How Immanuelites Define “Success”
You Told Us It’s Not a Destination— It Involves Creating a Purpose and Following It
In Signpost #2 (June 18th) we asked you to respond to this prompt: “I would consider myself successful if and when…”
Here’s what we learned from you:
We were struck by how few described success as a destination, such as career success or a financial goal. Many referred to concepts such as “pursuing a path” or a process (“learning and growing”). Growing was cited by several, including this from a 20-something who said success involves “growing towards a goal I'm excited about.” Flynn Bucy highlighted learning: “I consider myself having succeeded each time I learn from an experience and don't have to learn that lesson again."
“Success is a direction, not a destination.”
Whatever success is, it apparently involves ongoing directed effort. Mark Fowler said it nicely: “Success in life is showing up, prepared, believing.”
Several echoed the sentiment that success comes from “working on things I’m excited about.” The evident theme here was developing a goal, or a purpose.
What purpose? For many, it involves, as one put it, using skills to “help other people,” or, as another said, being “able to affect others.” One 20-something described doing work that “improves the lives of disadvantaged people and communities.” Another young adult talked about success in terms of whether she has “impacted [another] life positively.” For some, like Corrine Magee, it’s quite specific: helping her former clients “break the cycle of mental health issues, substance abuse, or poverty.”
“I know that the work I have done in my vocation has influenced people's spiritual lives for the better.” — Pastor Aaron
It can happen in big and smaller ways. We love this story: Success came to an accomplished professional, when he was a babysitter for “one 2-year old and 9 month old twin boys who had NEVER been away from their mother. A rocking chair and the mantra: You are loved repeated gently in the ear of each seemed to do the trick. I have always considered that one of my most important contributions and accomplishments, and a ‘success.’”
Mark Fowler emphasizes that it needs to be genuine: “The successful person takes a keen interest in people, especially those with whom they have something in common and cultivate a bond of friendship with them. The failure cultivates only those from whom they want something...”
Pastor Katie refers to success in a succinct and memorable way — when “my success enables others to succeed.” Don’t you all wish you’d thought of putting it that way?
For what success feels like, we got one vote (surprised we didn't get more) for “doing work that I really love.” One young Immanuelite referred to “an overwhelming feeling of fulfillment.” Also, a few referred to “balance in my life.” Balance is considered “crucial to staying afloat and maintaining a positive trajectory.” Another said, “positive energy.” For Lauren Fox, success is when “I feel I am living a well-rounded and fulfilling life.”
And we got another vote for focusing on the smaller things: It’s a feeling of being “content with my life and no longer hoping for bigger things.”
When you’ve felt a sense of purpose or direction— whether you are actively engaged in it today, felt it for a period of time, or even for a few moments — what helped you develop it?
Use the button below to tell us, in a word, a phrase, or a sentence or two. We’ll share what we hear in a future issue of Signposts.
When you click on the button you’ll see a list of potential responses to get you thinking— but as always, we want your unique ideas.