Success story

Succeed [intranstive verb]: a: to turn out well; b: to attain a desired object or end

Success [noun]:  a: degree or measure of succeeding; b: favorable or desired outcome; also, the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.

[Merriam Webster]

How do you measure success? Who for you are successful people? Somehow, even with the definition above, people almost always relate success only with wealth (sometimes fame and popularity). When we hear of people rising from poverty to wealth, we instantly think “success story”. When hear of old friends or classmates becoming rich, we instantly think, “WOW, buti pa sya, successful na.” As if money was the only criteria. And are they, in reality, successful? And, on the opposite side, are poor people (whom a lot of people look down to) “failures”? Are they really?

I have higher criteria for success than money alone; honestly, wealth alone does not impress me. In truth, there are more poor successful people on my list than there are rich people. Not that I admire them for staying poor. But more so because they can withstand the tests of life despite them being poor. But this does not mean I don’t have wealthy people as my success stories. Take the following cases in point:

1. The maid of our neighbor is able to send her daughter to school, makes sure that her daughter is well-taken care of, and showers her daughter with love…all as a single mother with meager earnings. And see her success when I see her kind and loving daughter.

2. The neighborhood ice cream man has been on his job for 10 years. Everyday, he rides his ice-cream cart bicycle and sells ice cream. He always smiles, he’s always cheerful. I consider him successful because he is friends with almost everyone in our neighborhood.

3. I know of a rich couple in Ayala Alabang. The dad was poor before but worked hard to rise above poverty and become rich. Same with the mom. Yes, a typical success. But for me, the real success in reflected in their very simple and down-to-earth children, as if they did not have millions in their names. For me, they are the real success of this couple.

When I consider someone a success, it’s not about the money.

Let me stress that I do not, in any way, mean to discredit people who take money as a criteria for success and certainly not those who have risen from poverty to wealth. I believe we all have our own ways. It’s just for me, the WOW factor is not that this certain someone, who was a street vendor before and is now swimming in riches, now has money more than he/she can count, but that he/she has risen up to the challenge and worked hard to be where he/she is now. It is more than the money factor.

Postscript: For a nice article related to this one, I highly recommend that you read glenn’s post.