Success can come in different forms whether it be happiness, status, education for others, or wealth. In a country where wealth is often portrayed as power, respect and hard work it definitely carries its own weight. I had the opportunity to interview a friend who is from a different culture of mine and endured financial difficulties along with other hardships. His story helped me better understand how culture and hardship can play a big role in one’s perception of success. My interviewee correlated success with wealth, in his perception having money comes with its luxury but it means more than that to him. It means being free from financial constraints, insecurities and not letting others down. The way my interviewee described success gave me a clear understanding that his definition of success was defined by sacrifices, economic instability and cultural values. My definition of success is being happy, of course having money can bring you some kind of fulfilling feeling but I don’t think money alone is enough to make you happy. While money is very important in today’s time, there are just some things that money cannot buy.
With this being said, living in a household where money was “tight” came with many challenges. Having to save while still trying to get by, made things even more difficult. My informant had to watch how their family tried to make ends meet while having to save what they could, it was experiences like this that helped them understand what success meant to them. My friend depicted success as “having money, your own place, not having to worry about basic necessities and not having to worry financially at all.” This comes to show that the financial struggles that one goes through can play a major part in one’s perception of success, it becomes more than just luxurious benefits, it’s about finding financial stability and the peace of mind that comes with it.
Moreover, there is more than just financial stability that comes into play. It’s also about the sacrifices that have been made. Coming from an immigrant family who left everything to have a better future, comes the pressure of having to be successful. One of the questions that I asked my informant was if older generations would agree that success is defined by wealth. My interviewee emphasized that they would agree even more that success is measured by wealth. To go more into detail, he explains that when his grandfather first arrived in the United States, he was only earning $2 an hour. This only reinforces his perception that success is represented by wealth, especially because his grandpa came from almost nothing but hard work. Being financially stable makes a statement, it says that the sacrifices and struggles that they went through were worth it in the end. It is proof that they overcame their hardships with hard work and ambition. On behalf of the perspective of my interviewee, it is sacrifices and economic hardships like this that play a role in one’s definition of success.
Additionally, when my friend was asked if wealth is equivalent to happiness they responded with yes. To further elaborate, he says he would be “stress free” , having the ability to “do what I want, get what I want, wear what I want etc…”. As a result of always having to save every penny, they want to be able to enjoy certain luxuries as well. This reveals that, besides only wanting to feel financially secure, there is also a need to feel emotionally free as well. On the other hand, I was able to present a scenario where if the richest person in the world felt unhappy, could they still be seen as a successful person? In his perspective discontent is something that can be “fixed” but the hardships that they endured and becoming successful are just as glorifying. His response reflects how he values economic stability and hard work more than emotional fulfillment, because in his perspective, discontentment can always be fixed, but hard work and financial stability is something that cannot be undone as it will always be there.
Overall, my interviewee explained how wealth is more than just a symbol of luxury. It is a symbol of hard work, sacrifice, resilience and peace of mind. In a household where money had to be conserved as best as possible in order to get by and the sacrifices that were made by family, it only reinforces the idea that wealth is a measure of success and proof that the challenges they endured were worth it in the end. Because my interviewee came from an immigrant family, it raises the pressure of needing to be financially successful, because to him letting them down is not an option. The hardships that my interviewee had to overcome is what shaped his perception of success and what he wants for himself. We all view success differently whether it be happiness, wealth, education , status etc. It is our values, challenges, and experiences that shape our definition of success.
Self Assesment
During this interview I came in with an open mind as to what they could respond to. I believe that a few factors that could have possibly affected the way I approached the subject is race just because our cultures are different. I’m Mexican and he is Ecuadorian so our ideologies could be different. Another factor that affected my subject was his class. Despite my interviewee growing up financially unstable, his family was able to overcome this challenge and are now financially stable and doing `way better for themselves. I think this is important to mention because this could also have an impact on the way he perceives success. I believe that I did well in trying to not show my opinions in between the questions and the responses. One of the things that helped me with this was keeping in mind that not everyone is the same, or thinks the same due to our challenges, experiences and values. Although our definitions of success are different, talking to my interviewee really helped me better understand why his definition of success was wealth. It was more than just reaping the benefits of money but for him it is a symbol of sacrifice, hard work, and proof that they have overcome their challenges.
