your evidence is relevant and directly supports your thesis.

5. Transition between paragraphs: Use transitional words and phrases to create flow between paragraphs and help the reader move smoothly from one idea to the next.

6. Conclude effectively: End your essay with a strong conclusion that summarizes your main points and reinforces your thesis. Avoid introducing new ideas in the conclusion.

By following these tips, you can develop a clear essay structure that will help you effectively communicate your ideas and engage your reader from start to finish.

Using Relevant Examples and Evidence

When writing an essay, it’s crucial to support your arguments and assertions with relevant examples and evidence. This not only adds credibility to your writing but also helps your readers better understand your points. Here are some tips on how to effectively use examples and evidence in your essays:

  • Choose examples that are specific and relevant to the topic you’re discussing. Avoid using generic examples that may not directly support your argument.
  • Provide concrete evidence to back up your claims. This could include statistics, research findings, or quotes from reliable sources.
  • Interpret the examples and evidence you provide, explaining how they support your thesis or main argument. Don’t assume that the connection is obvious to your readers.
  • Use a variety of examples to make your points more persuasive. Mixing personal anecdotes with scholarly evidence can make your essay more engaging and convincing.
  • Cite your sources properly to give credit to the original authors and avoid plagiarism. Follow the citation style required by your instructor or the publication you’re submitting to.

By integrating relevant examples and evidence into your essays, you can craft a more convincing and well-rounded piece of writing that resonates with your audience.

Editing and Proofreading Your Essay Carefully

Once you have finished writing your essay, the next crucial step is to edit and proofread it carefully. Editing and proofreading are essential parts of the writing process that help ensure your essay is polished and error-free. Here are some tips to help you effectively edit and proofread your essay:

1. Take a Break: Before you start editing, take a short break from your essay. This will help you approach the editing process with a fresh perspective.

2. Read Aloud: Reading your essay aloud can help you catch any awkward phrasing or grammatical errors that you may have missed while writing. It also helps you check the flow of your essay.

3. Check for Consistency: Make sure that your essay has a consistent style, tone, and voice throughout. Check for inconsistencies in formatting, punctuation, and language usage.

4. Remove Unnecessary Words: Look for any unnecessary words or phrases in your essay and remove them to make your writing more concise and clear.

5. Proofread for Errors: Carefully proofread your essay for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Pay attention to commonly misused words and homophones.

6. Get Feedback: It’s always a good idea to get feedback from someone else. Ask a friend, classmate, or teacher to review your essay and provide constructive feedback.

By following these tips and taking the time to edit and proofread your essay carefully, you can improve the overall quality of your writing and make sure your ideas are effectively communicated to your readers.

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Finding Success Starts with Finding Your Purpose

  • John Coleman

secrets of success essay

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 , or contact him at johnwilliamcoleman.com . johnwcoleman

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secrets of success essay

Essay on The Secret of Success in English For Students & Children

We are Sharing an Essay on The Secret of Success in English for students and children. In this article, we have tried our best to provide a Short Essay on Secret to Success for Class 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 in 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500 words.

Essay on The Secret of Success in English For Students & Children

The Secret of Success Essay

It is common to say: “Nothing succeeds like success.” The meaning of this saying is that success comes to man not by means of his own efforts but by chance. In other words, in the matter of success, man is a slave in the hands of chance and circumstances.

This view, however, is erroneous, as it is not based on reality. There is no doubt that there are some people who get success even beyond their wildest dreams. Sometimes, a man gets success when actually he thinks that he is going to fail.

In most cases in real life, we find that there are some solid factors behind the lives of all successful men are who in the present world known as achievers.

Among such factors, we can categorize hard work, acumen, shrewdness, meticulous planning, proper and timely guidance, goodness, and taking of certain risks. It is necessary that a person who wants to get success in any venture should be well-equipped for it. He must have the proper aptitude for it. He must have a strong determination to fulfill his ambition. He must have patience and the virtue of stubborn perseverance and commitment. His ambition and ideal must be lofty. He must be a man of principle, integrity, and sincerity such that others can easily repose faith in him. He must have the proper talents which are necessary for the execution of the project at hand.

It is of utmost importance that one must have the qualities of leadership, mutual trust, cooperation, team spirit, and friendship.

Above all, one must have a positive attitude. One must be bubbling with optimism, hope, and enthusiasm. A pessimistic person with a negative attitude towards life can achieve nothing. One must have first succeeded in one’s mind before achieving success in the field. Minor obstacles should not flag one’s spirit.

# Speech | Paragraph on The Secret of Success for kids # Secret of Success in life composition # essay Secret of Success in life

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Success: How Do You Define It? Essay

  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
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Introduction

The meaning of success.

Success is a word that all the human beings use a number of times during their social life. It is been used, discussed and researched frequently by the social scientists and psychologists. In this world so many people have been trying hard for success, many are achieving success, and others are not fortunate. They are doomed and buried in their endeavors to accomplish success. Many unfortunate have been perusing success for long years, but some are getting it almost suddenly without much hard work. Success is the very concept upon which many wars have been fought between countries and many innocent were killed.

Success to one man may be the dominion over another; to another man it may be his internal gratification. Often we consider the word success as the binary opposite of failure, and success of a person is measured largely based on the failure of someone else. Since all the words are only symbols and meaning is added to it later by general consensus, the word success also gets several meanings according to the context in which it is used.

The etymology of the word success says that it is derived from the Latin word ‘successus’ which means ‘an advance, succession, happy outcome’, and it is first recorded in 1586 (*5). The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines the term success as “the achievement of a desired aim, or of fame, wealth or social position” (*1). Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary gives the definition “favorable or desired outcome; also: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence” (*2) Other dictionaries define success as “The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted [or] The gaining of fame or prosperity” (*3), “An event that accomplishes its intended purpose”, “A state of prosperity or fame” (*4) etc. so, all the dictionary meanings directs us to the meaning that success is achieving something; that may be money, fame or prosperity.

Many of the successful men in the world have endeavored to define the term success. Bessie Stanley defines success as follows:

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction. (*6)

Here Stanley’s definition gives a big list as the parameter of success. Thoreau’s strong belief in self-reliance made him say that “I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. (*6). Thoreau is so much confident about the world and the capability of the human beings to advance steadily in life with their will power. Michel Korda echoes Thoreau when he says “To succeed, we must first believe that we can”. Ralf Emerson also thinks in the same line when he says “Self-trust is the first secret of success” (*6).

As we mentioned earlier, the meaning of success will be different to different people. It comes in many forms with many definitions. What an individual is searching in life, in business, or in business defines success for him. A sports star may have one definition of success, and a house wife staying at home may have quite a different definition. A film director seems to count his success by his film becoming a huge hit in the theatres, and a doctor may consider success from a surgery that succeeded. It largely depends on what perspective of life one has.

But apart from all definitions and quotes, success can be said as something that is formed as the finishing point of all the dreams. All the dreams make its end in success. Success cannot be treated as a mere word. For some people, it is all about fulfilling it in life. In the past, success of a person is counted in terms of his or her growing bank balance only, but today all those old concepts have changed. The all-inclusive materialistic mantras have given way to a holistic and positive attitude to life. Success is counted as a result of the synergy of various factors such as material, economical and spiritual satisfaction.

Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who tried to synthesis a large body of research on the topic, motivation. Maslow’s theories posited a hierarchy of human needs, which was divided into two sections; deficiency needs and growth needs. According to Maslow, the individual is ready to act upon the growth needs only after meeting the deficiency needs. The individual attains self actualization when all his growth needs are fulfilled. Maslow says that self-actualization is the ultimate aim of all the individuals’ life. Maslow’s self-actualization can be seen as another word for success.

Maslow’s self-actualization includes both material and spiritual concepts of success. A general misconception about success is that it encompasses only material prosperity. People think that the shortcut to success is to work hard, make a lot of money, and neglect or negate the inner life. Being successful spiritually doesn’t mean success. Instead, it is only a way to sainthood. Both these thought patterns leads someone to go astray.

Some cultures, for example Ancient Indian Culture, gave importance to spiritual success, and the result was growing poverty in the nation. The modern world with its globalization and modernization spirits gives importance to material success and the result is growing dissatisfaction and insecurity feelings even among these successful people. The ideal successful life is defined by many Ancient Indian philosophers as fullness in the outer, material world with that much fullness in the inner, spiritual world each reflecting, considering and supporting each other. So, an amalgam of these two patterns will give real success to a man.

It is not always what someone achieved decides how successful he or she is. In some cases those who are considered by the society as rich or successful may not consider themselves as successful. Rather than how much one has, it is ones attitude towards what he has decides his level of success. Some people think about their inferior sides only and consider themselves as total failures, however superior they are in other areas. A rich man having all the abundance in life may be thinking sadly about his children who are not brilliant enough to manage his wealth, or he may be worrying about his poor health. This is a peculiarity of the human mind. He will not be satisfied with anything in life. So, in this way no one will be labeled as successful.

From the experience of those who were successful in life, modern success trainers have deduced many tips to become successful in life. The first step to become successful in life is to identify ones heartfelt needs versus fantasies. Then focus on one thing at a time, and always be willing to admit need. One should show a strong commitment to accomplish that need. The next step is to prioritize the needs. One way to prioritize ones needs is to make a list of the things that one may do if one has only two days to live. Then think logically and set up a time limit for the most important things in the list.

Using visualizations of the set goals will increase the rate at which enthusiasm is generated in the mind. Cutting pictures related to the goals and putting them on the pin up board will help to boost enthusiasm. This enthusiasm changes the whole body chemistry, breaking down all mental blocks. Having a staunch belief in God will help to achieve goals and to be successful. One should have a willingness to receive ever without doubting ones worthiness is a quality that one should cultivate in their lives. Always ask to oneself “what should I do today to ahead towards my goal”. This conversation with one’s heart will help to create a strong mental energy to be successful in the deeds that one is involved in. The final tip for success is to surrender one’s little self to the true self, and go on with the plan.

Whatever definitions the word success has, or whatever ways are there to achieve it, true success is the achievement and realization of a valuable ideal that your heart has desired for and is connected to. It can be called as ones birth passion or success passion. People often tend to die for such passions. This is why some people explode out and do their maximum and come back successfully in life, and some others struggle all their life for it without any achievement. These two categories are operating two different spheres of success and action. Success is double and highly spirited when it is filled with emotion, boosted by passion, controlled by destiny and created with the fire of the heart. So, there is no success like the success where the heart is connected to it with the flames of passion.

