At least that's essentially what two-thirds of Americans believe. In fact, things look so good an astounding nine out of 10 of us (93 percent) believe our personal definition of success is achievable. Not a bad way to begin a new millennium.

According to a survey of 1,000 adults commissioned by Hilton Hotels Corp., 66 percent of Americans are very or extremely satisfied both emotionally and spiritually. And more than half of us (53 percent) are very or extremely satisfied professionally as well.

Married Without Children

From an emotional standpoint, it seems you have a better chance of feeling fulfilled if you are male, married and have no children. Males report having more emotional satisfaction than females (70 percent vs. 62 percent) and those who are married claim to be more emotionally satisfied than those who are not (73 percent vs. 58 percent).

Respondents without children are slightly more content emotionally than those with children (69 percent vs. 61 percent). The survey also suggests that money can indeed buy some degree of happiness. Those earning $50,000 or more are considerably more emotionally satisfied than those earning $24,000 or less (76 percent vs. 57 percent).

Men and Women = Professionalism and Spiritualism

On the career end of the satisfaction scale, men again rate higher than women. More than half of the men surveyed (58 percent) say they are satisfied professionally, while only 48 percent of women make that claim.

As for the spiritual and materialistic side of life, men and women seem to be on common ground. About two-thirds of men and women (64 percent and 68 percent, respectively) say they are spiritually fulfilled. Materialistically/financially speaking, 46 percent of women
and 44 percent of men claim to be content.

The Older I Get The Better I Feel - Really!

Interestingly, the survey reveals one sure way to become satisfied with nearly every aspect of your life: grow older. Across the board, senior citizens are the most satisfied emotionally (74 percent), professionally (64 percent), spiritually (80 percent) and materialistically/financially (63 percent).

Can't Get No Satisfaction? Take a Vacation

For those who feel they come up short on the happiness scale, one revealing finding from the survey suggests a temporary cure from the emotional and physical blues.

"Our survey shows that 81 percent of people say they feel better mentally and physically when they take a vacation," said Joanie Flynn, Hilton's director of leisure and resort marketing. "In fact, almost two-thirds of us (64 percent) get more pleasure out of vacations than our own personal possessions."

Despite that finding, Flynn says half of Americans still haven't found the time to take a vacation in the last one to two years. Men are more likely to forego vacations than women (72 percent vs. 55 percent).

"Vacations are an important way for us to relax and rejuvenate our minds and bodies," said Flynn. "Most people come back from vacations in better mental shape and are actually more productive at work. Almost half of those we surveyed said they `see life more clearly after a vacation.'"

The Meaning of Success

Americans are perhaps some of the most success-conscious people in the world. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that more than half of us (54 percent) admit to reviewing the quality of our lives at least once a week or more.

Given this strict self-evaluation, it is amazing how many of us say we are indeed satisfied. In fact, nearly all of us believe we will someday achieve our own personal level of success. But just how do we define "success?"

According to the Hilton survey, most of us (54 percent) define success as personal happiness and satisfaction. The second most common description centers on maintaining a close-knit, happy and healthy family (28 percent). Financial security ranked a close third as the most common view of personal success (27 percent).

The Hilton Simplification Survey was conducted by California Survey Research Services Inc., based in Los Angeles. A total of 53 questions were asked of 1,000 American adults age 18 and over in a random telephone survey fielded November and December of 1997. The survey is the ninth in a series of Hilton Travel Time Reports begun in 1989.