Illusion of Success

Illusion of Success

People have different perceptions of success. People view success differently, and

sometimes what might seem good to an individual might be bad or unpleasant to another

individual. There instances when people think that they are successful but end up heading back

to poverty. Mike Tyson is such an individual. He was a professional boxer who made a lot of

money and seemed to be very successful but later lost it all and got declared bankrupt (Egan,

2017). Success cannot be measured based on a single parameter; multiple considerations should

be put in place before terming a person as being successful.

Success is, in most cases, is very subjective. An athlete may be at the top of his career

and making huge sums of money and still not be successful according to his definition of

success. Making huge sums of money, and living an expensive lifestyle does not always mean

one is successful. For instance, a person may be spending a lot and live to his best life but still be

suffering from depression or some habits like drug abuse.

In my opinion, the real definition of success should be tied to one’s capability to make a

living and balance all the other aspects of life. An individual should not only focus on making

money but also on managing it and other undertakings in life. An example of a successful

individual is one who works towards his or her goals and puts other important factors in his

brackets even if they are not directly linked to the goals. For example, a successful artist should

be capable of focusing on making money, managing it, and living a well-balanced life not to end

up like Mike Tyson.

Mike Tyson seemed to be very successful, especially after winning medals and getting

paid a lot of money from his boxing career. His success was, however, an illusion since he had

some poor habits which dragged him back to poverty. He used to make a lot of money, but his

lifestyle was extravagant. He used to spend close to what he was making, and when his source of

income began shrinking, he was left with no other option rather than going back to poverty.

After Mike Tyson earned more than $300 million over his legendary career, he was filed

for bankruptcy in 2003 before going to jail for issues related to cocaine (Egan, 2017). When

asked what happened to all the money he was making as a professional boxer, he said that he

squandered all his fortune on jewelry, mansions, expensive lifestyle, and cars. His personal faults

led to his success story being shaken.

In conclusion, success is not tied to the amount of money one makes but instead on how

well an individual manages it and keeps his or her life at balance. To be successful requires one

to observe all his undertakings and not just the amount he or she makes. Mike Tyson should have

taken a bold step in managing his money accordingly and balance all the aspects of his life

appropriately. Taking these steps would have prevented him from overspending and also from

spending all his money on unnecessary stuff. The steps would have seen him shine in his entire

life.

References

Egan, M. (2017). Mike Tyson: I didn't think I'd survive my 30s. Retrieved 6 July 2020, from

https://money.cnn.com/2017/05/24/investing/mike-tyson-bankruptcy/index.html

Thesis and Response to the Topic: What did your peer reviewers say about your thesis? Do you

need to narrow it, or make it clearer? Do you need to change your point of view? Write

your revised thesis here. (If you are not making any changes, write down your old thesis

and explain why you are not revising it.)

Peer reviewers did not give any feedback on my thesis. I am not revising my thesis

because I think it is clear to understand what I am going to talk about in the essay.

Success cannot be measured based on a single parameter; multiple considerations should

be put in place before terming a person as being successful.

2. Organization and Paragraphing: What did your peer reviewers say about your organization?

Are the ideas presented in a logical sequence or do they jump around or confuse the

reader? Do you plan to change the organization in any way? Does the essay have

effective transitions between ideas/sentences/paragraphs? Underline all transitional

words (first, next, also) or phrases (on the other hand, in contrast to) in the essay.

I am not changing the organization of my essay. But I have add one more paragraph to

demonstrate my perspective of success.

3. Development and Support: What did your peer reviewers say? Was your essay long enough?

Did you have enough points and were they well supported? What could you add? Do

you think your details were superficial or detailed?

I have added more details and examples about success in my own opinion and also how

Mike Tyson can do better.

4. Sentence Structure, Grammar and Word Choice: Does your essay have any fragments or run-

on sentences that need to be corrected? Are your verb tenses consistent and accurate?

Are there better, more concise words that you could use to elevate your writing?

Highlight (in yellow) two words in your essay that you will try to find better substitutes

for in your revision.

Peer reviewers did not give any feedback on my sentences, grammar and word choice. But I have

fixed some of my words in the essay.

5. Assessment: What are the three different scores you received by your peers? What did you

rate your essay and why do you think that number is appropriate for your essay?

Peer score #1: 16/16

Peer score #2: 13/16

Peer score #3: 12/16

Self-score: 11/16

Reason for self-score:

I have revised my essay because it is too short and I have also provided examples to support my

thesis.