Success means achieving something unique through the efforts of an individual -- even in the face of adversity. Success isn't measured by heights attained, but by obstacles overcome. I understand this sort of success as the very essence of individualism. Failure in these terms means conforming to the dictates of convention and never attempting to do anything that is independent or unique. Therefore success is not necessarily defined by the applause of society, but rather by the intrinsic worth of that success when it meets the highest standards of individual striving. As is often the case, achieving true success sometimes means going against conventions and in forgoing societal or egotistical rewards. In order to attain success one has to sometimes sacrifice immediate gratification.
Experience has taught me that a positive attitude is a matter of personal choice and a vital ingredient to achieving success. Who and what we are today is as a direct result of the choices we made yesterday -- while the outcome of future endeavors is wholly dependent on the choices we make today. To succeed in life one must confront problems as challenges and opportunities. Thus, the measure of success is, from my point-of-view, the degree to which one follows what seems right and correct to oneself, without...
An example of the concept of success that I an referring to can be found in the character of Howard Roark in Ayan Rand's Novel The Fountainhead.
The essential conflict in The Fountainhead is between individualism and collectivism. The figure of Roark is a symbol of the creative individual in opposition to the collectivism of the masses. In other words, the author was proposing a philosophy similar to the idea of success suggested above, which emphasized that the creative person needs to be separate and non- conformist relative to the needs and demands of the collective society. This sense of conviction and direction is necessary in order to achieve "greatness" and to truly be an individual. This is also important for society, as Rand sees it.
Individualism regards man - every man or women - as an independent, sovereign entity who possesses an inalienable right to his own life; a right derived from his nature as a rational being. Individualism holds that a civilized society, or any form of association, cooperation or peaceful coexistence among human beings, can be achieved only on the basis of the recognition of individual rights - and that a group, as such, has no rights other than the individual rights of its members. (From: Racism, The Virtue of…
