Finding Sucess Within

So many times I've been told that I had to write this way or that way. That I shouldn't expect to make it in the writing world because very few do. That I need to parallel what successful writers are doing, so I have a chance. You know how I respond to those people? I don't. I smile and respect that that is their opinion, to have and to own.
I truly believe that if you allow other people's opinions to alter your creativity, then it alters your success as well. Who is to say whether an individual is successful or not? Is success not based on one's perspective of feeling a sense of accomplishment? Your work doesn't have to be a bestseller or an award winner to be considered a success, as long as you feel it is.
I would like to think that if a writer's words touch just one person, even if that one person is thyself, then those words in their own right are a success. I guess what I am ultimately trying to say is, "Write with all of your heart. Invest within yourself the imagination, creativity and free will that make your creations unique, for you hold your own successes within the depth of your being, and with it your choice to share it with the world."
Write whatever it is that fuels your passion and it will be recognized as greatness.