#personal acheivement

How do you define success? It seems like an abstract concept we all struggle to explain in words. Even thinking of a definition left me stumped for a few minutes while writing this post. I typed success into my computer’s dictionary and it promptly provided the simple statement, “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose”. The definition seems broad enough but it leaves me with a sense that something is missing. However, even as abstract as success may be, as far as I can remember, I have always tried to strive this definition. I’ve always aimed to accomplish the goals I set for myself, whether the goal was to finish eating my dinner first or to getting accepted into my dream school, Stanford University. I can ultimately say that so far I have achieved many levels of success in my life, but only if we see it through this generic definition. As I reflect on my freshman year at Stanford University, the clear idea of success I once had has become convoluted and distorted. I had many goals for my freshman year, ranging from earning a solid GPA (a healthy mix of A’s and B’s), to making great friends, to exploring new fields I had never been exposed to, to getting involved in fun activities and communities. Although I accomplished some of my goals, like making great friends, other goals were not as successful. I struggled academically; at times I felt overwhelmed and in over my head. I joined many fun activities and communities, such as Stanford Band and Phi Kappa Psi, but I found that splitting time between many of the activities I was involved hurt my relationships in all of them. I was so concerned about how I was doing in college that I often ignored my close friends and family back home, who at times were struggling more so than I was. I’m always my own harshest critic and I can argue in many ways I failed my freshman year. Nevertheless, do not get my intention for writing this post incorrect, the point of all of this is not for self-pity but to get to my new definition of success and why I want to achieve it. In the midst of the failures I had my freshman year, I learned that the goal-centric definition of success I had always remembered neglected this “missing component” I could never exactly define. After some reflection, I have arrived at the possible missing component in my definition of success. In my opinion, success is defined as doing beneficial things for the people I love. It is important to note that “people I love” I also includes myself, as my mother always taught me that you should always love yourself as a person before loving any one else. I believe that success should teach me something about myself as well as the people around me; it should improve me as a person and keep me hungry for more. Success should be for the improvement of my own life as well as the lives of my loved ones. Success cannot be the goal-centered drive that dominated my earlier aspirations. If the goals I accomplish do not improve me as a person or help my loved ones, it does not count as success. My definition is undoubtedly a work in progress but I am certain that if I try to do something good for the people I love, I will always get something positive in return. With this new direction in my definition of success, I move forward, continually striving to improve my life as well as those around me. 

It was for a school trip but I’m still proud of myself

I finally did it! I am now a proud owner of this lovely hat

Yay for achievements! 

Awww yeah. It's been 3 years and I've gained most of my followers in the last year.