  • *1. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1997.
  • *2- Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary. Web.
  • *3- TheFreeDictionary. Web.
  • *4- Worldweb Online. Web.
  • *5. Online etymology dictionary. Web.
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“The Common Denominator of Success”

Albert E. N. Gray was an official of the Prudential Insurance Company of America. This speech is an adaptation of one of the most well-received of his many speeches. It was originally delivered to the National Association of Life Underwriters at their annual convention in 1940. 1

Speech Transcript

Several years ago I was brought face to face with the very disturbing realization that I was trying to supervise and direct the efforts of a large number of men and women who were trying to achieve success, without knowing myself what the secret of success really was. And that, naturally, brought me face to face with the further realization that regardless of what other knowledge I might have brought to my job, I was definitely lacking in the most important knowledge of all.

Of course, like most of us. I have been brought up on the popular belief that the secret of success is hard work, but I had seen so many people work hard without succeeding and so many people succeed without working hard that I had become convinced that hard work was not the real secret even though in most cases it might be one of the requirements.

And so I set out on a voyage of discovery which carried me through biographies and autobiographies and all sorts of dissertations on success and the lives of successful individuals until I finally reached the point at which I realized that the secret I was trying to discover lay not only in what individuals did, but also in what made them do it.

I realized further that the secret for which I was searching must not only apply to every definition of success, but since it must apply to everyone to whom it was offered it must also apply to everyone who had ever been successful. In short, I was looking for the common denominator of success.

And because that is exactly what I was looking for, that is exactly what I found.

But this common denominator of success is so big, so powerful, and so vitally important to your future and mine that I’m not going to make a speech about it. I’m just going to “lay it on the line” in words of one syllable, so simple that everyone can understand them.

The common denominator of success – secret of success of every individual who has ever been successful – lies in the fact that he or she formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.

It’s just as true as it sounds and it’s just as simple as it seems. You can hold it up to the light, you can put it to the acid test, and you can kick it around until it’s worn out, but when you are all through with it, it will still be the common denominator of success, whether we like it or not.

It will still explain why some individuals have come into this business of ours with every apparent qualification for success and given us our most disappointing failures, while others have come in and achieved outstanding success in spite of many obvious handicaps. And since it will also explain your future, it would seem to be a mighty good idea for you to use it in determining just what sort of a future you are going to have. In other words, let’s take this big, all-embracing secret and boil it down to fit the individual you.

If the secret of success lies in forming the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do, let’s start the boiling-down process by determining what are the things that failures don’t like to do. The things that failures don’t like to do are the very things that you and I and other human beings, including successful people, naturally don’t like to do. In other words, we’ve got to realize right from the start that success is something which is achieved by the minority of people, and is therefore unnatural and not to be achieved by following our natural likes and dislikes nor by being guided by our natural preferences and prejudices.

The things that failures don’t like to do, in general, are too many and too obvious for us to discuss them here, and so, since our success is to be achieved in the sale of life insurance, let us move on to a discussion of the things that we as life insurance agents don’t like to do. Here, too, the things we don’t like to do are too many to permit of specific discussion, but I think they can all be disposed of by saying that they all emanate from one basic dislike peculiar to our type of selling. We don’t like to call on people who don’t want to see us and talk to them about something they don’t want to talk about. Any reluctance to follow a prospecting program, to use prepared sales talks, to organize time and to organize effort are all caused by this one basic dislike.

Perhaps you have wondered what is behind this peculiar lack of welcome on the pan of our prospective buyers. Isn’t it due to the fact that our prospects are human too? And isn’t it true that average human beings are not big enough to buy life insurance of their own accord and are therefore prone to escape our efforts to make them bigger or persuade them to do something they don’t want to do by striking at the most important weakness we possess; namely, our desire to be appreciated?

Perhaps you have been discouraged by a feeling that you were born subject to certain dislikes peculiar to you, with which the successful agents in our business are not afflicted. Perhaps you have wondered why it is that our biggest producers seem to like to do the things that you don’t like to do.

They don’t! And I think this is the most encouraging statement I have ever offered to a group of life insurance agents.

But if they don’t like to do these things, then why do they do them? Because by doing the things they don’t like to do, they can accomplish the things they want to accomplish. Successful people are influenced by the desire for pleasing results. Failures are influenced by the desire for pleasing methods and are inclined to be satisfied with such results as can be obtained by doing things they like to do.

Why are successful people able to do things they don’t like to do while failures are not? Because successful people have a purpose strong enough to make them form the habit of doing things they don’t like to do in order to accomplish the purpose they want to accomplish.

Sometimes even our best producers get into a slump. When people go into a slump, it simply means that they have reached a point at which, for the time being, the things they don’t like to do have become more important than their reasons for doing them. And may I pause to suggest to you managers and agents that when one of your good producers goes into a slump, the less you talk about production and the more you talk about purpose, the sooner you will pull that agent out of that slump?

Many people with whom I have discussed this common denominator of success have said at this point, “But I have a family to support and I have to make a living for my family and myself. Isn’t that enough of a purpose?”

No, it isn’t. It isn’t a sufficiently strong purpose to make you form the habit of doing the things you don’t like to do for the very simple reason that it is easier to adjust ourselves to the hardships of a poor living than it is to adjust ourselves to the hardships of making a better one. If you doubt me, just think of all the things you are willing to go without in order to avoid doing the things you don’t like to do. All of which seems to prove that the strength which holds you to your purpose is not your own strength but the strength of the purpose itself.

Now, let’s see why habit belongs so importantly in this common denominator of success.

People are creatures of habit just as machines are creatures of momentum, for habit is nothing more or less than momentum translated from the concrete into the abstract. Can you picture the problem that would face our mechanical engineers if there were no such things as momentum? Speed would be impossible because the highest speed at which any vehicle could be moved would be the first speed at which it could be broken away from a standstill. Elevators could not be made to rise, airplanes could not be made to fly, and the entire world of mechanics would find itself in a total state of helplessness. Then who are you and I to think that we can do with our own human nature, what the finest engineers in the world could not do with the finest machinery that was ever built?

Every single qualification for success is acquired through habit. People form habits and habits form futures. If you do not deliberately form good habits, then unconsciously you will form bad ones.You are the kind of person you are because you have formed the habit of being that kind of person, and the only way you can change is through habit.

The success habits in life insurance selling are divided into four main groups:

1. Prospecting habits 2. Calling habits 3. Selling habits 4. Working habits

Let’s discuss these habit groups in their order.

Any successful life insurance agent will tell you that it is easier to sell life insurance to people who don’t want it than it is to find people who do want it, but if you have not deliberately formed the habit of prospecting for needs, regardless of wants, then unconsciously you have formed the habit of limiting your prospecting to people who want life insurance, and therein lies the one and only real reason for lack of prospects.

As to calling habits, unless you have deliberately formed the habit of calling on people who are able to buy but unwilling to listen, then unconsciously you have formed the habit of calling on people who are willing to listen but unable to buy.

As to selling habits, unless you have deliberately formed the habit of calling on prospects determined to make them see their reasons for buying life insurance, then unconsciously you have formed the habit of calling on prospects in a state of mind in which you are willing to let them make you see their reasons for not buying it.

As to working habits, if you will take care of the other three groups, the working habits will generally take care of themselves because under working habits are included study and preparation, organization of time and efforts, records, analyses, etc. Certainly you’re not going to take the trouble to learn interest arousing approaches and sales talks unless you’re going to use them. You’re not going to plan your day’s work when you know in your heart that you’re not going to carry out your plans. And you’re certainly not going to keep an honest record of things you haven’t done or of results you haven’t achieved. So let’s not worry so much about the fourth group of success habits, for if you are taking care of the first three groups, most of the working habits will take care of themselves and you’ll be able to afford a secretary to take care of the rest of them for you.

But before you decide to adopt these success habits, let me warn you of the importance of habit to your decision. I have attended many sales meetings and sales congresses during the past ten years and have often wondered why, in spite of the fact that there is so much good in them, so many people seem to get so little lasting good out of them. Perhaps you have attended sales meetings in the past and have left these meetings determined to do the things that would make you successful or more successful only to find your decision or determination waning at just the time when it should be put into effect or practice.

Here’s the answer. Any resolution of decision you make is simply a promise to yourself which isn’t worth a tinker’s damn until you have formed the habit of making it and keeping it. And you won’t form the habit of making it and keeping it unless right at the start you link it with a definite purpose that can be accomplished by keeping it, in other words, any resolution or decision you make today has to be made again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and the next, and so on. And it not only has to be made each day, but it has to be kept each day for if you miss one day in the making or keeping of it, you’ve got to go back and begin all over again. But if you continue the process of making it each morning and keeping it each day, you will finally wake up some morning, a different person in a different world, and you will wonder what has happened to you and the world you used to live in.

Here’s what has happened. Your resolution or decision has become a habit and you won’t have to make it on this particular morning. And the reason for your seeming like a different person living in a different world lies in the fact that for the first time in your life, you have control of yourself and control of your likes and dislikes by surrendering to your purpose in life. That is why behind every success there must be a purpose and that is what makes purpose so important to your future. For in the last analysis, your future is not going to depend on economic conditions or outside influences of circumstances over which you have no control. Your future is going to depend on your purpose in life. So let’s talk about purpose.

First of all, your purpose must be practical and not visionary. Some time ago, I talked with a woman who thought she had a purpose which was more important to her than income. She was interested in people’s suffering and she wanted to be placed in a position to alleviate that suffering. But when we analyzed her real feelings, we discovered, and she admitted it, that what she really wanted was a real nice job dispensing charity with other people’s money and being well paid for it, along with the appreciation and feeling of importance that would naturally go with such a job.

But in making your purpose practical, be careful not to make it logical. Make it a purpose of the sentimental or emotional type. Remember needs are logical while wants and desires are sentimental and emotional. Your needs will push you just so far, but when your needs are satisfied, they will stop pushing you. If, however, your purpose is in terms of wants or desires, then your wants and desires are fulfilled.

Recently I was talking with a young man who long ago discovered the common denominator of success without identifying his discovery. He had a definite purpose in life and it was definitely a sentimental or emotional purpose.

He wanted his children to go through college without having to work their way through as he had done. And he wanted his wife, and mother of his children, to enjoy the luxuries and comforts and even necessities, which had been denied his own mother. And he was willing to form the habit of doing things he didn‘t like to do in order to accomplish this purpose.

Not to discourage him, but rather to have him encourage me, I said to him, “Aren’t you going a little too far with this thing? There’s no logical reason why your children shouldn’t be willing and able to work their way through college just as their father did. Of course they’ll miss many of the things that you missed in your college life and they’ll probably have heartaches and disappointments. But if they’re any good, they’ll come through in the end just as you did. And there’s no logical reason why you should slave in order that your wife can enjoy comforts and luxuries that your mother never had.”

