All people strive to be successful. Everyone has seen others who have had success in life and wants to be like them. But what exactly is success?

Psychology says that a person feels successful when the results of his or her actions are equal to or better than his expectations. For example, if a student has hoped for a C, but gets a B instead, he would be happy with himself. Similarly, if the same guy gets a D, he would feel sad. Let’s look at some more examples to find out what exactly do we call success.

If you get on the street and ask people to define the word, most of them would mention either “money” or “a high position in society” in one way or the other. And that’s why a famous singer, an artist, a TV star, or a politician is most often a symbol of success. Take American rap singer Eminem for example. He was born in a poor neighborhood, and had a terrible childhood. Now, however, he makes a lot of money out of his songs and leads a very good life. Another example is German chancellor Angela Merkel. She was born in East Germany and even in her boldest dreams she couldn’t have imagined becoming the leader of a unified republic. Money and prestige seem synonymous to welfare and that’s why they are associated with success. But can someone be successful even though he isn’t rich or famous?

I do think so. Some people might feel successful in life if they have a happy marriage, a nice home, or other such things that others may take for granted. Let’s say somebody who was born as a beggar somehow gets a job. Won’t this person feel successful even though he isn’t famous and hasn’t got much money?

Yet, success isn’t just about having a good life. A businessman might feel successful if he’s concluded a great deal, a worker might be happy of overdoing his quota, a sports player – of doing very well in his latest match. Success is also about simple things. But either way it all comes down to that – doing better than expected.