What you were in high school does not define you for the rest of your life!

/ Downtown Palo Alto/

To me, being successful means...
Feeling fulfilled in life and doing something you enjoy, life is too short to be unhappy.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
Yes, in high school I didn't try at all I barely graduated high school with a 2.0 GPA. It wasn't until I decided that I wanted to take school seriously that I excelled. I went to community college which I thought was easier then [high school] then pursued my bachelors degree and I am currently in graduate school and I should be graduating with honors next year.

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Here's a toast for the dropouts

/ The Glass Slipper Inn/

To me, being successful means...
I feel nothing but contempt and frustration toward the use of words like "success" and "failure" being introduced to adolescents. I've always had a huge problem with the idea that from a very young age, I'm supposed to measure my self-worth by my ability to "get stuff done", whether that means fulfilling my own goals or those of someone else. And while this frustration emerged mostly out of a youthful nihilism that I'm beginning to think is endemic to Palo Alto kids, it became even more emboldened as the years went on and I realized a vast amount of my time in the Palo Alto School District was spent disciplining my body and mind rather than liberating my spirit.
People will tell you that there are things you "need" to do to survive in this world, that you have to play the game because you don't want to end up like "them". Don't listen. Your youth is precious. Don't waste it worrying about someone else's idea of "success".

My definition of success has changed not over time. 

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Singer. Teacher. Student of Life.

/ Stanford Campus/

To me, being successful means...
Being able to take care of myself and those I love, and feeling happy with my life.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
It's so much broader than I ever could have imagined it growing up.

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Medical student and academic researcher

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To me, being successful means...
Loving yourself, loving a craft or finding a passion, and loving others.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
My definition has changed from a "paper chase" perspective, where I thought achieving high academic marks was most important, to something related more to what simply makes me happy.

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Work hard, worry less, and enjoy the ride.

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To me, being successful means...
Being happy.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I used to focus mostly on academic and financial success. But that matters less and less as you get older. Success as happiness (a measure that comprises love, friendship, leisure, good and interesting work, etc.) is my focus now.

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Huge changes since high school

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To me, being successful means...
Being happy with myself and where I am.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
Sometimes it's hard to stick to this definition. I constantly want to compare myself to others, but this mindset is helping.

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Aspiring web developer, Class of '15

/ Nordstrom patio/

To me, being successful means...
Finding a job that healthily challenges me and that I enjoy (it doesn't have to be something that I have a burning passion for), that works with my schedule and lifestyle so that I can still take care of my mental and physical health. That's very important to me.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
My previous definitions of success hardly incorporated failure. I avoided failure like the plague, which in turn actually inhibited me from truly succeeding. I avoided taking certain risks that would have challenged me in a healthy way, had I succeeded or failed. I now understand that failure is both inevitable and necessary to be true to your dreams and goals , and succeed.

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Youth Mental Health Counselor trying to make a living in the San Francisco World

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To me, being successful means...
being happy, sharing your happy moments with others, being around friends and family

My definition of success has changed over time. 
success was defined if I was able to get a paying job, not just another internship

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Learning from your mistakes

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To me, being successful means...
Feeling happy and proud of the things I am doing.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I learned to accept what I am doing and how long my path takes. I learned that I can't be perfect at everything.

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Everything turned out better than planned

/ Gunn High School/

To me, being successful means...
Feeling fulfilled in a major aspect of your life, whether it is in the context of family, career, spirituality, etc. Pursuing interests. Having interests. Feeling happy with yourself and the person you are. Feeling content and at peace. Being financially comfortable and emotionally stable.

My definition of success has not changed over time. 
My definition of success really hasn't changed much over time. In high school, I may have also included more age-appropriate things like getting good grades or making my parents happy, but I always knew success was a big-picture rather than snapshot thing. I think I was always aware that true success was more of an intrinsic rather than extrinsic accomplishment.

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I was a band geek who was lucky enough to play sports!

/ Mitchell Park Library/

To me, being successful means...
Setting long term goals and accomplishing those goals, regardless of what they are.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I used to think the goal was making a million dollars. Then I realized that not everyone can make a social media platform.

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Happiness matters.

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To me, being successful means...
being consistently happy. 

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I used to believe that goal achievement and productivity through all odds defined success. That lifestyle made me physically ill. So I slowly realized what had to change.

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Turns out I'm actually good at math.

/ Bay City Coffee/

To me, being successful means...
Doing something that is just the right amount of challenging, fulfilling and fun which also helps make the world a better place. If you're going for power, first ask yourself why you want it.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I don't think I started off my education with an idea of success at all. Certainly in college it was more about getting good grades and advancing with little thought to the value of what I was doing. 

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Nothing worth having is easy

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To me, being successful means...
Being able to come home to my wife and kids and give them all hugs at the end of the long work day. Material items don't carry the same meaning as they used to and being able to provide for my family and see smiles on their faces means I'm doing what I was meant to. That's success.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
Success as a youngster is almost always tied to finances. In order to achieve those financial successes, you needed to get a 4.0, go to Stanford, become a VC, or a doctor or a lawyer and so on. As you grow in your career, you realize that success comes in the smallest forms and over time they grow to something big. If money drives you, then work your tail off to earn as much as you can. If happiness drives you, then do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life.

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Live a Life of Meaning

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To me, being successful means...
Finding out what fulfills you over the long term and then persevering through the obstacles and challenges that will present themselves to you. I say "over the long term" because no matter how much you love something, there will be days, weeks that are challenging.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I thought success was a position, an award, an accolade or some other quantifiable thing. Now, I believe that kind of success also has a large element of luck as well. So therein lies the question, is a success that depends on luck really success at all? I'd argue not. Success is tied to your motivations, desires, effort, work, and resiliency. Therefore, success is more about finding a passion and driving forward through obstacles.

 

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Drinking my way out of Palo Alto

/ In my car, driving all around Palo Alto/

To me, being successful means...
being content and being happy

My definition of success has changed over time. 
success doesnt necessarily mean financial success (though that is a part of it) but it includes emotional success (are you happy living your life?)

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We Only Regret the Chances We Didn't Take

/ Coupa Cafe/

To me, being successful means...
To me, being successful means being proud of one's personal, educational, and/or professional accomplishments. I also consider being successful as realizing an important goal in one's life.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
I used to judge someone's success by their paycheck; while I still struggle not to financially compare myself to others, I know being successful does not necessarily correlate with one's salary (in fact, there can be a negative correlation).

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