He looked at me with a rather pitying look and said, “But Mr. Gray, there’s no inspiration in logic. There’s no courage in logic. There’s not even happiness in logic. There’s only satisfaction. The only place logic has in my life is in the realization that the more I am willing to do for my family, the more I shall be able to do for myself.”

I imagine, after hearing that story, you won’t have to be told how to find your purpose or how to identify it or how to surrender to it. If it’s a big purpose, you will be big in its accomplishment. If it’s an unselfish purpose, you will be unselfish in accomplishing it. And if it’s an honest purpose, you will be honest and honorable in the accomplishment of it.

But as long as you live, don’t ever forget that while you may succeed beyond your fondest hopes and your greatest expectations, you will never succeed beyond the purpose to which you are willing to surrender. Furthermore, your surrender will not be complete until you have formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.

Thanks to reader Broc Hite for sharing this speech with me.

Thanks for reading. You can get more actionable ideas in my popular email newsletter. Each week, I share 3 short ideas from me, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question to think about. Over 3,000,000 people subscribe . Enter your email now and join us.

James Clear writes about habits, decision making, and continuous improvement. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits . The book has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 60 languages.

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The Wisdom Post

Essay on Success

List of essays on success in english, short essay on success – essay 1 (100 words), essay on success: definition and how to achieve success – essay 2 (250 words), essay on success: parameters, qualities for achieving success and conclusion – essay 3 (300 words), essay on success: what is real success – essay 4 (500 words), essay on success: success and hard work – essay 5 (500 words), essay on success: education is the road to success – essay 6 (650 words), long essay on success – essay 7 (1000 words), essay on success: intro, success in life and success for students  – essay 8 (2500 words).

The students should be able to distinguish between true success and success of ill deeds. The short essays for students shall enlighten them with the true meaning of success. The essays written in simple language are very informative and shall prove to be beneficial for students of all classes.

Success is much more than riches, power or fame. Success is simply the feeling of satisfaction and happiness one gets from leading a particular way of life or carrying out a particular activity. Success in any field or aspect of life can only be achieved through serious hard work and a little bit of opportunity. One of the most important recipes of success is determination and it might as well be the most important secret of success. To become successful, it is necessary to never give up until the aim of happiness and satisfaction in life is fully met. The happiness and satisfaction can be found in very different things in different people.

‘Success’ is a very powerful word. Many of us run behind it; most of us want to conquer it. So, what is success all about? Does this mean acquiring money or fame? Success means different things to different people.

Definition of Success

The Oxford dictionary defines success as “ The accomplishment of an aim or purpose ”.

This is the definition of success in theory, but in reality it differs according to people’s interests and goals.

It is very important for every individual to define their own concept of success rather than following someone else’s footsteps. We must analyze what makes us happy, what gives us contentment, and what motivates us . No one can list out our needs better than us.

True success means understanding our dreams and working joyfully to make those dreams come true.

How to Achieve Success

Many great people have suggested various ways to achieve success. But the real secret ingredient to nail success is to believe that we are already successful . With this strong affirmative thought, success can be easily achieved if we follow these three success factors:-

  • We should follow our passion because that is where our heart and soul is. When we follow our passion there is no need for us to put any extra effort.
  • The path to success is always challenging. We should build confidence to face any challenging situations.
  • The third and most important success factor is discipline . When we work in a disciplined manner, things will automatically fall in place.

If we stick to these three factors, nothing can stop us from tasting success. Success is a journey which continues even after the goal is achieved.

Success is perhaps the most desired feeling that all of us want to experience in the pursuit of our goals and also in day to day life. Apparently, every individual has his or her own definition of success.

Parameters of Success

None can deny that the world blindly respects and trusts wealthy people. Money is the prime dynamic force that drives this world. The sooner we acknowledge and appreciate this fact the better. Academic success is a prime concern for all in the initial part of life, especially in the school days. For those who continue perusing studies, academic success is the epitome of everything. It is mostly observed that success in personal life becomes a tough task for those who have all the riches. Here is where the common people feel successful to have a happy personal life.

Qualities for Achieving Success

One should not regret their decisions taken in the past and must refrain dwelling in the past. We must give deep thought before taking any decisions and uttering words from the mouth. For making a successful decision one must ask questions to oneself like: What Do I Need To Do? What Will Be The Outcome? Will It Be Worth Doing? One must keep the emotions for success and failures intact and should not showcase it to others. Successful people never wait for applause or acknowledgement of their work as they eventually get it. To become successful one must keep friends close and enemies closer. A successful person never demeans the weak and never underestimates anyone.

To become successful one has to understand what is important in that instant, recognize and work on the weaknesses, take criticism and hold on to the strengths. From a broader perspective Success defines the contentment, peace of mind and sheer happiness that is achieved. One should remember that only perseverance can lead the path to success.

Introduction

Real success is something we should all strive to attain. Real success can simply be said to be achieving a higher position or very high position in our chosen field or area; it can be politics or business or even education. In the world we live in today, we have equated success to riches, prosperity, fortunes, cars, houses and so many mundane things. We believe that once a person has enough money to be able to afford what he or she wants, the person is successful. This is a total and complete misconception that will be discussed here.

Money isn’t a measure of success?

While it is important to note that having money is a part of being successful and you can classify as rich person as being successful, money is not all that success is about and we have a lot of people around us that are seemingly rich but still count themselves as not successful. In fact, sometimes we see wealthy people and conclude that they aren’t successful. If this is true then we can safely conclude that success is deeper that money or other superficial and physical things can we might acquire or own. Money is very important to success in life but it is not a necessity and neither is it the only key to success in life.

What is real success?

Real success is way beyond the physical things we can see, real success is all about the feeling of satisfaction we get when we accomplish a task or do something, it is the happiness we get just by remembering what we have achieved and how we did it, real success has to do with a lot of positive feelings about ourselves and pride in what we have been able to do. As we can see, real success can only be achieved within one’s self and that is why a lot of people who we think are successful still believe they aren’t just because they aren’t happy with what they are doing or they feel they can get so much more out of life. From this, we can see that it is very important to attain true success in life.

How one can attain real success

For one to be successful, the first and most important thing one needs to do is to set goals and objectives. Only through the setting of goals can one really have something to pursue and claim success when we got those things or meet the set goals and target. A very important ingredient in achieving real success is determination. If one is going to get real success, one has to be determined to never give up no matter what the situation might be. Another very important ingredient is hard work as we can’t expect to be successful if we don’t work hard and do all it takes to meet all of our set goals. It is important that we get all the skills that are required for us to be successful in our chosen field.

The yardstick of success varies from people to people. The success story of an individual begins from the moment of his/her birth. A human child begins the winning streak by challenging every obstacle from the moment of conception to delivery. So no human is ever a failure, and hence confidently we can say that the very existence of every human in this word bear an element of success.

At the primary level, success lies within the parameters of cracking competitive exams and identifying one’s aptitude as to which profession the individual can flourish. On broader terms, a successful life is indeed a happy life reflecting upon how far one has reached. Success is not just related to material success.

How to become successful in life?

Nobody has ever become successful within a split of a moment. It is not an arduous task either. Strong determination coupled with hard work is the key to success. The first step to any attempt is to set the goal. There can be short-term goals, and long-term goals and both play a significant role on your road to success. Once the target set, then you have to do strategic planning. It is advisable to set a time frame as well. It will enable you to evaluate yourself on a regular basis. Fixing a time frame can also check into our procrastinating nature.

The next most important factor to become successful in life is hard work. It is the key to success. The adage rightly says that ‘no pain, no gain.’ You need to keep in mind that nobody else is going to do what we ought to do. If we put little effort and saw the seeds of hard work and perseverance, then we are sure to reap success and bounty. If you have strong willpower and the fire to ignite your dreams, then nothing can pull you back.

Stay focused on your objectives rather than hoping:

You can inspire yourself by being a self-motivator and critic. It opens room for self-improvement and appreciation. As it is said that ‘well begun is half done,’ do not hesitate to sparkle a start. Once we get a push, the rest will fall right in place. Even if we stumble down a couple of times, do not let go of our dreams. Failures are part and parcel of any successful entity. Mistakes are quite common and what needs to do is that we acknowledge them, and bear them in our mind. It ensures that we learn from the mistakes and in turn do not repeat them.

Nobody has ever been successful overnight. Patience is yet another golden rule. Just convince your mind that you are strong enough to be successful, though not today, at least some day. Never be disappointed if you lose. Trust in yourself and believe that you will reach there and you deserve to reach there. Your strength and weakness define the person you are, and the realization of it is rather important. Selfless dedication and hard work will definitely get you there.

Once you achieve your goals, you can be a strong inspiration to others. There is a warrior in you and never shut it down. You are capable of climbing higher and boom into a fantastic personality. Whatsoever, live a humble life, spread positivity and bear the torch to others’ road to success.

Saying education is the road to success is just another way of saying education is very important for all of us in life, without education there would not be a lot of progression in both our individual and collective lives as human. It is very important that we get education in order to get success in life. Most times, people generally limit education to the four walls of a classroom or a school.

Education has roots in every area of our existence; education can be said to begin from the home, parents and family members educate and train the children on good characters that they should imbibe and teach them to remove some habits and characters. All of these good characters imbibed by the child through education at home can help the child become very successful in future.

We all know that without good characters and morals, it is extremely hard to become successful or make it in life as people would not want to be associated with such person. We are also educated on good communication and interpersonal skills that are very necessary for us to make it and become successful in life.

Importance of education to success

We need to know the true value and worth of education. Education helps to facilitate our skill, knowledge and learning; it gives us a different view of the world and refines our personality, helping us to build very positive attitudes. Education is a totally essential tool in ensuring a bright future.

Education can serve as a tool in achieving anything and everything good about life. When we get a high level and degree of education, we earn respect and recognition from our family and the society at large.

Education can go a very long way in changing our thoughts and level of reasoning; it broadens our worldview and provides us with the opportunity to get knowledge and technical skills that are highly needed in life. We can improve our knowledge level and skill by watching educational documentaries and programmes on the TV, reading the news and keeping up to date with all of the happenings all over the world, reading a lot of books that can educate us. Education can go a long way to make us into more rational and civilised people. Education guarantees our place among people in the society and can help us achieve all of our dreams and aspirations in life.

Education and success

Success is the goal of all of us and it is our mission. Life can sometimes be full of different opportunities and challenges. Success can only be attained if we have all of the required and needed tools.

