How would you define a successful life?

[Texashiker]

<serious thread>

After reading this thread about people not making anything out of themselves, it seems to me that a lot of people put an emphasis on money or social status.

Yes money is important, but where does happiness come into play?

If someone is miserable while making a trainload of money, should we say that person is successful?

If someone is happy with making less money than they could be making, could we say that person is successful?

At one time I thought to be successful I had to work 60 - 80 hours a week. I made nice money but I also sacrificed family time and relationships to work overtime. Twenty years later I realized how much time I missed out on with my family and friends.

 

[Jaskalas]

How would you define a successful life?

Securing a family. To have children that will carry on your lineage long after you are gone.

 

[lxskllr]

Happiness and freedom are all that matters. Everything else is a distraction. Oh, and cats. To be successful, one needs a cat.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Oh, and cats. To be successful, one needs a cat.

You mean like a hunting trophy? Good idea!! Too many cats around here, Taxidermist here I come!

In all seriousness; Being able to pay bills, having extra cash to do whatever hobby that interests me, having someone in my life to share the days and nights with.

Poodles too of course.

 

[waggy]

you can't nail down the answere to that. it changes for each person.

for me its being able to pay my bills, having healthy and happy kids. To make sure they are productive members of society.

 

[jagec]

I would say that you have to leave a positive impression on the world when you depart. This could be by inspiring others by your actions, leaving behind things that you invented/built/fixed/designed that improve the human condition, or raising decent children who will go on to have a positive effect on others.

Money factors into it in that having wealth allows you to magnify your impact on the world (see Bill Gates), but that can also be a negative (see Hugo Chavez).

 

[DougK62]

Securing a family. To have children that will carry on your lineage long after you are gone.

That's it? And what about people who are unable to have children - can they never be successful?

 

[BassBomb]

Striving to improve at whatever you do. Caring for others. Being kind and generous to those you love and any human. Enjoying life

 

[Texashiker]

That's it? And what about people who are unable to have children - can they never be successful?

This thread is about "your" personal beliefs.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Securing a family. To have children that will carry on your lineage long after you are gone.

So those of us with no kids and no desire to have kids are failures in life? That seems like a narrow viewpoint. There are a lot of evil assholes that have had kids throughout history, you know.

 

[TwiceOver]

Living your life and retiring without being a drain on others. My main goal in life is to some day not have to work and not need handouts to do it. Whether that happens tomorrow, at age 65, or a whatever, I'll consider my life successful.

Not everyone wants to marry and/or have kids so I don't measure either of those as success.

 

[AreaCode707]

Living with self-respect, feeling fulfilled with how you spend your time, surrounded by people who care about you (a lot or a few, depending on your own personality) and are invested in you, whom you also care about and invest in, people who make you better than you were to start.

Living a life where you don't leave a trail of bodies in your wake as you pursue your dreams but instead leave things and people better than you found them.

Living so that you DO pursue some of your dreams, that you can look back and be proud of how you spent your time.

I have twin sisters and they are wildly different. One is a total corporate track kid, type A high powered personality all the way. The other is artistic, totally lacking material ambition but very good at prizing the beauty in people and in life.

I think the latter is likely to be more successful by my criteria above, or at least have an easier time becoming successful.

 

[overst33r]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying seems fitting

 

[Red Storm]

If you're happy and satisfied, you've achieved success.

 

[acheron]

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women.

 

[vi edit]

Having more people sad/upset that I'm dead than happy about it. That would be a success to me.

🙂

 

[surfsatwerk]

Spending hours on an internet forum arguing against vaccines, evolution, and gay marriage.

 

[kranky]

I think it was Jack Handey who said, "I hope that when I die, people say about me, "Boy, that guy sure owed me a lot of money." 🙂

For me, a successful life means you were loved, you loved others as yourself, you used your talents and resources to help those who needed help, your word was your bond, and you were incorruptible.

 

[bryanl]

One where your children turn out well.

 

[sunzt]

Responses made me realize that happiness and success depends on good/evil intent (alignment)

To be loved vs to be feared
To build vs to destroy
To accommodate vs to force

Most people (like me) rather be loved and build things, but i do occasionally wonder what it would be like to have immense power and use it for evil.... muahahaha....

I'm probably a chaotic neutral ......

 

[blackdogdeek]

I consider myself successful because I can sit back, look at my life and say "wow, I am very lucky".

 

[Kadarin]

Securing a family. To have children that will carry on your lineage long after you are gone.

And if you have children who are meth addicts, thieves, felons, who have to whore themselves out on an escort site, would you call that success?

 

[moonbogg]

Having lots of kids and raising them well and make enough money to provide for them and give them a solid future.

 

[Texashiker]

And if you have children who are meth addicts, thieves, felons, who have to whore themselves out on an escort site, would you call that success?

That standard is subjective.

 

[purbeast0]

i'd measure it on happiness for the most part