Success can have many different meanings and many people have tried to come up with the best ones. According to George Sheehan, a physician, senior athlete, and author, he says, “Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” Albert Einstein also agreed with Sheehan by saying, “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” However, George Orwell believed that success was through money. He said, “The prime necessities for success in life are money, athleticism, tailor made clothes and a charming smile.”

Google has two versions of success in life. The first one is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Then the next is the attainment of popularity or profit, but which view is the right one? Is it the one where you become the best that you can be by accomplishing goals and trying your hardest, or is it through making money and being popular? At the end of the day, it is up to each person to choice what they believe is success for them.

Swami Sivananda believes that you must, “Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” Sivananda believes that you don’t have to be popular and have a ton of money to feel like you have succeeded in life. Caring about the little things such as having good manners or being kind to others will let you feel even more successful than a billionaire that is rude and mean to everyone.

Yet some may ask, are billionaires actually successful? Do they like where they are at? On business side of things, a billionaire is considered successful because their business/investments are thriving. However, in reality, there are a lot of billionaires and regular people that feel as if they don’t have enough: not enough money and no one to share memories with. Money can’t buy everything. According to an original Netflix series, The Ranch, Bo Bennett says, “Success is not in what you have, but who you are.” Money and possession don’t make you happy. It is memories that make you feel happy and successful. If you feel good in what you are doing and satisfied in life, then you are a successful person.

My view on being successful is similar to both of Google's views; I believe that to be successful you need to have money, that way you can make the memories and feel satisfied in life. If you don’t have money then you will always be busy trying to make ends meet, and you won’t have the time to make memories. For me to be truly successful, I need to have enough money so I can support my family and make them happy. If I can’t make my family happy or feel like I am getting ahead of the curve to where I can relax in life, then I have failed and lack success.

You need to ask yourself, are you successful? Or are you just stuck in the moment, going through the motions? Life is a balance between money, freedom, and memories. Look at your life and decide if you have the right balance. If you have money than you have the freedom to do what you want and are able to make memories. If all you do is work to make the money and never make the time to do anything else, then you will be missing out on the opportunities to make memories. Without memories you can’t truly be successful, or become the person you were meant to be.