The most important tool for success is education because without education, we wouldn’t be able to have a wide view of the world and be able to innovate and develop. A lot of youths and children today cite the examples of the successful people that didn’t graduate from school and still went ahead to be successful in life. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook famously did not graduate from Harvard university but still went ahead to become very successful. The truth is even though Mark didn’t graduate, he was well educated and wouldn’t have been able to start Facebook if he had no knowledge of coding and wasn’t enrolled in Harvard at all. From him, we can learn that education isn’t limited and can basically be any way of widening our knowledge and improving ourselves. We should never confuse education with getting a diploma or a degree. Only education in or out of school can make us be successful in life and give us the true career we want.

Without education, life would be totally meaningless without education. The only path to true success in life is education, every one that has been, is and would be successful in life needs education to do that.

The modern world has a way of doing things, that is, modern man has his own particular view on how things should look. That view is completely different from the perspectives upheld by those who came before us, so to say. Like the ancient Greeks were obsessed with performing heroic deeds, or medieval European Christians with martyrdom and upholding saintly principles, we can argue that modern man has an obsession with success. Or more precisely, one aspect of that new worldview is to compare people between each other through the notion of success.

In a way, the beginning of the 21 st century is preoccupied with the concept of success more than ever before, both individual and collective. That fact can is seen in many aspects of our daily lives, people are not just oppressed with celebrities and successful people they want to live that lifestyle or achieve some sort of greatness. Looking at the current state of things one is encouraged to analyze the situation further and to find the reason behind these phenomena, or at least to offer a new perspective on worldwide trend.

What Makes a Person Successful?

There are many ways a person can be successful. Most people will think of celebrities, politicians, artists, entrepreneurs, etc. They will think of someone who is known the world over because of the thing they do, the thing they are good at. That’s all fine, but there are successful people who do not like to be celebrities and there are, most definitely, celebrities who cannot count as successful people.

What then makes a successful person? Is it how they do things? Is it what they get in return? Is it in the number of things they can amass in their life? Most of those things can count as some part of our overall image of such a person. But, how can we define it? What is it actually?

What I like is simple answers, they are usually correct and the most practical at the same time. Even though not all answers can be simple, this one is. When you look up the word success in any dictionary you will find that it is considered an accomplishment of an aim or a purpose.

Surely people were able to accomplish an aim or a pulpous in their lifetimes, even several, before the 21 st century. Why is it that this noun has such relevance for the classification of people in this age?

History of Success

If we take a look at history, as I mentioned before, we can see that every age has a different occupation. When we talk about the ancient Egyptians, we do not talk about single individuals who made this country so great we talk about the collective in general. But also, we do not know the names of the people who actually accomplished the construction of the pyramid we remember the person who ordered it and did nothing to build it.

Sometimes when I think about all the great artists whose names I do not know, that built humanity in the name of kings, it seems as if it was forbidden for individuals to be famous if they were not born into some sort of noble family.

That drastically changed with the return of democracy to Europe and the liberation from the old-world view that separated people into casts, genders, and races. The new perspective born from revolutions gave every man the right to control their destiny and therefore the right to become successful, to achieve one’s dreams and ideals. Celebrating success can be seen as a collective celebration of the boundless human potential to do incredible things. Is it always so shiny? Or is there a dark side to the story?

Can Success Harm us?

We all know that being successful has its price and the people on the top can often be alone, because of the many sacrifices they had to make to get there. There are also countless examples of people who have achieved success professionally but their health and social lives fail because they cannot handle the strain that comes with maintaining that image of perfection that is expected of them.

Then there is also the psychological pressure any person can experience when they become obsessed with succeeding in the things they do. This emotion can cause such discomfort for people that they can freeze in key moments when they should be at the top of their game. Not to mention the depression some people experience when they come in contact with the images of people that exist on social media. There is a lot in being successful that we put under the carpet, or we just consider it as part of the game, something that we should bear. It does not have to be that way.

Sharing Success

People are made to be in a group and therefore everything they do they should do for each other; however, this fact of human existence has also been a breeding ground for nationalism and other group-oriented ideologies that made the 20 th century so dark. The striving to be successful, the best, the most dominant will make people perform incredible and inspiring things but it will also make them give legitimacy to the worst monstrosities. How do we draw the line between the good and bad aspect of wanting individual and collective success?

Maybe we should stop looking at success as part of domination and make it part of what makes us authentic as human beings. What do I mean? If we start celebrating everyday people when they express themselves or make something that is fulfilling for them and makes other people grow we will support others to develop this aspect of their humanity and not concentrate on domination and subordination. We should support the celebration of collective endeavors that strive to enhance the human race as a whole and not adore individual examples as if they were the meaning of life.

The secret to success is not in money and fame, but in reaching that feeling of fulfillment when you know you have accomplished something that truly matters to you and other people around you. Dreaming big and then having it, it’s not impossible.

If you’ve been feeling a little low lately, this essay on success is sure to boost your motivation levels and set the goals right for you! We hear about so many successful people from all the areas. Some of them may be our favorite singers, actors, scientists, writers, social workers, politicians, and what not. Their achievements inspire the hearts of many and urge them to do better.

While we tend to focus on the sensation of the final outcome, the journey toward the goal is what matters the most. Sadly, human nature forces us to look at everything through the eyes of instant gratification. But the stories of success are not created overnight. In real life, any small big achievement demands tons of efforts and sacrifices.

If success is a building, consider each effort to be a brick, that has to be put in day and night tirelessly. Dreaming about achieving a goal in life is a lovely idea. Nonetheless, working on it every day is more than just a fantasy. You have to make it happen.

Do you pray or meditate? What happens at that moment? You sit quietly and focus all your attention and energy into the prayer or in watching those thoughts. Prayer commands sincerity. True worshipping is when the heart is pure and honest.

In the same way, success is a conscientious phenomenon. It asks for dedication and ethical diligence. For a real success, there are no shortcuts and there is no quitting too! Yes, we all get tired and hopeless. That doesn’t mean we have to give in to those feelings and quit. Keep working no matter what!

At times, when you feel that you can’t go on anymore, take a break. Rejuvenate yourself, talk to your loved ones, rest a lot, create a fresh perspective. And come back again with a greater force and zeal. You never know when the efforts will turn into the sweet fruits of success. One thing common in all the great personalities was that they never quit!

Personal Definition of Success

There is no fixed definition of success. You see, success is quite a relative term and its meaning changes from one person to another. However, it is sure to say that being able to feel content with your life and achieve what you dreamed of, is what makes you a successful person!

A prosperous life is not strictly about having all the materialistic comforts around. To some extent, this may be true. But, all in all, it’s only a microscopic way to measure someone’s success.

Let us introduce you to some of the most powerful quotes on success given by the different eminent personalities.

Everybody’s favorite, the great feminist and poetess, Maya Angelou says, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

Winston Churchill quotes it as, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

Not to mention, America’s former first lady, Michelle Obama who expresses her own views on success. According to her, “Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”

In the words of Albert Einstein, “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

Anne Sweeney, who remained the president of the Disney Channel from 1996 to 2014. In her words, “Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.”

It is evident enough how these miraculous and charismatic visionaries have described success in various terms and that there is no particular way to define it. The only authentic parameter should be your own satisfaction and happiness.

What is Success

We have understood that success is an abstract notion. Now, it is time to get to the bottom and explore some basic questions about it. Have you ever tried to inquire into what success means to you? What are the things that would make you convinced that you are a successful person now? Does your heart yearn for fame, money, peace, joy, love, or something else?

These questions are crucial. They make your mind clear and set your priorities more effectively. Always remember that a virtue that appeals to you may not mean the same to another person. Everybody has their own preferences and goals in life.

The bottom line is regardless of what the goal is, we can each be successful in our lives as long as the achievement makes us happy and content. It could be your education, a well-paying job, having a loving family, social security, or freedom to live the way you want to.

Anything, no matter how small or big, that fills us with a sense of purpose and gratifies the heart leads to success. If you are a happy person and love your life, then success is yours! For a long time, our minds have been trained to believe that money is the greatest source of joy. However, it’s not true!

Undoubtedly, wealth is a strong means to create comfort and security for us. But if it was the only thing needed for success, why do the richest people still deal with depression, anxiety, fears, and failures? Have you ever thought about it?

Physical wealth does not guarantee an insusceptibility to dissatisfaction and failure. Thinking otherwise would only create a bottomless void within you. People madly run after money and career. And yet when they are well-established, they still may not feel the joy and peace within. What is the missing piece in their lives?

Success in Life

Life is a rollercoaster, isn’t it! We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. Overcoming your flaws and frailty is a victory in itself. If you are thinking of coming out as a winner in life, don’t confine yourself to monetary values. With money, you may feel “technically” rich and yet have no access to the truest joy.

There are many dimensions to success. But everything depends upon our ability to recognize them. What are these dimensions, by the way! Let us explore a few of them.

You must have heard the famous quote, “Health is Wealth”. We need to understand the hidden value of this quote today more than ever. Ask yourself, if you would be able to enjoy anything in the same way if you were suffering from an acute or chronic illness? No, but such physical ailments are a bitter truth to many. To these people, achieving a partial or full recovery, having a long and respectful life is a success.

For the emotional souls, having their loved ones around, giving them a quality life, and taking care of them is what counts as the real victory. A person who cares about the whole society, for him/ her the true meaning of succeeding would be providing the basic amenities to the underprivileged, fighting for human rights, or creating awareness.

And yes, the biggest of the aims could be as simple and meaningful as leading a peaceful life. It could be about not having regrets and ill feelings toward others. They could also be as big as winning a gold medal in the Olympics, breaking the stereotypes, getting out of a toxic relationship and having a stable life.

The point is, success cannot be put into a singular category. And comparing one’s goal with the other person would be like comparing apple to an orange, or fruits to vegetables. Each person is unique. Their journey of life is different and so are their goals and parameters of success.

Success for Students

The keys to successful academic life are open secrets. As a student, your progress depends on the level of self-discipline, dedication, and hard work. If you are able to pull off these habits in long-term success would never leave you. Right? Nonetheless, the matter is not so simple.

In today’s time, students are looking for “success” more desperately than ever! Considering the cut-throat competitions, it is quite understandable also. The pressure of family’s expectations makes things even more complicated. The students have no option except to excel in their studies, but at what costs?

First of all, academic success is dependent on a limited number of subjects. The true potential of a child or a young one cannot be fairly measured based on such a narrow line. Moreover, somehow we have come to believe that excellent grades are a must for a student’s survival in this world. Fortunately, that’s not completely correct.

