I'm going to make a large assumption here. Everyone around you probably knows what they want out of life. You approach a six year old and she'll probably envision an endless amount of ice cream for the rest of her life. You approach a 23 year old, and she'll probably have an epiphany in the middle of answering the question.
I've always been taught to set goals, big and small. Five year goals, or twenty year goals. Close or far, I've always been told that without them, you're floating, and that isn't a good thing. By floating, you'll never find a reason to get anything done. You'll aimlessly wander about the course of life.
I don't necessarily think that that is wrong; however, I think it puts a hell of a lot of pressure on how we choose to set forth on our paths. Success is something that can mean so many different things to so many different people, One bold definition of success set as an example for everyone will leave many hardworking and capable individuals labeled as 'unsuccessful'.
It's not possible for the standards we set for everyone to be, well, met by everyone. College, for example, getting into one, attending one, graduating from one? Hi, you're successful. Those that decide to not further their education after high school, we probably don't place them in the same category. Those who decide to go into the military, get a real estate license, continue working for the family business, we tend to see their life progress as less productive than attending a University of some sort.
We all live different lives, so why is the meaning of success printed in such fine writing?
I find that, if anything, sometimes my five, ten, fifteen year goals aren't self motivated, they're being constructed by those around me, and I don't mean my family either. If we sit ourselves down and preach that if we aren't making 'x' amount of money by this year, married to this person, living in this place, rooted at this church, donating to this charity, then we haven't been successful.
Happiness- that is success. Simplicity and genuine relationships in your life- that is success. Wearing the same dirty pair of clothes for three days because you've been hiking the Appalachian trail seeing the world- that is success. If every materialistic object of yours was taken, would you still feel successful?
Most importantly, to me, I don't want to look back when I'm twenty-six and kick myself for not getting a specific job or not being with-child yet. Twenty-six is so young, and I think if anything it can hurt your progress if you try to stay on this straightened arrow for eternity. Often I find myself comparing what I'm doing and what road I'm on to those around me. Comparison is the enemy of excelling, of going places you thought weren't possible.
