In 1905 a Boston magazine held a contest asking people to send in an essay about what constitutes success. A Kansas housewife named Bessie Stanley heard about the contest and submitted her essay. To her surprise she won the contest and the $250 prize that came with it. Later her essay was converted into a poem and then repeatedly misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson or Robert Louis Stevenson.
Her simple definitions of the attributes of a successful person are a great reminder to all of us that success comes in many forms and in an infinite number of areas of life. Find something to improve on every day and you will find success!
Kris
WHAT CONSTITUTES SUCCESS
He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction.
—Bessie Stanley 1905
Share this:
Comments