I think everyone has their own definition and explanation of what it is. Especially in the new millenium people view success as how much money you have or how luxurious you are living. On the other hand Ralph Waldo Emerson's perception of success was based on enduring "the betrayal of false friends" and " to laugh often and much".
His perception was less material. I agree more with Emerson because being successful. doesn't mean to have jewels and money. I think a successful existence in society is based more on happiness, being comfortable, and being able to make it through hard times.Being happy is one of the most important things in life. Without happiness, I don't think you can consider yourself successful.
You can have all the money in the world, but if you're not happy then it's really no good. For example, J Alfred Prufrock, from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", was a very successful man. He had a good job, but he wasn't happy with the way his life was going. He had no one to share it all with.
There is no way to enjoy all the money and cars unless you're happy. If you're not happy then there is no need to keep going from day to day.Being comfortable with yourself and who you are, is also very important in being successful. Looking in the mirror is apart of a vast majority of people's lives. And if you are not comfortable with that reflection, then its going to be hard to be successful.
Even though there are people in the world that can manage with that reflection. But all the money and luxury wouldn't make certain people successful because they are uncomfortable with their life. For instance Edna Pontellier from "The Awakening". She had everything a normal wife would love. She had a husband who was finanacially set, but she wasn't comfortable with the way her life was going. She wasn't comfortable with her love life and the way everything was going in her world.
It's basically the same thing with J. Alfred Prufrock, he wasn't comfortable with his looks or his ability to communicate with women.Being able to make it through tough times is something else that helps attribute to success. I think that is one of the main characteristics of being successful. Even in 2003 its important to be able to make it through hard times. There are a lot of stars and athletes getting in trouble with the police and things of that nature.
They have their whole career at stake and if they fold under pressure everything could be gone. That is what happened with Edna in "The Awakening". I think when everything got hard and tough, the only way to escape her problem was to committ suicide. So in the event of the suicide it made it seem like she couldn't survive when the going got tough. She might have had a successful existance if she could have just figured out a way to solve he problems without resorting to killing herself.
Being successful in life doesn't mean driving a Bentley or owning a ten million dollar home in Silicon Valley. It doesn't mean to be surrounded by rich people or wearing expensive jewlery. To me, being successful is more a mental thing. If you are happy with your well being, comfortable with who you are and your surroundings, and also able to survive through hard times; then that is being successful.
