Carve your own success

The perception of success varies from person to person due to the combination of personal values and individual experiences. Success is whatever you want to make it, and it is a personal journey. The poem “Digging” by Seamus Heaney is a good representation of this. It is about a man whose father and grandfather worked on a potato farm. The man has his own goals that he wants to pursue, and this doesn’t include being a potato farmer. In this poem, success is putting energy and effort towards something you enjoy. When Heaney says, “I’ll dig with it [his pen]” (31) he refers to the fact that although his journey may be different he will still work hard to achieve his goals. I can relate to this poem because my dad played soccer professionally for over 20 years. All I focus on is following in his footsteps when realistically soccer won’t last me my whole life. I train hard every day with his success in my mind, but I know everyone's path is very different and I can’t compare myself to him 24/7. He was such a good player and I do not want to let him down. People see success differently because everyone has their important things. For some, success means doing well in their job, while for others it could be about making a positive impact on the world. I also like the name of the poem, it is up for interpretation but it means that you can dig and carve your own path to success.