How Do You Define Success?

Everybody has a unique way of looking at success. Some consider it financial security; others envision a life of service to others. Each person has a unique, God-given mission to fulfill—a one-of-a-kind task that belongs to no one else and can be accomplished by no one else.

How you define success affects the way you live your life.

​What Does It Mean to Be Successful?

Consider these definitions of success adapted from the work of author Robert Louis Stevenson:

“That person is a success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent people and the love of children; who has filled a unique niche and accomplished his or her task; who leaves the world better than before, whether by a perfect poem or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of the earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he or she had.”

 

The following stories bring these definitions to life.

 

Lived Well....

At 72, Franklin H. Smith of Brunswick, Georgia found contentment in a simple life as a cobbler, repairing townspeople’s shoes for 44 years. “It doesn’t cost me anything to be happy,” Smith said. He greeted every customer with a smile and a joke, and his positive approach made him well known throughout the county. His work was satisfying because he loved his craft and his neighbors. “You can’t get along without people,” Smith observed.

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Laughed Often....

The Rev. William Pindar of Philadelphia believed in the healing power of laughter. His ministry took him into hospitals and prisons, where he brought joy and encouragement.

He carried a “humor bag” filled with funny hats, masks, joke books, and playful props designed to lift spirits. Through humor, he helped others rediscover joy and lightness, even in difficult circumstances.

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Loved Much....

For Sukey Rosenbaum of New York, loving others meant meeting their basic needs. After work as a magazine copy editor, she regularly walked to Grand Central Terminal to offer food, clothing, and kindness to homeless men and women. Sharing their hardships changed how she saw herself and others. She described the homeless as individuals “all trying to maintain some dignity and sense of self.” “I seem to have some capacity to make people feel better about themselves,” she said. “So I guess that’s why I’m here.”

 

Gained Respect...

Fashion model Jeffrey Calenberg earned up to $7,500 a day for photo shoots—but money was not the source of his colleagues’ respect. He accepted only work that aligned with his moral standards, refusing ads that promoted cigarettes or alcohol. His integrity defined his success.

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Gained the Love of Children

Bernadette and Landon Richie of Springfield Gardens, New York opened their home as foster parents for 45 children over 15 years. Motivated by gratitude for their own family life, they vowed to treat each child fairly, equally, and as the unique individual they were. Mrs. Richie believed it was important to “do things for people out of the kindness of your heart.”

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Accomplished a Task...

In 1971, Joe Giron and Manuel Martinez confronted the deterioration of Denver’s Westside. Unsafe living conditions compelled them to act. They founded Brothers Redevelopment Inc., an organization that helped minorities repair homes using volunteer labor. Over time, more than 1,000 homes were restored, bringing renewed vitality to the neighborhood.

“We made a commitment to deliver a product the community needed,” Giron said. “We weren’t going to stop until we did.”

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Rescued a Soul...

Officer Roger Behr of the Austin Police Department arrested criminals by profession—but as a deacon, he gave his time to lead them in prayer. While visiting the county jail, he realized that the inmates were “just another human being, just like me.” “They want to know that even though they’ve screwed up, they are still loved by God,” he said.

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Appreciated the Earth...

Betsy Hannula of Westminster, Massachusetts welcomed urban children to her family’s country home through the Fresh Air Fund. One of the first was Valarie Rivers, who visited for five consecutive summers. The experience left such an impression that Valarie later earned a college degree in agriculture. “I’ll never forget the first thing she did,” Mrs. Hannula recalled. “She asked if she could walk on the grass.”

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Looked for the Best in Others...

Godfrey Kobets founded the DeLaSalle Education Center in Kansas City, Missouri to help troubled teens with learning disabilities, behavior issues, and drug dependency.

By identifying and nurturing individual talents, the school transformed lives. Former student Aaron Cann, once a crack dealer, said, “Now I see a chance that I can amount to something.”

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Gave the Best They Had

Maryland homemaker Lynda Draper took initiative after learning that refrigerator repairs released harmful chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere. She contacted manufacturers, environmental groups, and government officials. Within months, General Electric revised its procedures to recapture the damaging gases—proving that one determined person can make a difference.

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Between Failure and Success

Failure and success are not always opposites. Failure can be a necessary step leading to achievement. For instance, diver and four-time Olympic gold medalist Pat McCormick assured her students, “You will never become a champion until you learn how to fail.” And Motivation Corporation founder Joe C. Hearn observed, “If you’ve never failed, you haven’t set your goals high enough. Fear of failure is the reason people don’t establish goals.”

 

There wasn’t much that John Pierpont didn’t fail at doing: teaching, law, business, poetry, ministry,

politics. When he died in 1866, he had achieved none of his ambitions. But where he saw only failure, others found a kind and honest man who stood against slavery and supported social reform. And he left the world a remarkable legacy as the writer of the song “Jingle Bells.” Its simple, happy words still echo from one Christmas season to the next.

 

Sometimes, too, it’s possible to mistake success for failure. On Good Friday, it seemed apparent to all that the life of Jesus of Nazareth, the son of a carpenter, was over, that His message had no meaning. It all seemed obvious. It just wasn’t true.

 

The triumph of Easter Sunday revealed the resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, making it the ultimate success story. Jesus had fulfilled His mission and accomplished God’s plan for humankind.​

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A Final Thought

“Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power.
Those rewards create almost as many problems as they solve.
Our souls are hungry for meaning—for the sense that our lives matter,
and that the world is at least a little different because we were here.”
— Rabbi Harold Kushner, When All You Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough