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Ada Limón carrying out her job as a Poet Laureate.

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Ada Limón represents success to me because she writes poetry for a living, and that is something that has always interested me. It's interesting to see how she was able to pursue her passion for writing, which is in the arts, and something that's not recommended people pursue due to financial aspects. It's also important to see a Hispanic woman prevail in an industry that is so difficult to thrive in. Seeing someone who I share certain characteristics with is inspiring, and I look up to her greatly.

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Ada Limón grew up with four parents, due to her parent's divorce in her childhood. Her family contributed to her successful, open-minded mentality, allowing her to develop an understanding that success is different for everyone. Not everyone is exposed to this early on, which shows how it was a benefit to be exposed to varying lifestyles during her childhood. Through this early understanding, it’s helped her understand that success is subjective, and this allowed her to open her mind and understand what success looks like for her.

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2. Understanding She Can't Live Up to Everyone's Expectations

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2. Understanding She Can't Live Up to Everyone's Expectations

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As someone who has grown to be successful and as a result, has gained fame in the creative field, Limón understands that there will always be critics. Through this, she can focus on the creative process rather than worrying about the outcome and how it will be received. This can then help further her growth and improve both as an artist and as a person. Not feeling pressure to live up to certain expectations is not only good, but it can be extremely liberating as well.

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1. “I think I was very lucky in this regard, to have experienced different lifestyles. First, to have four parents that loved me and, second, to have an expanded view of what it means to be successful.” (Windsor 2014)

2. “I never wanted for anything, I was supported, but I also grew up knowing that I needed to work incredibly hard to get what I want.” (Windsor 2014)

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“You shouldn’t listen when [critics] tell you the bad things. But you also shouldn’t listen when they tell you the good things. Both of those can wreck your creative process. It still has to be about the attempt.” (Stagner 2016)

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Throughout her own works, she’s constantly writing and revising and editing. She’s had setbacks in her personal life, but she’s also had setbacks in her work. It shows that once someone achieves something, they still have to work towards being better. Reaching success does not mean maintaining it, and it’s important to recognize this since it can give a deeper meaning to what it truly means to be successful. It will always include hard work, and it will always include failure. However, it can be achieved and maintained.

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“I ask a lot of my own work and fail a great deal, but I’m always trying to get it right. I’m always trying to balance that egg upright at the end of the table so it’s sturdy enough that I can slam the door shut without it shattering.” (Windsor 2014)

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She wrote the book, "Bright Dead Things," after her stepmother died of cancer, which expanded her worldview and allowed her to understand that she wanted to live life to the fullest. To her, this meant she would entirely pursue her passion for writing. To have one of her early works of writing, the product of a failed novel, go on to achieve something as great as being shortlisted for a national award is a large improvement. In general, failure is a part of the writing process, which means Limón has become very familiar with it. Through failure, she can understand what went wrong and how to further improve. It goes to show that failure can truly result in success, and it’s by learning from failure that we can understand the steps needed to be taken in order to succeed.

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“She has called her 2015 collection, “Bright Dead Things,” shortlisted for a National Book Award, “the byproduct of a failed novel.”” (Ulin 2022)

"Failure is fascinating because that’s the entire process of writing. You’re never living up to the reality of what’s happening in your head.” (Stagner 2016)

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I could connect with Ada Limón’s version of success and felt that it was very similar to my own. After years of hard work and dedication, Limón was able to achieve what she truly wanted to do for the majority of her life: be a poet for a living. It’s evident that success isn’t linear, but she was able to achieve this after everything she went through. From having a clear understanding of personal success, Limón knew that she didn’t necessarily have to adhere to society’s view of success, but rather, could focus on herself and what she valued the most. To her, she valued pursuing her passion, which then allowed her to connect with others through her writing. I felt that I could relate to this, especially since she was able to not only sustain her happiness and work in a field she truly loved, but could then use this to inspire others to do the same. Her wisdom in understanding that she couldn’t always please everyone and reach their expectations is a concept that takes ages to be comfortable with. However, seeing how these expectations do not limit her in any way allows her to be a great example of how knowing your own worth is more valuable than other people’s opinions. This is a crucial part in the process of achieving success. Her dedication to her passion, where she persisted despite financial difficulties and failures was incredibly inspiring. I felt as though this was one of the things I could connect with most, since not everyone has the opportunity to pursue their passion due to a variety of factors. However, seeing her never-ending determination in something that is typically frowned upon was inspiring and allowed me to gain a positive perspective of those with careers in the art field. Last, seeing her motivation leading to positive results beyond her biggest dreams was significant because it shows that all of the hard work that goes into being successful not only is possible, but it pays off in the end. Ultimately, I believe that success is about being happy and having reached a point in life where I can truly say I’m proud of my job, and proud of my impact on others.

