The Evolving Concept of Success essay
The concept of success and the struggle for success became part of the idea of the “American dream”. However, the notion of success which is currently adopted by the society implies hardworking, making a lot of money, demonstrating wealth and power. The society assumes by default that such predominantly material values are common for everyone. Although it might be the dream life for some categories of people, there are also lots of people who arrive to other forms of success and choose their own routes. The main thesis of this paper is the following: success and happiness are individual concepts, and achieving personal success is hardly possible without failure.
Zinsser (1970) in his essay “The Right to Fail” argues that the modern stereotypes about success are too strong and deprive the young people of the right to fail, to seek their own destiny through trial and error. Zinnser (n.d.) states: “The right to fail is one of the few freedoms that this country does not grant its citizens” (para. 3). This statement is especially actual for young people. Those who decide to leave college and to try other activities, be it volunteering, entrepreneurship or motherhood, are stigmatized as “dropouts” and losers. However, such strong social stereotypes prevent young people from searching their mission and the area that they can be successful in. For most people, it is not possible to find own calling from the first attempt; therefore, the right to fail is a necessary prerequisite for success.
Furthermore, Zinnser reminds that “History is strewn with eminent dropouts, ‘loners’ who followed their own trail, not worrying about its odd twists and turns because they had faith in their own sense of direction” (para. 6). There are numerous historical examples of “dropouts” who found their calling and reached success. Among the most successful dropouts there are Madonna, James Cameron, Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Their stories demonstrate the importance of recognizing own individuality and searching for own place in life. These examples reinforce the main thesis of this paper: failure is an inevitable component of success. Those who are afraid to fail cannot learn on their mistakes and therefore are not able to gain new experience.
It should be also noted that the notion of success is very subjective and individual. In fact, new standards of success are emerging as younger generations protest against rigid lifestyle and choose to act in accordance with their values and talents, even though these actions do not lead to future wealth. Volunteers, missioners, educators – there are many occupations which do not lead to riches. However, there is an increasing interest towards such activities among young people. According to Zinnser (1970), more than 3 million students would use the opportunity serve in the domestic Peace Corps. It is also important to note downshifting in this context: there are people who reached success in the traditional understanding and then gave it up for less frantic and more fulfilling life. These examples clearly show that success is different, and each person should define the criteria of success independently.
Such appreciation of failure and “dropouts” might cause certain refutations. One obvious refutation is that, despite many successful examples, there are a lot more examples of dropouts who ended up poorly. In this context, it is important not to mix genuine search of own calling with laziness and loafing. The core idea of the paper is that any person has the right to failure, the right to make errors and to be able to choose own destiny. The right to fail does not eliminate taking responsibility for own life.
In general, Zinnser’s essay brings up important questions of finding own place in life and defining the individual concept of happiness. The idea of happiness coined by the previous generations is centered around material values, wealth, power and stability. Younger people are challenging this concept by trying out new activities, new meanings and new occupations. It is essential to provide the right to fail to them so that they would be able to learn on these failures and to find the path to personal success.
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