What is “Success”?

Is “success” having a good amount of money, or assets, or other stuff?
Is “success” living in a large, perhaps fancy home?
Is “success” owning a thriving business?
Or are those things perhaps merely products of chance, luck, happenstance?

If a person is “successful” with one business, in one endeavor, or in one trade, does that mean they’ll be successful in all endeavors?
Or can a person find “success” in one endeavor, only to find failure in another?

Can “success” even be defined merely as accomplishing what one has set-out to accomplish?

Many of the greatest Inventors & Innovators have experienced far more “failures” than “successes”.
Often, those finding “success” in one endeavor have found far more “failures” in other endeavors.
And even those regarded “failures” were often used productively as chances to learn & grow.
Leading to “success” elsewhere.

Often those finding “success” in one aspect of their lives have found continued “failures” in other aspects.

I like to read about the real micro-histories of business & individuals through time.
I was recently reading about Polaroid Corporation Founder Edwin H. Land.
Whom found tremendous “success” with his instant camera.
But whom experienced tremendous “failure” in his Polarvision home movie camera.
It’s often reported that Polarvision was a main reason for Polaroid Corp. to declare bankruptcy, writing off some $89 million (in about 1980), and sell-off and liquidate many of its assets & products.

Despite the tremendous success of his instant cameras, Land’s unsuccessful Polavision instant movie system was a financial disaster, and he resigned as Chairman of Polaroid on July 27, 1982.
And though he reportedly set himself up for a decent retirement, some 6,000 employees of his lost most all of their retirements/pensions, not to mention their jobs.

This is just one example of too many to list.

Many “successful” Entrepreneurs, Inventors, business “leaders” & other such, having found “success” in one time/place, have found tremendous failures in other times/places.
And vice-versa.

Many of the greatest inventions & discoveries were mere accidents and/or results of “stupid” luck.

Philo T. Farnsworth, often credited as the Inventor of the modern working television, perhaps one of the most innovative & important inventions of modern times (that helped spur numerous other inventions, like computer monitors, phone screens, even the internet & other such), reportedly died poor, broken, even homeless.

Charles Goodyear, a self-taught & “successful” Chemist & Manufacturing Engineer, whom is often credited with inventing the process of rubber vulcanization (which spurred the multibillion dollar rubber industry), reportedly died poor, and broken.

Charles Goodyear wrote:
“In reflecting upon the past, as relates to these branches of industry, the writer is not disposed to repine, and say that he has planted, and others have gathered the fruits. The advantages of a career in life should not be estimated exclusively by the standard of dollars and cents, as is too often done. Man has just cause for regret when he sows and no one reaps.”

Thus “success” often transcends the mere acquisition of more stuff, money, assets & such.
And many people have found “successes” in aspects that will likely not be, even perhaps never be recognized as such, by conventional standards.

I’ve personally known too many (though still not enough), though oft-ignored & disregarded people whom have been “successful” in just living decent, selfless lives, working to help other people, performing random acts of kindness, without regard to, nor receipt of fanfare nor personal reward.

I hold dear the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson (though perhaps mis-attributed) when he (reportedly) stated:
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.“

“Living well” not meaning the pursuit of mere materialism nor possessions.
But living well in being honorable to all other people, and towards all other things in existence.
Being honorable in life often means making personal sacrifices, for the benefit of others.