The practical life is much more than a few subjects. Most of the things we learn at school and colleges are plain theories. The bookish knowledge hardly proves to be of any help in the real world. What makes you rich is the experiences you gain on a daily basis.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that grades and books shouldn’t be taken seriously at all. You need to understand that these things play a partial role in forming the ladder of success. The better word to focus on would be ‘growth’.

If winning the race and grabbing a seat in some reputed college takes a toll on your mental, physical, and psychological health, then, we are seriously doing something wrong here. After all, these are the same factors leading to the rising number of suicides among the youths.

Not getting good marks doesn’t mean that you are not good enough for anything. It just means that you haven’t explored everything yet. There are many great personalities like Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, J.K. Rowling, who were a failure on the scales of conventional methods. But they proved everyone wrong.

All you need to remember is that never lose faith in yourself. If you really love what you do and consistently pour all of your energy into that task, then, definitely success is waiting for you! Make a routine of your choice and follow it religiously. Stay punctual. Fix your eyes on the goal and keep working.

Success and Hard Work

You can only work hard when you are fit overall. A good health is not just about having a strong body but also a strong mind and willpower. For all these things, you need energy. So, pay attention to things that you are feeding to your sensory organs. This includes from the proper diet to releasing stress, stay positive, working out, having those around who believe in you.

Don’t just work hard on your curriculum only. Take charge of other aspects too. As much as possible, include healthy foods in the diet. Staying positive induces good hormones in the body and the effect clearly shows in your performance. To strengthen your mental health, meditate every day.

Sitting around greenery, talking to your loved ones, reading positive books, are some of the other ways to replenish your energy levels. Make sure to work out every day, or at least go for a 30-minutes walk. Keep yourself hydrated. Drink plenty of water and other fluids.

Apart from focusing on the positive steps, be careful of the negative factors too. For instance, any negative conversation or toxic people in your life may suck away all your energy and charm. Try your best to avoid these triggers. Not only that, distractions like television, online chats, social media, parties, etc. should not be underestimated.

Keep your body and mind clean like a temple. It will help you work harder and with more effectiveness. There are no shortcuts to success. However, prefer to work smart rather than work hard. Never ever neglect the amount of sleep you get. There is no substitute for proper sleep.

Lack of sleep makes you cranky. Your concentration and memory become poorer. The learning becomes slower. So, a million dollar advice would be to get sufficient sleep, that means up to 8-10 hours. A few hours may be up and down depending on the person’s body requirements.

It is okay if the hard work makes you tired. However, the whole idea of hard work should not suffocate you. They say that if you love what you do, you don’t have to work a day in your life! If the set goals don’t well-align with your heart, explore something that does. Your goals should be set by you and not anyone else.

Success and Failure

Do you fear failure? What is the definition of failure according to you? How important is a failure for success? Let us find some answers to these amazing questions and doubts that we all face within us. To make things easier, here are a few great quotes for you!

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

“Giving up is the only sure way to fail.” – Gena Showalter

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison

Must have changed your perspective a bit! Well, it won’t be wrong to say that failure is a part of success. It is an inevitable part of that process. Like two sides of a coin. You cannot expect to taste success until you have learned to embrace the failures.

There is an interesting story about it with a strong message. There used to live a guy who owned a grand and luxurious car. That car always stayed inside the house. The man never drove it. One day, one of his friends visited him and asked the reason for not taking the car out on the road.

Do you know what the man replied? He said that he would take the car out when all the traffic lights are green. He was waiting for an impossible thing to happen! Can you believe that? It’s ironic but yes, we all do the same metaphorically.

When we don’t take steps due to the fear of failure, subconsciously, we are waiting for everything to be perfect. So perfect that there would be no tiny scope for failing. That means there would be no red lights at all. How is that even possible!

Leave the fear of failure behind. The only thing you should be scared of is not making efforts. Because that kills even the slightest chance of success. Be humble and embrace failure. Learn from your mistakes. These lessons are valuable. No book would teach you the way your experiences will.

Success is a cumulative and relative term. Without peace and love, money and fame don’t count as success. True success would satiate your soul. It would fill your life with joy. Shrug off the idea of comparing your life with someone else’s. Every person follows a different path and journey. That is why the meaning of success also varies from one individual to another.

No matter how difficult or impossible seems the goal, never quit. Keep working and one day you would succeed. Don’t confine your ambitions to just making money. Listen to your heart and follow it. The voices within us are our guiding lights!

Try to be a good person before becoming a successful person. Only an individual who has earned the love and respect of all has achieved the truest success.

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Secrets to Success: 7 Secrets of Wildly Successful People

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Here at Science of People we’re constantly being asked: “How can I become more successful?” We set out to answer that question by scouring research to uncover secrets to success of the most successful people.

Let’s see how they optimize their lives and accomplish their goals .

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#1 It’s Not About IQ

The smartest people are the most successful, right? Not quite… Anders Ericsson, a professor of psychology at Florida State University, says that it might actually be an advantage not to be a genius.

Here’s why:

When he studied elite chess players, he found that there is no correlation between IQ and success. In fact, players with lower IQs were often more successful. This is shocking, but not when you consider the reason why.

The players with lower IQs felt like they were at a disadvantage because of their lack of extraordinary intelligence so they worked harder to master their skills. Meanwhile, many of the the naturally smart players lost because they figured they didn’t have to try very hard to win. They failed because effort beats IQ.

Angela Lee Duckworth noticed the same thing when predicting the success of individuals in a variety of contexts. She gave a great TED talk about how grit – the willingness to consistently work hard through difficult scenarios – not IQ,  is the most accurate indicator of success.

Check it out:

The other key that sets successful individuals apart is their ability to understand people. A study conducted by the Carnegie Foundation found that 85% of a person’s success is based on their interpersonal skills. Because of this, we know that PQ (people intelligence) is more important than IQ.  

Ask yourself: How well do you work with others? If your answer is not very well, then your focus needs to be on improving your social skills and building better relationships.

Luckily, you’re finding this out about yourself while on Science of People and we have lots of great resources  that will give you the tools you need to increase your PQ.

#2 Success is Relative

The founder of Wikipedia, Larry Sanger, created it as a nonprofit. Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy, relies mostly on donations.

What does success mean to you? Success doesn’t always equal money or fame.

You define your own success.

Whatever gives you the most personal fulfillment is your own success story.

In my amazing interview with Guy Raz, author of the new book How I Built This , we talked about what exactly goes into making the recipes of success.

I highly recommend checking out our interview together. I learned TONS from this success expert—and I’m sure you will, too!

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#3 Become a Master at 10,000 Hours

Another key to success is consistent practice. In Outliers , Malcolm Gladwell studied successful people and found that the world’s top experts are not naturally skilled or talented. They simply practice several hours every week until they reach the 10,000 hour mastery point.

The theory is that once someone practices a task for 10,000 hours, they become an expert because they’ve invested enough time to develop an extraordinary ability to perform the task.

Sounds like a lot of work, right? It is and that’s why it sets apart the most successful people from those who never move past mediocre skill levels. People who are committed to greatness  have the discipline to put in the hours it takes to achieve mastery.

Are you setting aside time to be an expert at what you do?

Remember: just like you’re not going to become an expert overnight, you don’t have to dramatically change your life to become one either. Making a simple commitment to spending a few extra hours per week improving your skills can put you on the path to success. Just don’t stop practicing.

#4 Learn to Read Hidden Emotions

As you spend more time improving your technical skills, don’t forget to also master your people skills . One of the most effective strategies to understand people is to learn how to read microexpressions . They are unconscious facial expressions that reveal inner emotions.

Today I want to teach you how to recognize contempt, because it is the sneakiest.

Here’s what contempt looks like:

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#5 Succeed at Failing

The most successful people embrace the possibility of failure. Why? Because failing means learning and learning is the only way to improve. It’s how you react to failure that determines if it is negative or not.

Dan Coyle, bestselling author of The Talent Code , says that if you’re setting great goals, you should only succeed in 50-80% of your attempts. It sounds counterintuitive, but just knowing you might fail increases your likelihood of success because your fear will motivate you to work harder and develop more creative solutions when obstacles arise. 

When you do fail, do a post-mortem on your failures. Critically evaluate what caused the failure and brainstorm ideas for how you can avoid doing the same thing again. Record your ideas in a failure file so you can turn your mistakes into learning.

#6 Find a Mentor Who Will Hold You Accountable

So far we’ve looked at how success is a lot of work – and it is – but what we’ve yet to touch on is that you don’t become successful on your own.

Have you ever heard the saying: “ If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” ?

It’s a great way to describe success because you can’t accomplish amazing things without the help of other people.  

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Tweet

Regardless of whether you’re trying to be a more successful parent or a more successful CEO, you need to find at least one person to be your mentor and accountability partner.

Having a mentor allows you to learn from experiences of someone who has gone through many of the same struggles you are dealing with and is succeeding at levels that you hope to achieve. It doesn’t matter who they are as long as they inspire you and push you to become better.

#7 Powerful Body Language Will Fuel  Confidence

You could practice hundreds of hours a month, have the best best mentor in the world and be a master at understanding other people but unless you’re able to physically exude confidence, you’ll struggle to be successful.

Winners, leaders and alphas have winning body language. This means they take up physical space. Why? When we take up space we feel like we belong in our space. This sense of belonging gives us the pride to believe that we can be successful .  

Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that when athletes win a race, the more expansive their body language and when athletes lose a race, the more defeated their body language. Want to look like a winner? Roll your shoulders back, firmly plant your feet, open your chest and keep your head up. The more confident your body looks, the more confident you will be perceived as. This is called high body power—taking up space with your body.

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✍️Essay on Success in 100,150 and 200 Words: The Power of Positive Mindset

secrets of success essay

  • Updated on  
  • Oct 26, 2023

Essay on Success

The concept of success is very simple; if you invest your time wisely and work hard, you will achieve success in no time. But success is not as simple as it sounds; what might sound like success to one might not be the same for another person. It embodies the realization of one’s goals, aspirations, and desires, often accompanied by a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment.

Success is manifested in different aspects, such as career achievements, personal growth, or even the pursuit of happiness. It is a journey filled with determination, perseverance, and often a willingness to learn from both triumphs and setbacks. Ultimately, success is a subjective pursuit that reflects the unique path and definition of achievement for each person.

Table of Contents

  • 1 What Makes a Person Successful?
  • 2 Essay on Success in 100 Words
  • 3 Essay on Success in 150 Words
  • 4 Essay on Success in 200 Words

What Makes a Person Successful?

Being successful is very subjective and can vary from person to person. Therefore, here are some common factors which contribute to the success of a person.

