How personal definitions of success shape human motivation

Success

For one person it's based on earnings and corporate connections; for another it's gambling wins; for another it's curing AIDS. Whatever the definition of success, everyone wants it. Success might be defined differently by different people but no person on Earth isn't driven to do something, to fulfill some personal goal however small or mundane. The farmer hopes to be successful in his fields; the child hopes to be successful in completing their jigsaw puzzle; the speaker at a convention hopes to succeed in persuading his or her listeners. For the most part, success is the great motivating factor of human nature. We want success so that we can feel confident, good about ourselves, satisfied, and happy; on the other hand, success can often be mistaken for meaningless needs and wants that bring only fleeting satisfaction.

For example, many people equate success with money. Large amounts of money can be a healthy adjunct to anyone's definition of success, and earning large amounts of money can be a worthy short-term goal. However, in the long run, individuals need to develop more holistic and meaningful definitions of success. Similarly, success often drives people to become overly ambitious to the point of stepping over other people's feet to satisfy selfish aims. Success can also sometimes come at the expense of great personal physical or mental health or at the expense of interpersonal relationships.