Hey Ebony here stating her opinion.

We live in a world where we are judge by our success through other people. Society tell us how to live our lives, and tells us what we need to do in order to be titled as “SUCCESSFUL”. Many people may feel unsuccessful because they have not met society’s standards.

What do you hear all the time? “Make sure you go to college to get an education, a good job, and be successful”, do we really have to go to college to be successful? Do we really have to pay other people to measure how smart we are?

There are a lot of people who attended college and have gotten their bachelors, masters, and/or PhDs but do not have anything to show for it other than thousands of dollars worth of loans they have to pay back. While there are some people who never went to school and have all the qualifications and required knowledge, but do not have that stamped paper to prove it.

I do not have anything against college because obviously I’m here. I am here because I WANT TO BE and I feel I should be here to satisfy myself and my own needs, not others. Many of my friends and I have these group discussion about the measurement of success all the time. Some of them aren’t happy, some say they are here because their friends are in college, or their parents made them, and some just say “I don’t know”.

We should measure our own level of success and not let other people create our lives. Some people don’t really know the real reason why they go to school. Maybe it makes them feel bigger and better than the people who do not have a diploma.

How do you measure your level of success?

Some people can measure their level of success by

• Getting a B+ on an exam
• Spending time with their families
• Being a stay at home mom or dad
• Graduating high school
• Getting a college degree
• Finishing a project that has been sitting on their desk for years
• Doing volunteer work and helping other people
• Buying a house or a new car
• Paying off debt

My bottom line is live up to your own expectations; do not let other people tell you how to live your life and measure your level of success for you. Ask yourself “AM I SATISFIED?”

What do you think and what makes you feel successful?