  • Hard Work and Persistence: Success requires effort and dedication and one has the ability to face challenges.
  • Setting Clear Goals: It is very important for one to have specific and attainable goals which will provide direction and motivation. 
  • Networking: The person should have the capability to build relations and at the same time be open to opportunities which strike. 
  • Time Management: Managing time effectively and priorities is essential for productivity and progress. 
  • Self-Discipline: One should be very focused and maintain self-control which will help them achieve long-term goals. 
  • Management of Finances: Having a basic understanding of finances and managing them wisely is also very important for attaining financial success. 

Also Read: Essay on Water Conservation

Essay on Success in 100 Words

Success is the culmination of dedication, hard work, and determination. It is not merely the achievement of material wealth, but the fulfilment of one’s goals and aspirations. Success varies from person to person; for some, it’s a thriving career, while for others, it could be having a harmonious family life. 

To attain success, individuals must set clear objectives, persevere through challenges, and learn from failures. Success often involves learning, adapting, and embracing change. It’s the result of resilience and the willingness to keep pushing forward. Ultimately, success is a personal journey, and its definition is unique to each individual.

Essay on Success in 150 Words

Everybody wants to be successful in life, but are they willing to put in all their efforts? Success is not solely measured by wealth or fame but by achieving one’s goals and finding fulfilment. True success is often the result of determination, hard work, and resilience. Setting clear, achievable objectives and being persistent through challenges are crucial components.

Education is a common path to success, providing knowledge and skills that open doors to opportunities. Embracing failure as a stepping stone, learning from mistakes, and adapting to change are essential to achieving success. However, it’s important to recognize that success is subjective and can encompass a broader spectrum of achievements beyond material possessions.

Personal growth, happiness, and a sense of purpose are all part of success. Balancing personal and professional life is key to sustaining it. Ultimately, success is a journey, not a destination, and it’s about realizing your full potential and making a meaningful contribution to the world.

Also Read: Essay on Nature: In 100 Words, 200 Words, 300 Words

Essay on Success in 200 Words

Success is a multifaceted concept, often defined by achieving one’s goals and aspirations. It is a subjective and deeply personal notion, as what constitutes success varies from person to person. However, a common thread in success is the continuous pursuit of one’s ambitions, combined with determination and hard work.

Success is not solely measured by material wealth, but rather by the fulfilment and satisfaction that comes from reaching one’s objectives. It is the result of setting clear goals, developing a plan, and facing all the challenges. The road to success is rarely smooth; it is often marked by setbacks and failures. These obstacles are crucial for personal growth, teaching valuable lessons that contribute to success in the long run.

Moreover, success is not an endpoint; it is a continuous journey. It requires adaptability and the willingness to learn and evolve. Success can be found in various aspects of life, from career achievements to personal relationships and self-fulfilment. It is the balance and harmony between these different facets that lead to a truly successful and meaningful life.

In conclusion, success is a complex and individualized concept, rooted in determination, hard work, resilience, and personal growth. It is not defined solely by external markers but by the fulfilment and happiness, one derives from their accomplishments and the journey to achieve them.

Related Articles

Writing an essay on success requires you to describe this multifaceted concept. Success is achieved when one’s goal and objective is attained. Those who are successful, have fulfilled their highest ambitions in life and work, or are actively striving towards doing so. 

Happiness does not follow success. Contrary to popular belief, living a life that makes you happy can help you achieve your goals and be content. 

You gain from success because it gives you the things you want or need. Setting and achieving attainable goals results in a feeling of well-being. 

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay-writing page and follow Leverage Edu ! 

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Malvika Chawla

Malvika is a content writer cum news freak who comes with a strong background in Journalism and has worked with renowned news websites such as News 9 and The Financial Express to name a few. When not writing, she can be found bringing life to the canvasses by painting on them.

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  • Success Essay

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Success is “The accomplishment of aim or purpose”, but is this definition universal? Can it be applied to each and everyone living on this planet? In this success essay, we are going to discuss the various perspectives on success. Success is a very unique concept and a powerful word. We live in a society where people compare and compete with each other’s success or we could say that we live in a success-driven society. A person is judged on his or her success but what does this word imply? Let us try to delve deeper into its meaning via this article.

Long Essay on Success for Students and Children

Success could be considered as the fuel on which the whole world functions efficiently. The perspective of success is different for every individual. For example, for one person success could be to get his or her dream job whereas for others it could be to spend a couple of hours with the family. In this essay on success important points such as how time management leads to success and how hard work and failure are related to success are discussed. This Success essay for students and children explains all the factors that determine success.

One of the most important factors that lead to success is time management. Time is considered to be the most precious asset of our lives. Time is everything and it’s an invaluable entity and once spent it never comes back. So it is important to learn how to manage your time. Time management refers to the process of planning and executing the task and goals to get the maximum. If done properly would lead a person to be successful in his or her life. The amount of time a person invests in improving himself will directly improve the chance of success.

Success and Failure  

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”

Success and failure are inversely proportional to each other. If a person is successful he or she will directly drift away from failure. Achieving success is not easy, if it was easy everyone would have done it, but it’s not impossible. It’s important to know that the road to success is filled with failures and through those failures one becomes successful. It should be understood that failure acts as a stepping stone for success and gives the will to work harder towards his/her goals.

Success and Hard Work 

Success is directly proportional to hard work. The harder one works towards his or her goals the easier it is to achieve success. Hard work doesn’t mean to do laborious work or work that will make you sweat. Hard work means not only working on your goals but also being optimistic towards life and believing in yourself that even if the journey is difficult it can be achieved.

Everyone should keep in mind that the road to success is not easy and it’s difficult but it’s not impossible. Besides working on your goals that would lead a person towards success it is very important to push your limit every day, take charge of your life, and keep learning. 

It is very important to take care of your mind which could be done by eliminating negative thoughts and negative people from your life. Staying positive is a key to success.

How Can You Attain Success?

We have discussed what being successful depends on. Now, let us take a look at what we can do actively to attain that position in our lives. 

Be a risk-taker: Good things come to those who are unafraid of taking risks. You must venture out of your comfort zone and try new things if you ever wish to experience new things and fulfill your goals.

Surround yourself with people who uplift you: Having the right kind of peers and friends is very important if you want to achieve success in life. These people will motivate you and help you strive to do better when you are struggling.

Learn from your mistakes: Failures act as stepping stones. If you do not learn from the mistakes you have made, you will never be able to grow and prosper. Do not be disheartened if you do not succeed in doing everything the first time itself. 

Believe in yourself and keep working hard: There is no shortcut to success. You have to work hard and never give up. 

Learn soft skills: Nowadays, you need to enhance your communication and your time management skills to be able to handle everything life throws at you. Work on bettering your soft skills too.

Remain dedicated: You cannot give in to distractions if you aspire to do well. Take short breaks but never let your mind wander away from the task at hand. Complete your work on time and stay dedicated to your goals.

Short Essay on Success for Students and Children

Success is achieved by those people who work harder every day and manage their time properly. Students should understand the importance of time management. Managing time properly is the key to success. Loss of time is considered to be a loss of opportunities. Time management is what most successful people like Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk do. It is important for students to know what they want to achieve in life and should have a clear vision of their dreams. If a person has a vision in the life of what they want to become, they don’t drift around and will not end up in the wrong place. After having a vision or dream one should invest his or her time in making that dream a reality. That could be done by putting in constant hard work. Sometimes even if one is not talented one can achieve success through hard work and determination. The road to success is not easy it is filled with failures and it is important to understand that through those failures one leads to success. In conclusion, it could be said that managing the time every day and working on your dream even if there are failures in your journey is considered to be the ideal formulae for success.

How Can Success Harm You?

We are all chasing the idea of success but it is important to understand that too much of anything can become toxic or harmful in the long run. You might become so obsessed with being successful that you start disrupting your emotional and physical well-being. This can have rather negative long-term consequences. Moreover, failures are a part of life. If you do not stumble even once, you might become boastful and arrogant. This will drive away even your closest family members and friends. 

There is another side to this debate. If you chase success too much, you will not be able to handle failure. This can lead to depression and the development of several severe mental-health issues. To avoid this, you must focus on all the aspects of success and not run after materialistic accomplishments.

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FAQs on Success Essay

1. How can Students be Successful in Academics?  

For students, success in academics could be getting good marks and exceeding everyone’s expectations. Students could achieve success in academics by planning everything accordingly. The first step for excelling in any exam is to know your syllabus completely. The second step is to make a timetable to differentiate what to study. when to study? and to know how much of a particular topic studied is important for the exam. The third step after completing the syllabus is to practice effectively. It is very important to be positive and believe in yourself.

2. What Can be the Impact of Success on People?

Success can have both negative and positive impacts on people. You must know how to navigate the ups alongside the downs in life. It is foolish to presume that success can be attained without sacrifices. People achieve professional success but they fail in achieving mental, physical, and social success. This might cause major mental issues like depression and loneliness. We must learn how to cope up with both our personal and professional lives without giving in to undue stress and anxiety.

3. Why should Young Students be taught the Importance of Hard Work?

As we have discussed in this article, there are no shortcuts to success. You have to keep persevering to be good at what you do. Success cannot be attained overnight. However, inculcating discipline can go a long way in teaching students how to handle whatever life throws at them. Hard work and discipline go hand in hand. You must be disciplined and work hard to achieve your goals. If young students are made to understand this from a tender age, they can go on to achieve great things in life.

4. Why can Success Sometimes Prove to be Harmful?

A famous quote states that you always pass failure on your way to success. We can never learn if we do not make any mistakes. One must learn to take failure in their stride and not let it affect them too much. Success can prove to be harmful when you put too much unnecessary pressure on yourself to do well. This can lead to a decline in your emotional well-being and affect you mentally. Everyone has to face ups and downs in life but you must try to learn something from every experience and grow.

5. How should Students Gain Inspiration to be Successful in Life?

Inspiration can be found anywhere if you try hard enough to look for it. People like Steve Jobs and Sundar Pichai did not become successful in one day. They kept trying out new things and did not shy away from taking risks. Ultimately, their hard work and dedication paved the way to their success. Students should take inspiration from such men and women who have overcome a lot of hurdles in life to reach the position they are in now. This will motivate them to do better too.

What is success?

Success can mean: feeling that tingle of excitement about what you do, sticking with what matters through hard times, living a life you can feel proud of in retrospect. These talks say it all.

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Can we all "have it all"?

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Life Experiences — Success

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Success Essays

When it comes to writing an essay on success, choosing the right topic is crucial. The topic sets the tone for the entire essay and determines the direction of your writing. A well-chosen topic not only makes your essay more engaging but also allows you to explore different aspects of success and offer valuable insights to your readers.

