Find your own definition of success

Words are what we make them. That isn't to say that words are powerless or unimportant, only that although definitions may already exist, the meaning of a word has the potential to chance over time, across cultures, and even from person to person. Often times creating slight variations on the definitions of words may seem trivial, but in reality these minute differences can have not only a huge impact on a persons life, but also on their happiness. One such word, is success. Dictionary.com defines success as,"the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like."For the majority of people this definition may be perfectly sound and applicable, but do all people require some sort of honor or reward to consider themselves successful? This is a question that I first started thinking about senior year of high school. In the fall of my senior year I was awarded the "student athlete of the month" award for my school. This "honor" (which is in quotes because, given my small school, the award was not necessarily as highly competed for,)came along with a an interview for the local paper. Sitting down with the local sports columnist,Thom Randall, I had a relatively good idea about the questions that would be asked, and my general responses to them. Towards the end of the interview however I hit a bit of a snag when I was asked, "where/what do you want to be when you turn 70?" Perplexed, I sat back and took a little time to think, which after about 5 minutes of awkward silence, lead pretty much no where. The reason I couldn't answer the question was because, as a high school senior, I could see about a million possibilities that would each make me happy, and frankly, I just couldn't even come up with a first choice. So as I perceived that the interviewers patience with my silence was beginning to fade, I did my best to answer. I told Mr. Randall that I had absolutely no idea who, what, or where I want to be when I was 70. Instead I just had one goal. When I turn 70 my only goal is to be able to look in the mirror and be proud of what I've done and who I am. Now this may seem obvious but to me it was a revelation, success can't be measured by the standards of others, or in monetary gains. Success is different for each person, so to find that success the search must be inward, not outward.