We believe that success can mean different things to different people – not everyone wants the same thing, what drives happiness and fulfillment for one person doesn’t necessarily predict what will for another. That said – if we simply think of success as being effective at achieving one’s goal – whatever those goals might be – then we can set a sort of common

Joanne Meaney

The definition of being successful is something that has evolved throughout my life of almost 70 years. I attended private schools even though our family lived in a very modest, if not lower middle class neighborhood, commonly referred to as the barrios of Los Angeles. During the day, I was surrounded by the trappings of the well-heeled, including but not limited to those who had large houses with manicured lawns, those who hosted elegant dinner parties and possessed shiny objects, and those who had standing in the community with names on iconic landmarks. My round trip commute, often by bus, brought me back to the decayed houses with messy yards adorned with non-functional cars and happily, a vineyard across the street which stretched up a hill that had sweeping views of LA when I needed a quiet place to reflect. Read more>>

Gina Coleman

The first and last real job I had was back in 2016. Since then I’ve been self-employed with side jobs along the way, but I haven’t had the need to work for anyone else to make a living. Read more>>

Samantha Ponce

That is a great topic. Being successful has taught me to also be humble, it shouldn’t change who you are your standards or your morals. It’s really easy to change your perspective as you level up in your career, and even financially. You have to remember where you started, and where you came from. I never limit myself, or my employees. I always encourage them to be better, and to find better. It takes a lot of discipline to wake up every day and want more, you can have motivation but that is not all it takes. You have to be disciplined enough to get where you want to be, to do what you want to do and continue being a boss even on the days where it seems like it’s a bigger job than what it is. Read more>>

Emerson Teoh

Perseverance & patience. With any success or goal of being successful, you must have perseverance & patience. As nothing good in life comes easy, this means pushing through all the challenges & hardships thrown towards you, every successful person in life has gone through their own challenges & hardships. Patience, be patient for your success, even though others succeed earlier, just keep calm and be patient. Quick success builds your ego, slow success builds your character. Read more>>

Ignacio Ortega

Success as an entrepreneur is often less about the big milestones and more about the daily commitment to showing up and making consistent progress. It’s about recognizing that every small win contributes to a larger vision, creating a compounding effect that leads to meaningful achievements over time. Read more>>

Simeon Brown

There are a lot of factors that play a role in success. Talent, skill, opportunity, luck. To me, the most important factor that leads to success is persistence. And persistence can play out in a couple of ways. First off, persistence can be displayed in the way most people consider, never giving up. Failure is inevitable, and having the persistence to try again is crucial to obtaining success. Second, persistence can also be displayed in preparation. Think of the most successful people you know. They all put countless hours of preparation into their craft in order to reach the highest heights of their field. 10,000 hours as the saying goes. There are countless factors that go into the journey and destination we call success, but persistence is the key factor, in my estimation. Read more>>

Patience Ojionuka

I would say success takes embracing failure/rejection, and not being afraid to be seen trying. And also sometimes cringy-ness. I think I learned this by way of being a classically trained violinist, which takes hours, and hours of practice. And the thing is, when you begin, you suck! You will absolutely suck at first because no one comes out of the womb knowing how to play instruments perfectly and professionally. But sucking is the price for excellence. So it’s good to sit in failure and be comfortable with it, because it’s great feedback. Fast forward to my adulthood, I think this mindset has taken me pretty far. I’m currently in a clinical psychology doctoral program–it took several years, several rounds of applications and lots of applications fees and I was pissed about it, but I still made it in my own time (and I really enjoy my program)! Read more>>

Kiara Aguillon

Success, for me, has always been about building genuine relationships and continuously pushing myself to learn and grow.