With the right topic, you can delve into various areas such as personal success, professional success, societal perceptions of success, and the pursuit of happiness. It allows you to critically analyze the concept of success and offers a platform to present your ideas and opinions.

When selecting a topic for your success essay, it's essential to consider your interests, knowledge, and the intended audience. Choose a topic that resonates with you and allows you to explore different dimensions of success. Additionally, consider the relevance of the topic and its potential to engage readers.

It's also important to select a topic that is not only thought-provoking but also offers scope for research and analysis. Look for topics that are current, relevant, and present a unique perspective on success.

Recommended Success Essay Topics

Are you looking for inspiration for your next essay on success? Here's a list of 28 success essay topics to help you get started. Whether you're interested in personal success, business success, or the psychology of success, you're sure to find a topic that interests you.

Personal Success

  • Overcoming adversity: A personal journey to success
  • The role of perseverance in achieving personal success
  • Setting and achieving personal goals: A recipe for success
  • Self-discovery and its impact on personal success
  • The importance of self-confidence in attaining success
  • Lessons learned from failure: The path to personal growth and success

Professional Success

  • Work-life balance: The key to professional success
  • Leadership qualities and their role in achieving professional success
  • Effective communication: A catalyst for professional success
  • Entrepreneurship and the journey to business success
  • Adapting to change: The secret to sustained professional success
  • Building a successful career in the digital age

Societal Perceptions of Success

  • Media portrayal of success: Reality vs. illusion
  • Cultural influences on the definition of success
  • The impact of social media on societal perceptions of success
  • Redefining success: Beyond material wealth and fame
  • Success and happiness: Exploring the correlation
  • Education and its role in shaping societal views on success

The Pursuit of Happiness

  • Defining happiness: The ultimate measure of success
  • The pursuit of happiness in a materialistic world
  • Embracing gratitude: A pathway to happiness and success
  • Self-compassion and its impact on overall well-being and success
  • Mindfulness and its role in achieving happiness and success
  • Community and connection: The foundation of a fulfilling life

These essay topics offer a wide range of options for you to explore and provide ample opportunity to delve into the various aspects of success. Choose a topic that speaks to you and allows you to present your unique insights and perspectives on success.

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How to Be Successful in Reaching Your Goals

9 Psychological Strategies to Get Ahead in Life

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.

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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

Crum AJ, Salovey P, Achor S. Rethinking stress: The role of mindsets in determining the stress response. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2013;104(4):716-733. doi:10.1037/a0031201

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

Mussel P. Introducing the construct curiosity for predicting job performance . J Organ Behav . 2012;34(4):453-472. doi:10.1002/job.1809  

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

Fredric Neuman M.D.

Embarrassment

The secret of success in life, not brains, good-looks, or even good luck.

Posted October 26, 2013

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It is not immediately obvious what it means to be successful in life. The term is used generally to describe a professional success, that is, a signal achievement at work, indicated in part, but only in part, by having made a lot of money. Sometimes success means preeminence in politics or science or sports in a manner that does not necessarily imply financial attainment, but rather public recognition. Those who become famous in the arts or by virtue of charitable acts or acts of bravery are thought to be successful also. Others speak perhaps less conventionally of successfully raising children and grandchildren. That is not what most people mean by success, but a good case can be made for that achievement being especially important; and different societies have regarded the work of bringing up the next generation as critically important.

Let me say what I mean by success: success is the ability of individuals to reach their own goals and achieve their own purposes. I do not mean goals such as becoming a movie star, or winning the Nobel Prize in literature or becoming the President of the United States. Or simply making more money than everybody else. By that standard virtually no one is successful. But I think it is possible for these individuals and others to find in other ways those satisfactions that are associated with those lofty achievements, namely, recognition, admiration and a sense of importance.

However, I recognize that certain particular accomplishments tend to mean success to most people. These are: finding a job and a career that has status in our society and that brings with it enough financial reward that it is possible to live comfortably. This is the familiar picture of a house with a picket fence. The particular kind of work they will engage in will otherwise vary widely. Part of this success—in the eyes of most people—is a loving family, usually including children--and good friends. And having a place in the community.

Plainly, there are a number of factors that influence someone’s future success, starting with choosing the right parents in the right country. The children of affluent, educated parents are more likely themselves to be well-educated and ultimately employed successfully in good jobs. I take this to be an outgrowth of plain good luck. And good luck enters into people’s lives over and over again in many ways. Most truly distinguished individuals acknowledge the influence of luck in their lives.

The children of the “right parents” are likely to move in the right circles. If they attend the right college, they are likely to meet and marry individuals who are, themselves, successful. Every lucky step along the way gives more opportunities.

Also, for reasons that I do not need to belabor, it is advantageous for an individual to be especially bright, unusually attractive, talented, and, even tall and strong. None of these qualities guarantees success, but they all help. But put together they will not add up to very much unless certain other qualities of mind and personality are present. In other words, having all these advantages will not prevent some people from botching up; and we all know someone like that.

There is one overriding quality of mind and personality that weighs more strongly than anything else in determining eventual success. It is character. Eventual success depends more than anything else on the ability to keep striving in the face of disappointment and rejection. And failure.

I have been struck over the years by how many people fail despite growing up with all the advantages of money and good health; and by how many others there are who start off impaired and impeded by emotional and physical illness and being born into dysfunctional and abusive families, and still manage to succeed. Included in those success stories is a man who could not attend school growing up because of a phobia which then prevented him from leaving his neighborhood, but who ended up owning three or four food franchises. He had previously failed in one business after another. Another man with a similar story ended up going to medical school at a somewhat advanced age and became a pediatrician.

I remember another man who had spent three entire years in a mental hospital when he was young and who kept losing jobs subsequently, but who persisted in looking for work until he found a stable job as a mechanic. He married a woman who loved him, and they had two children.

I remember a woman with a learning disability who kept talking her way into jobs that she then failed at until she finally rose to prominence in a cosmetics company. Every successful author has gone through a prolonged period of rejection after rejection. Many of the greatest Presidents have failed at previous endeavors or been defeated in previous campaigns. These include Grant, Lincoln and even Washington.

I remember a very troubled young man who managed on his first date to lock himself outside a building on a fire escape. He had one romantic misadventure after another until he finally learned how to approach a woman. After five years of treatment he married.

There was a middle-aged lady who did not think much of herself but who joined a church and by virtue of helping everyone became admired and then beloved by everyone.

I find myself admiring these people who seem to surmount insurmountable difficulties simply by not giving up. They suffer embarrassment and sometimes humiliation, and yet they do not give up. Sometimes I see a child in school who is like that, and I know—and I tell the child’s parents-- that that child will turn out okay. I know that child will catch up, because it is the single virtue of persistence that makes for success. (c) Fredric Neuman Follow Dr. Neuman's blog at fredricneumanmd.com/blog or ask questions at fredricneumanmd.com/blog/ask-dr-neuman-advice-column/

Fredric Neuman M.D.

Fredric Neuman, M.D., was the Director of the Anxiety and Phobia Center at White Plains Hospital. He died in 2021.

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Essay on “Secret of Success in Life.” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Secret of Success in Life.

Essay No. 01

            No hard and fast rules have been in sight for a sure success in life inspire of enormous development of humanity during recent years. Since time immemorial, it has been the effort of man to achieve success in his undertakings. In olden days and yet today, man has resorted to many ways and means to get a clue of the ultimate way to success but still it eludes many enterprises in life. A successful man is not a rarity as we see may around boasting of their success in their life. A definition of success of life seems inevitable here. There is a great number of people who treat the material progress or being able to possess lot of money and worldly pleasures their purpose of success. But there are some who do not consider the flow of money or success in their financial matters as the real success. They have various other parameters to gauge success in their lives. Those who believe more in the ways of God than the ways of world consider spiritual success as the real aim of life. They take the material possessions as superficial matters which, they consider, do not get mean the ultimate joy. Or ultimate success in life, according to them, is to know the ultimate reality, beyond worldly pleasures, and wish for a better life beyond material world. Belief in Gods and godly people is the strongest ever, even now in the minds of people. The concept of prayers for worldly pleasures has been a recent development with people, who are apprehensive about the results of their undertakings. Looking for auspicious occasions and places to start anything new in life including some business undertaking, laying foundations of houses, buildings, factories and even marriages indicator man’s  apprehension of a failure in life. Lack of confidence and belief in some deep rooted superstitions make a person resort to such means for a success.

            The question, shall I succeed? Looms so large on the minds of people that many aspiring youth, despite their qualification and expertise for a particular adventure fall back for fear of a failure. They go on looking for an occasion where they are made doubly sure of their success, but still apprehensive of their failure, they are not able to reach the goals of success as desired by them.

            The situation, indicated above, is enough pointer to the fact that the first secret of success in life is confidence. Lack of confidence in  ones abilities for a particular activity is the first sign of failure. A person who has attained sufficient knowledge and experience of a particular work is not expected to fail as he knows all the ways and means of coming out of a particular situation and doesn’t allow things reach the extent of no return. A person confident of one’s success is not demoralized by failures in his way to success. He considers these failures as the steps of his success and occasions to see through his short comings. Such people welcome these failures as they know that a smooth way to success cannot give them the experience of  meeting and facing them. People fully confident of their success, plan their each step and are never led by emotions or timely thoughts. Their point of success is always in their sight and no negative thought or action can mislead them from their path.

            But it is always hard, for people, to gain a strong confidence as many pulls and pressures come in the way which deviate them from their path. Proper thought and planning help people gain courage to face the infirmities of life. Anyone who wishes and aspires for a divine help at the time of adversity is the function of a weak mind and infirm character. Such unsuccessful people blame their destiny and infirm character. Such unsuccessful people blame their destiny and not their poor initiative for their poor performance. Successful people have a clear insight into proper occasions and people whom they bank upon, to act upon a particular situation. They have no regrets if they face timely failures even, and they do not get demoralized and continue with their efforts and hit the jackpot pleasantly.

            The other important secret for success in life is to have an open mind. People with closed bent of mind look everything with suspicion around them. They never try to discover the ideas of people about experiences in life and consider their own self far better experience in life than others. They take every decision guided by their own inner thinking and assessment of the situation. Such people are sometimes encouraged by being partly successful in a particular attempt and go on taking things in the same perspective. This line of action is prevalent with a number of people and they always live a low moderate life and consider the better success of people around a low moderate life and consider the better success of people around them, a result of their good fortune or a bounty from above, It is always beneficial for people to look into and have a keen desire to discover the secrets of success of others by reading about them or trying to understand their lives. Great people have never been men of close mind. The spider succeeded in his tenth attempt to reach its cobweb, wherefrom he had fallen down. Bruce gave a touch fight to his enemies, the tenth time and was crowned with success. Small and simple things and people need not be considered insignificant in this struggle for life. It was ultimately Mahatma Gandhi who succeeded in driving away the British from this land. There was no dearth of great leaders before Gandhi in India. They were all capable  to forcefully make the Bruisers feel that their days in India were numbered. But with the masses of India and emerged out of them and succeeded in cutting at the end of the month the basic roots of slavery in this country which had been dug deep byte foreign yoke.