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“She did well, becoming known for the slogan, “Please go away,” a double entendre that she and a coworker wrote for a Travel + Leisure magazine ad campaign. While her marketing career grew steadily, Limón published three books of poetry: This Big Fake World: A Story in Verse (2005), Lucky Wreck (2006), and Sharks in the Rivers (2010).” (Zelazko 2022)

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Ada Limón understood that she needed to work hard in order to succeed, which not only included improving her craft, but included maintaining another job. Through this job, she was successful and was able to make enough money to work towards pursuing her own passion, which was her goal in the beginning. Her marketing career also allowed her to succeed with financial stability, which is often a problem for those who pursue a career related to art. It's important to see how goals can still be achieved when dealing with the reality of the situation, rather than seeing it as a reason to give up.

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Although early on in her career, Limón was in disbelief of her success, she understood that this was something she deserved. It’s easy for people to get caught up in self-doubt, and not have conviction of their own worth, which can cause problems in the process of achieving personal goals. However, receiving validation from others after Limon’s success provided her with the motivation to continue writing and pursuing her passion. It’s easy to feel burnt out, specifically when dealing with the writing process. It’s crucial to have a source of motivation to continue pursuing personal goals, which is especially important coming from peers in the field.

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“...there was still some part of me that felt as if I had found the heads-up penny. But yes, below all that brain-noise, there was a sense that I had been validated as a writer, which is something I hope everyone gets that chance to feel.” (Windsor 2014)

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Limón became a Poet Laureate, which is a high honor. Essentially, the role is designed for a poet to be able to share and expose others to poetry, which can be gone about in various ways. It's an important title to hold, and it's evident that Limón was well-deserving of it. After having overcome several challenges and setbacks in her path to success, having positive results on such a big scale is inspiring, and has fueled her motivation to continue pursuing her passion. Achieving positive results only serves to inspire people and feel as though the work they had to do was truly worth it. The same can be said for Limón and her incredible amount of success.

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"“During her first term, Ada Limón has done so much to broaden and promote poetry to reach new audiences...Limón has a number of major collaborations under way to share more poetry with the public." (Library of Congress 2023)

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Stagner, Alison. “Seattle Arts & Lectures \ Writing Advice from Ada Limón.” Seattle Arts & Lectures, 10 Oct. 2016, lectures.org/2016/10/10/writing-advice-from-ada-limon/#:~:text=“Failure%20is%20fascinating%20because%20that%27s,tell%20you%20the%20good%20things.

Ulin, David. “Ada Limón Is the Poet of Our Lonely, Terrifying Moment.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2022, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2022-05-13/ada-limon-is-the-poet-of-our-lonely-terrifying-moment.

Windsor, Suzannah. “An Interview with Poet Ada Limón.” Compose Journal, 21 Apr. 2014, composejournal.com/an-interview-with-poet-ada-limon/.

Zelazko, Alicja  “Ada Limón.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 10 Aug. 2022, www.britannica.com/biography/Ada-Limon#ref1305064.

“U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón Appointed for a Historic Two-Year Second Term.” The NewsMarket, Library of Congress, 24 Apr. 2023, newsroom.loc.gov/news/u.s.-poet-laureate-ada-lim-n-appointed-for-a-historic-two-year-second-term/s/4b6a4f69-86c9-4faa-b4b3-1f038c31b5d3.