Photography, Pheelings, Priday 06.28.2019

What is success?

This questions emerged when my other uncle, fathers stepbrother, was talking to me about my late father. He said it’s a shame what happened to my family having lost my parent from the results of a car accident. Reminiscing, he said my father was a very successful man and proceeded to tell me more. He added that between all his brother and stepbrothers my father was the most successful. I was a bit shock because some of his siblings are in engineering or big studios making movies!

To me, I felt those were considered successful. I started to think about what “success”. Can success even be measured? He told me that despite the engineers or big production members in the family he found that the success and respect of my father to be the greatest because he made is own path out of nothing. “But plenty of people do that” in my smart-alec tone. His response was yes there are plenty of successful people, but you don’t need to believe you’re successful to BE successful. He said that my father, having escaped from Vietnam when he was 17, when to college for 2 years and started working right away to support his single mother and younger siblings. It was the sacrifices he made for this youngest brother for him be a senior engineer at JPL. Then my father was able to start his own business and start a family. Which I would say is successful, but are most people successful then?

Well yes and no. Everyone has a different meaning of success just like everyone has different preferences. Thinking about success is difficult when comparing what people say and what you believe. More than not they differ because people see you from the outside in and vice versa for you. I believe success is really up to the person themselves as some people have goals that keep pushing themselves further and further whereas others find it a success to roll out of bed in the morning. To each their own I suppose. That is not to say that people that aren’t doing well are not successful or people that are doing well are successful. There is just a lot to factor in.

I just recently watched a documentary on Robin Williams, a famed comedian, and actor, I would say he was successful and extraordinary on so many levels, but from his perspective in the documentary his humor itself was a coping mechanism for the struggles he felt inside; His “success” was from his emotional turmoil turned the other way. Definitely, something interesting to think about.

For me I am not sure. To this day I am not entirely sure what success is. Is it an accomplishment like unlocking an achievement on Xbox or is it an ongoing thing that continues until you leave the physical world hoping someone else recognizes it? Is it both or either one? Do you define it? Others? Can it be measures?

It’s hard to say. I believe everyone has a right to success but is more often skewed by the facets of life-changing the direction we believe is our own. I was told to grow up and be a doctor, therefore, my ambition grew to be in the technical field. It wasn’t until later in life that I realized I am more in tune with my creative side. That growing up listening to people only get you so far and that you need your own voice. That conflict is not always a bad thing and confronting it in a healthy manner is just as important.

Do I see myself as successful? Having survived the death of my parents and grandmother. Living in a life of expectation, uncertainty, and internal warfare?..The short answer is No.. My idea of success is leaving a legacy yet, even I see that is ambitions. Again, constant internal warfare, but as life progresses, I hope that someday I will feel as if I have carried the torch of my family.

To others, success is defined in your own words. You could say that being born is a success, but if that is the entire meaning of your life maybe think about it more. Remember, there are a lot of people in the world each with their own perspective of life and therefore success. You are your own person first and for most.