From my early days in ecommerce at StackCommerce to my current role in influencer partnerships, I’ve realized success isn’t just about hitting metrics—it’s about how you approach challenges and connect with people. Read more>>

Caty Toro

Success means something different for everyone. Ten years ago, if you had asked me this question, I would have given you a textbook answer—something about a fancy job title, a lucrative compensation package, and climbing the corporate ladder. That version of success was for the version of myself I was at that time- chasing external validation, achievement, and proving my worth through “check the box” professional milestones. Read more>>

Rusty Nix

I believe success is driven by the desire to create, the ability to utilize current resources, and being open to asking dumb questions (or so they seem). When you have the desire to manifest into reality something that currently only lives in your head, this is a powerful motivator, and often, the simplest questions hold the key to deeper understanding, pushing us to think beyond conventional solutions. It’s through curiosity and a willingness to learn, even if it means stepping outside of one’s comfort zone, that true innovation occurs. By harnessing available tools and constantly seeking new ways to improve, success becomes a byproduct of the process—one that values both the creative spark and the humility to ask for help or clarification when needed. Read more>>

Julia Rodgers

Success, in my view, is a blend of persistence, adaptability, and a true commitment to making a positive impact in a field you are passionate about. You must have a deep passion for the problem being solved. Being fully invested is essential—without genuine passion for your mission, you cannot fully understand the needs of your customers or be able to serve them effectively. I often remind new entrepreneurs that starting a business just for the sake of it is not enough. The drive to solve a meaningful problem is what keeps you motivated and focused. Read more>>

Lul Bandz

I think it takes a mountain of strength and determination to be successful in whatever you do . Sometimes less then more you will have a struggle with having people to support you when you’re on your very own journey so the only remedy to that , is too be strong and maintain that gritty strength that keeps you going through everything no matter what. Read more>>

Haille Baraka

Being successful to me means having a balance between ambition, hard work, and fulfillment. It requires clear goals and staying disciplined to achieve them.

I value abundance, not just financially, but in love, family, and personal growth. So to me success is also about staying grounded: maintaining strong family connections, contributing to your community (like feeding the homeless), and carving out moments for self-care and joy. Staying active, embracing opportunities, and surrounding myself with positivity is just as essential as my drive to excel professionally. Read more>>

Georgia Bodnar

I think being successful requires a lot of things that we typically consider to be the traits of successful people: resilience, consistency, patience, discipline, and hard work. But I think it requires one more thing, and that is, the ability to identify an opportunity and leap at it. I was fairly uncertain about what I wanted to pursue when I graduated from college. It was 2008 when I moved to New York, and it seemed that there were no jobs. After over one hundred applications–exclusively for nonprofit jobs–I finally landed a job at a medical nonprofit. I’d end up working there for five years. Midway through, I met a book editor at an event totally unrelated to books, and I fell in love with her description of what she did for a living. Read more>>

Sydney Taylor

Success is about knowing your goal and creating a clear vision for what you truly want. It takes a strong personality, hard work, and determination to keep pushing forward, even when things don’t go as planned- because failure is just part of the process. I think having a strong support system is the backbone of success , having those people who see your vision and believe in it gives you drive, but so does building real, genuine connections along the way. For me, success isn’t about just hitting the goal- its about staying to true to your vision, putting the work in, and embracing the challenges that make you grow. Read more>>

Chris Floyd

Commitment. Plain and Simple. It’s truly the only difference between those who achieve their wildest dreams or a dream at all for that matter and the person who becomes disillusioned by the idea that only a select few people were born with rare gifts.

The ability to keep commitments is the elixir that materializes the unseen goals to seen objectives. Good ole’ stick-to-itness if you will. Yes skill development, and meeting the right people is important but there’s not a measurement tool used to determine someone’s ability to flat out “hang in there” in the most dire of circumstances. Read more>>

Sophie Stern

Success is all about joy. To me, being a successful author means creating fun, interesting, smart, cool art, and it means connecting with readers who want to enjoy that art. I’ve had the honor of creating stories for over a decade now, which means that I’ve had the chance to connect with many different readers who have explored my stories, immersed themselves in my worlds, and connected with my characters. Each time I get to write a new story, and each time a reader gets to enjoy that story, I feel successful. To me, that’s what being an author is all about. Read more>>