My Definition of Success by Jackson

My Definition of Success by Jackson - February 2021 Scholarship Essay

Success is something that is quite subjective. Depending on who you ask, success to them could be just surviving and making ends meet, whereas some would say that nothing short of a life of total luxury and wealth could be considered a success. I, however, fall somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. Success to me is being able to make it through school with the best grades I can. With those good grades, I will be able to begin a successful career that will afford me and my future family a modest, comfortable life.
Academic success has always been something that is very important to me. All through my childhood I excelled at math and science, a trend that has continued to this day. In order to do well in those subjects though, I had to stay focused and work hard. My work ethic and dedication to my school has been deeply engrained into me by now, and therefore academic success is maintaining As and Bs in college and learning as much as I can for my future career.
Success in college is not all about school though, I want to succeed socially as well. I have made so many good friends from high school that I have stayed in touch with as they went to college, and in fact I will be meeting up again with my best friend at Texas A&M in the fall. Success socially in college to me is strengthening the bonds I already have and forming new ties as well. I have such an amazing friend group right now, and I am so excited to get the opportunity to expand it.
One measure of success that I have held up thus far is community service. As an Eagle Scout, my high school career has been filled with various service projects that have helped improve my community; from trash pickups to trail construction, Boy Scouts has given me many opportunities to serve my community. This commitment to service is something I intend to carry into adulthood, giving back whenever I can and never forgetting to do my good turn daily.
The true measure of success combines good grades, good relationships, and a good career, and that is simply being content. My future goal in life is to have a successful job, a loving family to come home to every night, and a group of friends I can always confide in and give support to. All I truly want is a life that I can be proud of, and to me that means focusing on family. I can have a job that I don’t love, but if I have a family to come back to, then the work will be worth it. Being part of something greater is something that has always been so important to me, and I truly feel that my calling in life is to do all that I can to equip my future children, the next generation, to have a better life than I could make for myself. That is not to say that I will not be striving for the best for myself, but whatever the best I can do for myself is, I want even better for my children.
Success is something that is different for any person you ask. For me however, it is not just about money, or love, or a good education. What I truly define as success is the ability to give my family the best life that I can, and equipping my future children to have a better life than I could even dream of.