Keanu O'Neal
9/22/14
Definition essay
What is Success? Success often means many different things, such as feeling that tingle of excitement about what you are doing, sticking with what matters through hard times, living a life you can feel proud of in retrospect, achieving desired aims or attaining prosperity. Sadly, having all the money imaginable or becoming famous or having the most beautiful girl as your loved one or being popular is what many see to be success. But is this really what success is or is it just manufactured by advertisements? Advertisements have brainwashed many people of America, making people feel like they will not be successful untill they have what is basically a perfect life. Having all the money, the big house on the hill, the newest cars and the latest technology does not bring happiness nor success, at least not for everyone. This dream of success is hardly ever maintained in the real life. In fact true success differs from person to person day by day, my vision of success can be very different from the person sitting right next to me. My vision of success is tampered with every day with marketers lies about what success is; they have many people chasing something that really is not possible to obtain. Advertisers also portray living a rather selfish life. From an early age we are led to believe if we obtain money and fame it will bring success and happiness. Sadly, many people live their lives chasing after this false hope of success only to be let down in the end but some get lucky and figure out what true success is before it is to late. Money can only provide you with happiness for so long before you want something more than what you can buy from the store. Do not get me wrong it does make living easier but that does not mean it will make it better. We may be able to buy the latest technology the best clothes but we can not buy a long term relationship with someone that loves us; which is something we see many wealthy people attempt to do in todays society and it rarely ever works out. Money can not give us what we can learn from a more humble lifestyle that includes practicing such as patience, respect and knowledge. Money just keeps you distracted from finding your true happiness because with you think you have it all. Becoming famous was something that was associated with being successful for many Americans such as myself growing up. As a kid when asked what will I be to be successful when I am older my answer was always to be some type of sports player. Now if I base my success and happiness on what marketers say about sports heroes and success is I should be one depressed man. Even if you look at many actors and sports players today you would think they would have the perfect life and be extremely happy because they are “successful”. In fact, that really is not true beloved actors and athletes such Robin Williams, Ricky Berry, Marilyn Monroe, Jovan Belcher, Tony Scott and Lucy Gordon amongst many more have committed suicide. Chasing what has become Americas definition of success does not always lead to a happy life in fact those who decide to follow their heart instead of the money prove to come out with a happier ending. This misguided advertisement of success has already destroyed originality for most of America and has turned us into a nation full of “cosigners”. Money, may be able to buy many things but it definitely can not buy one success. In fact, allowing our minds to be controlled by mainstream television, internet and ads makes it almost impossible to become successful. In tv shows such as “satisfaction” you see the man with a great job, family and house but he is just not happy and they show all of the obstacles he tries to go threw to figure why he is not happy and to change it. He eventually discovers it is because he is doing something he does not love because of the money, but once he started to do what he loved he became