What Defines Success?

@William,

William;78489 wrote:

I can't help but ask what you mean by "slave morality"? As far as your first comment, it's not so much that it is maintain they are "unhappy"; it the illusion that monetary wealth is a necessity in order to be happy, and those who achieve it find that they have been lied to for the price was to great in order to achieve it. (realizing there are exceptions and different definitions of "rich".

William

I would even say that those who are rich and happy would be happy even if not rich... being rich can just be a game or a form of having fun for then =)

Except for people that have crazy dreams that need money, that is, though im not really sure if crazy specific things really "accomplish a life". I mean, if your dream is to go to space, and you go, what now? You will be happy for a while, but then want something else, or will you think "now I can die happy"?. Because of that I think its better to have a dream you cannot accomplish, and measure your success on how close you managed to get to it =)

@MrEnigma,

I am happiest in anticipation of something happening or coming my way, especially when compared to when I actually get what it was I was anticipating.
Dan.

@de budding,

de_budding;78761 wrote:

I am happiest in anticipation of something happening or coming my way, especially when compared to when I actually get what it was I was anticipating.
Dan.

Ya, this is what I was talking about... start plotting world domination or something =)

@MrEnigma,

Wow, Great topic and discussion, This is definitely a quotable:

"A successful life has to be something that, if you were stripped of everything you had in the manner of possessions and so on, you would still have a claim to a successful life."

I'll never forget this.

@manored,

To me, a simple way to define success is having a goal and working towards it. If you know why you are waking up in the morning you are successful. You are a failure if you don't have any goals or do not know why you are living. A person with a goal is just as successful as anyone else. Success is being in the process of building the life you want.

@Tange,

Tange;81394 wrote:

To me, a simple way to define success is having a goal and working towards it. If you know why you are waking up in the morning you are successful. You are a failure if you don't have any goals or do not know why you are living. A person with a goal is just as successful as anyone else. Success is being in the process of building the life you want.

Absolutely agree with you. Success as defined from a personal stand point is down to achieving goals (exams, healthy living, getting a mortgage etc).
If you want to look at success from the stand point of others perception of your life (as a success or not) then the rules totally change. We are no longer in charge of the parameters which we may decide makes us successful in life, it is now down to other people projecting their own personal parameters which they feel defines success on to us. While I may feel successful because I achieved happiness other people may look at my crappy car and decide otherwise.
This does bring in the point that you can only make decisions about other people with the information you have. I can only tell I fancy a woman by her looks initially but there could be instances when talking to someone I don't initially fancy may change my mind and now I fancy her.
If you want people to know you are successful without them getting to know you then money and owning nice things is the only way to go. It is a superficial as that. It is not necessarily their fault but rather the lack of information they have to make their decision. Why go to an interview not wearing a suit? you wear one because there isn't enough time for the interviewer to infer that you are a successful individual, you have to help them make that inference from the start.

@markymark phil,

MrEnigma;78005 wrote:

What defines success in one's life? Is it money, is it materialistic things, is it happiness? One definition of success is the attainment of money, wealth, position, honors, or the like. For a person to be successful do they have to have a lot of money? or is it that we think that having a lot of money means that you are successful? In the definition that I described it says the attainment of money yet it is not precise as to the amount. This also leaves me to thinking; if one goes through life to a ripe old age; does that constitute as having a successful life?

It appears to me that we tend to use success as a measuring tool based on one's social status. When we see a person driving a nice car, living in a nice house, or having a large sum of money; we are quick to conclude that this person is successful; but is this the fact? Could success be measured in such a form. My measurement of success may be totally different from the next man's/woman's measurement of success; so what do we use as a tool to measure this abstract form? Success has no shape. Does the social status of the individual define's one's success and can it be used as a measuring tool?

As I cynically see it, success as a human means achieving the big five: Food, clothing, shelter, security, reproduction.
And most of those you can buy with money. Well, all of them. :bigsmile:
We want power for the same reason.

@MrEnigma,

Quote:

What defines success in one's life?

I reckon the ugly but true answer to this question is self-satisfaction.

Fame, money, acheivement and power might make a decent route to this, but at the end of the day I'd sooner be a delighted pauper than a miserable prince.

I'd plump for delighted prince if there were a third option though.

@MrEnigma,

What if it's just a made up word?
The definition of success may be as subjective as they come.

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