            Every successful person learns from each step and every subsequent step is guided by his previous one hand, there is, then no chance of any failure. A person with an inquisitive character is always guided by the circumstances around him and his each move is calculated as he leaves nothing to chance. He makes very less mistakes. He gains sufficient confidence of people around and becomes their leader. He thinks always ahead of time and neither success nor failure is a surprise to him. He anticipates all his successes and failures and is neither sad on his failure nor rejoices his successes. Such great men always rule the world and it is then said by everyone that he was born great of keeping his eyes and ears open; learning from every move, whatever he took.

            Honest dealings in everything, wherever you put your hand in, are the next secret of success. There are many people around, who think that the days of honesty are gone. They presume that, one cannot be successful in the world of today if he is scrupulously honest. Honesty is a virtue of olden days” they feel, “in this dishonest world, an honest person cannot do anything, but suffer,” they argue. Such assessment of the situations is also the product of a weak mentality and poor performance in one’s life. A dishonest person can achieve some timely gratification at the hands of some people around him but ultimately his own conscience will tell him that he is in the wrong. A person with a clean heart and pure conscience is the only person who has gained confidence for doing anything successfully in life which is the first secret of success. Only an honest person is capable to keep[p his head above all around him as honesty and fearlessness are two sides of the some coin. You cannot be dishonest and fearless at the same time as the fear of your ill doings being exposed before your well wishers is always before you. You cannot undertake any kind of new enterprise for the fear of the people whom you have cheated earlier. You have to tell a hundred lies to hide your misdoings. Such people look everyone with suspicion and consider the success of others also a result of their dishonesty. To them the whole worked and the people around is a bunch \of ill dose’s and doing something good to anybody seems a crime to them. Nobody is friend to them except a few who are co-partners in their game. They easily shun his company when he is convicted or exposed.

            Honesty or truthfulness is a virtue without any equal. It wins good friends and well wishers for you who never let you down in your adversity. Our gain a good reputation for you and you are believed by everyone. You feel contented with your own self which is the greatest source of happiness. There is no limit to the hoi that is gained by having well wishers of people around you.  Material happiness or worldly pleasures seem insignificant to such people. They relish even the failures of life as they are also the result of their good actions. They don’t consider anybody their enemy as they are good bent upon doing good to all, whatever response they get. There remains a bit of difference between success and failure before them. They laugh is adversity and are never carried away by emotions. Hatred, anger and selfishness keep far away from them. They develop such strength of character that even the greatest temptation cannot subdue them. Success is at their feet. People bow before them and their godly features.

            To some people, success is only which can be displayed in the form of good money, big cars and buildings, holdings parties and people to bless them to attain worldly pleasures in the form of these riches. They leave no stone unturned to seek ways and means to attain these worldly joys but in spite of having this all, true mental peace evades them and they continue living in misery. The glamour of modern life attracts them and they attempt tooth and nail to achieve a whatever money can buy but still the eternal peace of mind is lost forever them.

            As such, the secret of success in life does not lie in collecting lot of wealth and purchasing all the luxuries of life as simplicity, honesty and the strength of character is the real wealth worth preserving. People do not remember the names of those who have succeeded in amassing big wealth but those who have made their name in spending their life for a noble cause involving good of the making as a whole. They have left a mark on the history by not making the masses comfortable through their general good for a general cause.

Essay No. 02

The Secret of Success

In the modem age, every man wants to make a quick buck. It is because we live in a materialistic world where money thinks, talks, acts and rules. A man without money has no status in life. This is the reason that those who cannot make money through honest means, resort to several corrupt practices to become rich overnight.

As we generally see in life, a corrupt man, however, clever he may be, is caught in the long run and he has to spend his life behind the bars. Such a man can hardly be called a successful man.

It is thus that a person who wants to be really successful in life, must adopt some fair means for the purpose. It is rightly said that nothing can be received without giving. One receives only in proportion to what one gives. So, sacrifice is the first and foremost requirement for achieving success.

A shopkeeper who adulterates food and other items or one who gives short measures loses his customers and ultimately goes bankrupt. On the other hand, a shopkeeper who is fair in his dealings attracts customers and grows rich in the long run.

A student who does not work hard and wants to get through various examinations by copying from books and other classmates, loses grip over all subjects and ends as a dullard and a failure in life. So, the real secret of success lies in hard work. There is no other miracle which can bring about success.

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The Secret Of Success - Is It Happiness?

Louder and louder we hear the cry... Work Harder! And you will taste the joy of success.

Have you ever seriously considered this question? Take a moment to track back to your early education. Think back to your school timetable, the homework, the tests, the relentless pursuit of better grades and excellence being the key to achieving what you desired in life.

The path of success leading to happiness is baked into us from an early age. Yet neuroscience suggests we may have the sequence the wrong way round.

Since the Industrial Revolution, it’s been success first.

Our current education and schooling systems broadly follow a structure and ethos that was born out of the industrial revolution. Systems primarily designed to power enterprise and to provide the modern industrial world with its quota of workforce in each vertical.

So, for generations we’ve pushed ourselves and our children to succeed in this system of leaderboards and score-driven academia, relegating and forgetting the softer skills in life.

And, once we’ve left education and entered the world of work, we’re told time and again that if we focus and keep on competing and climbing the ladder of our chosen profession, then we will be a success. The reward for that success will be the job, the home, the car and the partner of our dreams and the assumption is that ultimately we will be happy.

Has our drive to put success first made us happy?

With the increasing cost of higher education, spiraling student debt, competition for work and escalating house prices, we’ve created a pressured society that demands success. This carries over into the workplace, where mental health problems are now the leading cause of sickness absence in the U.K . 70 million work days are lost every year due to mental health issues, costing employers £2.4 billion per year.

According to a recent study of 1,000 full-time employees in the U.S., more than 50% said they feel more stressed today than they did just one year ago. And, 60% reported being stressed all or most of the time at work.

Are we chasing our own tail of success in the search for happiness? Is it time we changed our approach?

Neuroscience has proven happiness precedes success.

Neuroscience and studies of positive psychology prove that happiness is a key driver and precursor of success , with two decades of research backing this up.

One reason is that positive feelings make the brain work better . Positive emotion triggers the release of serotonin and dopamine, which significantly enhance motor control, motivation, memory, problem-solving, mental focus and the ability to process multiple concepts simultaneously. So, positive thinking really can make you more successful.

A 2018 study by Stanford researchers demonstrated that positivity for a subject increases the activity of the hippocampus , an area of the brain that’s closely linked with memory and learning. They discovered that school children don’t just like subjects they’re good at, they also do better at subjects they like because their brains work better .

While the evidence is conclusive, the positive psychology movement has yet to spread widely into the mainstream.

Strategies and techniques to increase our happiness can be learned and practiced.

Four things you can practice now to put happiness first in your pursuit of success.

With the evidence in hand, we can take tips from some of the leaders in the field of positive psychology.

Martin Seligman , the pioneer of positive psychology, talks about meaningful engagement as a key factor of happiness. When we identify our greatest strengths and recraft our life to use them in our social and family interactions we gain more meaning. His quote summaries this brilliantly, “One of the best ways of discovering this value is by nourishing our unique strengths in contributing to the happiness of our fellow humans.”

A study by Harvard psychologists showed that we spend about 47% of our waking hours thinking about what isn’t going on . And that this typically makes us unhappy. The solution? To focus on whatever we are doing and the experience we are having in this very moment. In other words, to develop the skill of mindfulness.

Shawn Achor, in his book The Happiness Advantage talks of the challenges and periods of stress we face. It’s how we choose to handle them that’s the most telling. Whereas some people choose to retreat within themselves when the going gets tough, the most successful people will instead make time for friends, peers and family members , always seeking to strengthen their friendship circles.

When LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner was asked which professional skill is most in demand , he said that what the job market is crying out for at the moment is people with excellent soft skills. Those are personal and communication skills including empathy, listening skills and the ability to build a team.

Isn’t it time we put the pursuit of happiness before success.

With 60% of workers in significant global economies experiencing increased workplace stress and with money worries and fears about the future topping the leaderboard of U.S. stress stats , it’s time we seriously considered the evidence of neuroscience as we look for more ways to adopt positive psychology into our lifestyles and workplaces and strive to prioritize the pursuit of happiness.

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The Four Secrets of Success

This is what I tell young people who press me for advice.

The Op-Ed columnist Nicholas Kristof invites students to enter a contest for an international reporting trip in 2018.

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By Nicholas Kristof

Opinion Columnist

Whenever I visit a university, students ask for Big Advice. I protest that I don’t have great secrets for life and that my own path has been serendipitous, but they suspect me of holding out.

So as we approach the holidays — a time for reflection and New Year’s resolutions — let me reveal everything. I hereby share with young people the Four Secrets of Success:

1. Take a class in economics and in statistics. I majored in political science and later studied law, but in retrospect I would have focused on economics. Likewise, if you have to choose, skip calculus and focus on statistics.

Education isn’t about filling a bucket but about gaining a tool belt — and economics and statistics offer terrific tools that for the rest of your life will help you analyze problems in more rigorous ways. I champion the humanities for the wisdom they offer, but I do believe that philosophers and playwrights should have present value and standard deviations in their citizen tool belts.

We might also have sounder policy if our leaders weren’t economic illiterates. President Trump and congressional Republicans sold the 2017 tax cut on the absurd notion that it would pay for itself (instead, we’re now running a $1 trillion deficit). And it’s not just Republicans: Democrats have been embracing rent control, even though basic economics show that typical rent-control schemes make housing shortages worse by increasing demand without increasing supply.

2. Connect to a cause larger than yourself. The worst advice people give students is to spend the first third of their lives studying, the middle third making money, and the final third giving back. That would rob you for two-thirds of your life of meaning and fulfillment.

If you dropped dead of a heart attack at 50, you’d be gnashing your teeth for all eternity.

So find some cause that gives you a sense of purpose, ideally by actually connecting you to those less fortunate. This will also lend perspective when a mean professor gives you a bad grade.

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