Public perception of success in the U . S . might be totally misguided . While 92 % of people believe others care most about fame and 26 . fewer than 10 % factor those qualities into their own success . This is according to the newly _ 27 _ study by Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Todd Smith . Smith says he was 28 by how past studies on success assumed what people will care about In this study his team went the 29 direction by spending years carrying out individual interviews and group surveys to see what people really talk about when they talk about success . As a scientist . Smith 30 studied individuality for a living and even he was surprised to find younger respondents cared more about having a 31 in life . Those between the ages of 18 and 34 prioritized it most and that prior it iz ation dropped off as respondents ages went up . Perhaps this is because older people had fewer options when they were starting their careers at a time when values focused more on stable in comes than _ 32 personal missions . Other trends included an emphasis on the importance of parenting . Being a parent _ 33 _ very high across the priorities of all study participants . Uli mate ly Smith hopes institutions will take note of these insights _ 34 . Higher education institutions tend to focus on preparing students for high - paying jobs . For such institutions from universities to workplaces to better _ 35 people in the U . S . they ll need to understand what the American public highly prioritizes Smith says A ) accommodate I ) opposite B ) accordingly J ) profession C ) acquiring K ) purpose D ) bothered L ) ranked E ) fortune M ) released F ) fulfilling N ) similarly G ) identify O ) wrong H ) literally