What does success look like?

Just a thought I had earlier while considering my achievements.

What does success look like to you?

Being free at 3pm on a Tuesday.

Also, loving family. I couldn't care about money, fame, or fortune. As long as I come home to a loving wife, happy, loving kids, and a dumb, smiling dog I'll be happy and feel like the most successful man in the world.

To me, success is when I meet a goal no matter how small it may be. Heck, success is going to the gym when my back hurts from my previous day's work! Everyone has their own version of success and mine tends to be even the smallest things. In a broader idea, what I want for a successful life is a job that I am happy in and coming home to my family. I don't really see myself having kids but I would like to marry someday and have a house full of loved pets!

Define success?

The capacity to be on trend? No wait, hang on.... that's not right, only Sith believe in absolutes!!



Success for me is a blend of relaxing (as it has to be over to declare it and ain't over till its over) and some type of happiness.... perhaps called pride!? I think the pride comes from the novelty of an altered perspective and the finality represented by that perspective. Funnily enough when a square peg is put in a square hole it represents less energy so it really hooks into the concept of releasing energy to be available for other systems to relate and use that experience.

Relaxing might be a typical introverted, white sugar abstaining, animal meat avoiding hermit things to say.... but more generally to me its about connection to self such that I can try to be kinder to myself and be more capable when required.... a type of growth and therefore constructive in some way.

In 1st world speak that is having informative work experiences, managing towards financial stability, crafting relationship stability and on the psychological front.... perhaps general coherence in my path wherever I might find myself to how it lays out behind me, ie strength.

And yes, limits will always exist, but its about navigating them rather then just constantly banging into the obstacle.... and those hard limits which cannot be navigated around just become the edges of map, ie the bounds of it, which define the nature of the thing itself, life.

In short I sort of define it in evolutionary terms, try and be better and do better. So I just need to remember to include sleep in that, which to me at least justifies my interest in dreams and being sleepy

Success for me is a blend of relaxing (as it has to be over to declare it and ain't over till its over) and some type of happiness.... perhaps called pride!? I think the pride comes from the novelty of an altered perspective and the finality represented by that perspective. Funnily enough when a square peg is put in a square hole it represents less energy so it really hooks into the concept of releasing energy to be available for other systems to relate and use that experience.

Relaxing might be a typical introverted, white sugar abstaining, animal meat avoiding hermit things to say.... but more generally to me its about connection to self such that I can try to be kinder to myself and be more capable when required.... a type of growth and therefore constructive in some way.

In 1st world speak that is having informative work experiences, managing towards financial stability, crafting relationship stability and on the psychological front.... perhaps general coherence in my path wherever I might find myself to how it lays out behind me, ie strength.

And yes, limits will always exist, but its about navigating them rather then just constantly banging into the obstacle.... and those hard limits which cannot be navigated around just become the edges of map, ie the bounds of it, which define the nature of the thing itself, life.

In short I sort of define it in evolutionary terms, try and be better and do better. So I just need to remember to include sleep in that, which to me at least justifies my interest in dreams and being sleepy

I was going to say "When your melted cheese sandwich is in the grill just long enough to be golden but not burnt."

But I suppose your thing is okay too.


(I might contribute something useful after coffee and my morning meeting....)



Edit: back in time for edit window!

Just a thought I had earlier while considering my achievements.

What does success look like to you?

My Achievements are not my success, my achievements are more "a means to an end" - I have not really worked towards my achievements, I've worked towards my success, and I've been deemed to have acheived things along the way, that, to me at least, are more like "collateral damage" than anything I had really intended.

Initially, I thought it was a simple answer "Getting what I want". Then I realized that perhaps it was too ego-focused. I then tried to look at it from a spiritual perspective, and I came up with "Success is living according to will". Will is the spiritual and mental capacity for us to focus ourselves on action and purpose. In order for this focus to be built, we have to learn self-discipline and control. We are trapped in our own delusions (mostly brought on by social conditioning, parenting, etc.), and this keeps us from authentic living. Finding that authenticity to will requires a lot of work. Something I am working on right now.

Contentment, which I find is generally far less passive than it sounds.

In my case, it starts with not being dead, then moves to making the best use of everyday to make myself or the world around me better. I know, that's pretty vague, but my priorities have changed quite a bit since being diagnosed with cancer. Money and the material stuff it brings with it just don't seem so important anymore. I really only try to succeed at my job now because I need health insurance and chemo is really f*%king expensive without it. Otherwise, success would involve a beach chair and a six pack.

Kindness. Gratitude. Service. Courage. Integrity. Self-awareness. Love. I could carry on, but in reality, I think it's about how we positively engage in the world.. both around and within ourselves.
Sometimes it's holding on.
Sometimes it's letting go.
And sometimes it's just patiently waiting...

Senan wrote: In my case, it starts with not being dead, then moves to making the best use of everyday to make myself or the world around me better."

Couldn't say that better even though I'm not sick Senan.

Only thing I would add is owning a fighter jet but that's just me.