Have you ever heard the phrase, “success is relative?” Yes? No? Well, I sure have. This past week I’ve been dwelling a lot on the future- and what I hope it will hold for me. I’m going to be 25 this year, and that number alone scares me. I’ve never been one to enjoy my birthday- or getting older- but this year, things are getting more real for whatever reason. By all “Utah” standards, I should already be married and/or expecting a child, and I should already be done with school and on my way to cultivating a successful and profitable career. Obviously, this is not the case- and at times, this fact is depressing. From a young age, I’ve been taught that there is no limit to what a person can achieve if enough work is put in. Being an only child, my parents had exceedingly high expectations for me- and pushed me to be more than I was. For the longest time, my personal “identity” was, essentially, “Straight-A and Honors/AP student, cheerleader, competitive equestrian and pianist.” In everyone’s eyes, I had to be this “perfect” person- smart and beautiful, successful and determined. And I’ll tell you this, for a long time, I believed I was all of those things.
Then, things changed. I graduated from high school, got my first job, and began my college education. And, I struggled. I learned that though I was intelligent and worked continually to improve, sometimes, things don’t go to plan. To this day, I’ve never been in one successful romantic relationship, and it’s so easy to blame myself for those failures. Perhaps I wasn’t enough or didn’t do enough, or there are other aspects of my personality that men find unattractive. Perhaps I’m intimidating somehow or am just not as beautiful or desirable as other women. Or, worse yet, maybe I’m not someone who would be considered “marriage material.” It’s also easy to blame myself for my failure to become involved in anything other than hourly jobs or graduate with my degree at an accelerated pace. Perhaps I shouldn’t have taken a gap year, and maybe I should be doing more to take as many classes as possible to graduate faster. Maybe I should be trying to work more or even maintain two jobs while going to school to save and plan for the future.
These self-doubts have plagued me this week, and it’s so easy to feel stuck under the weight of these stresses. It’s easy to feel insignificant and as though I’m failing to meet the expectations that everyone has placed upon me- and the expectations that I have for myself (which have no limit). I expect greatness from myself, and I desperately want to achieve it- in all aspects of my life. I want to be a great wife, a great mother, and a great businesswoman. I want to break through the glass ceiling and be the best person I can be in all aspects of my life- and I never want to stop achieving.
Doing and Becoming
So, how do we become successful and achieve greatness? First, by ceasing to compare ourselves to others. Everyone moves at their own pace, and everyone walks a different path. There is no timeframe within which a person should become successful- it’s all entirely dependent upon you. For example, one of my good friends plans to attend vet school, which, collectively (taking into account requirements for internships, pre-requisites, and the degree itself) will take her approximately eight-nine years. Even once she obtains her degree, it will take her a while to become profitable and gain clientele. By that point, she will be in her late thirties, if not a little older. Does this mean she’s any less successful than someone who graduated with a four-year degree and gained a title right out of college? No. It’s all in the process and all in the way that we approach achieving our individual successes. If you’re taking an active role in working towards greatness and improving yourself daily, you will undoubtedly achieve whatever goals you set for yourself. There’s no limit to what can be accomplished or achieved- unless you set one yourself.
Reminding ourselves of this is incredibly important, as, in this day and age, it is so easy to feel as though we are less than those around us. Social media paints a beautiful illusion of an “ideal” life. It depicts beautiful people doing beautiful things without a care in the world. In a way, it’s a euphemism- and in that, it isn’t very ethical. It doesn’t show the struggles that people endure daily and doesn’t show the flaws they work so hard to conceal. Everyone has their demons, regardless of who they are. No one in this world has a perfect life, and each of us has to take a different path to see the greatness that every one of us is capable of- if we apply ourselves. There is no one “right” formula or path to follow. Each of our lives runs on a different track; for one person, marriage at the age of 20 may be the right decision. For another, marriage later in life after finishing their college degree and establishing a career may be more apt. It’s all dependent upon the pursuer and the circumstances that formulate their life. Comparing yourself to another who isn’t destined for the same path is counterproductive. As was said by Anne Sweeney, “Define success on your own terms. Achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.”
Quality and Relevance: A Dynamic Duo
Speaking on “no one correct formula”, the same applies to quality and relevance scores in terms of business. There is no one “right” way to market and sell a product. These entities are dependent upon the method you are utilizing to sell your merchandise (whether it be brick-and-mortar retail or eCommerce) and the avenue that your clientele (or, rather, consumers) use to access it. These scores can help a person determine what sells well and what doesn’t, what pages are viewed the most frequently from your website (and, likewise, which pages aren’t popular), and which ways consumers are accessing whatever product/service you’re providing.
In exact terms, “quality and relevance scores” are defined as: “The estimate of the quality/relevance of your ads, keywords, and landing pages. Higher quality ads (and ads that have higher relevance) can lead to lower prices and better ad positions.” Google Analytics provides these scores as a method for business owners to collect data on their consumers, which leads to the likelihood of increasing customer conversion, retention, and overall visibility for your site. Knowing how your consumers are most likely to come by your site and knowing what engages (or disinterests) them is valuable- as this will lead to the overall success (or, feeding off of tonight’s inspirational portion, greatness) of the enterprise of your choosing. And, for those who are seeking to establish themselves as the great business owners and leaders of tomorrow, who wouldn’t want that?
Strive Towards 