One man success is another man's failure.
I feel successful just being alive and not homeless. That's good enough for me
I feel successful just being alive and not homeless. That's good enough for me
Obviously success means something different to everyone. To me, it means setting goals and reaching them.
I am 26 years old, 4 years removed from a Computer Science degree from a good school. I am married, own a house, and enjoy life. All of that really doesn't mean I am successful.
What makes me successful is that I set goals for myself and work my hardest to achieve those goals. Graduate college, get a job, buy a house. Reaching those goals is what makes me successful.
Someone else may not be content with my life, they would consider my home too small, or some may consider it too big. They may see being successful in having a Hummer or whatever. To me it is not the objects, it is the way you achieve them.
Is Paris Hilton successful? She can afford my house, my car, my toys x20000. She can never work a day for the rest of her life. That is not successful.
I am 26 years old, 4 years removed from a Computer Science degree from a good school. I am married, own a house, and enjoy life. All of that really doesn't mean I am successful.
What makes me successful is that I set goals for myself and work my hardest to achieve those goals. Graduate college, get a job, buy a house. Reaching those goals is what makes me successful.
Someone else may not be content with my life, they would consider my home too small, or some may consider it too big. They may see being successful in having a Hummer or whatever. To me it is not the objects, it is the way you achieve them.
Is Paris Hilton successful? She can afford my house, my car, my toys x20000. She can never work a day for the rest of her life. That is not successful.
DivideBYZero
Lifer
- May 18, 2001
- 24,117
- 2
- 0
No. Happiness is happiness. Success is success. They are two different words, and while the often go together, you can have one without the other. Happiness > success.
As a point...
I have a 3 year old. She is a lot of fun, laughs a lot, has lots of time to play and dance. She is very much loved. She is happy. However, she is not successful.
I have a brother. He has an awesome job making $200K+ and works two weeks on, two weeks off. He is a college grad, has complete financial freedom (other than child support) and is successful. However, he has 5 kids. 2 are dead. 1 is not his. His ex-wife took half of his retirement and is quite possibly the devil. He is not happy.
I have a 3 year old. She is a lot of fun, laughs a lot, has lots of time to play and dance. She is very much loved. She is happy. However, she is not successful.
I have a brother. He has an awesome job making $200K+ and works two weeks on, two weeks off. He is a college grad, has complete financial freedom (other than child support) and is successful. However, he has 5 kids. 2 are dead. 1 is not his. His ex-wife took half of his retirement and is quite possibly the devil. He is not happy.
Having sex with females does not define success to me, maybe to many others.
I define success as having survived the Vietnam War and still being alive.
SociallyChallenged
Elite
- Mar 22, 2002
- 10,483
- 32
- 81
Success for me is having a loving family. A degree, for me, is essential in being successful because it allows me to be an example for my children potentially and also allows me to provide well enough for them. Family is first, career is second in order of importance of success.
I am not happy in certain aspects of my life... namely, my "career".
I love my husband and my family.
Success is when you can look back on your life and not have regrets.
When you can look back on your life and realize that you were the most decent human being that you could have been.
In other words, You only fail, if you fail to try to do what you want/need to do or/and you fail as a decent human being.
Being successful is the process to to keep trying to do these two things.
When you can look back on your life and realize that you were the most decent human being that you could have been.
In other words, You only fail, if you fail to try to do what you want/need to do or/and you fail as a decent human being.
Being successful is the process to to keep trying to do these two things.
dr150
Diamond Member
- Sep 18, 2003
- 6,570
- 24
- 81
If you're happy, your successful!!....Do things for you and NOT for others.
As an American who's lived in many places abroad, I find Americans generally are frazzled/unhappy as a whole. Americans envy other's success, most typified by the media hammering of what others have and you don't. The weak minded (75%+) fall for this unfortunately.
Because the US is an immigrant nation, there's no unifying, supportive culture. Ethnicities hang with their own--isolated. No true cohesion causes distrust.
In other countries where I truly see happiness, they aren't worried about making millions and having the *bling* to show off in front of friends. They care about friends and family and as a community they're unified and supportive of each other. Plus they don't work HUGE American type hours. The work to **LIVE**. The constant pressure to work in the US has ruined this country's quality of life. People in other countries may have less, but they are waaaaaaaaay happier!!
As an American who's lived in many places abroad, I find Americans generally are frazzled/unhappy as a whole. Americans envy other's success, most typified by the media hammering of what others have and you don't. The weak minded (75%+) fall for this unfortunately.
Because the US is an immigrant nation, there's no unifying, supportive culture. Ethnicities hang with their own--isolated. No true cohesion causes distrust.
In other countries where I truly see happiness, they aren't worried about making millions and having the *bling* to show off in front of friends. They care about friends and family and as a community they're unified and supportive of each other. Plus they don't work HUGE American type hours. The work to **LIVE**. The constant pressure to work in the US has ruined this country's quality of life. People in other countries may have less, but they are waaaaaaaaay happier!!
dr150
Diamond Member
- Sep 18, 2003
- 6,570
- 24
- 81
There is no such thing as financial security. Most all in this country are relegated to Middle Class work until retirement.
Govt. jobs are the best if you don't want to worry about getting fired.
If you want to help people (a very NOBLE thing to do which is very satisfying IMHO), you can get a social work degree. My brother is a community college counselor and received is MA in SW. He makes $70k a year (for life) and gets tremendous satisfaction counseling others with their problems. Every worker in his dept. ADORE their jobs--an ideal mix of what you're talking about...
Yes, you are successful at being happy. Success in general is not defined by happiness. The mechanic eeking by changing oil is not, by most definitions, regardless of his current happiness, successful.
If you define happiness to equal success, then we can eliminate one of the words from our vocabulary entirely.
what are you talking about? are you sure that is the word you wanted to use? I don't think it means what you think it means.
rich dad poor dad, easy reads and some great ideas in there......i liked how they explained it does not matter how much you make, if you still waste it all compared to investing and using your money wisely.
Yes, but with social work you better be prepated to get at least an MA, if not PhD. Social workers in our hospital, with an MA, make about $20/hour. My brother got his SW degree before finding out a starting job was $8/hr. He then joined the army.
Your brother is lucky.
so were american indians successful at life before the white man slaughtered them and forced them to live under our civilzations guidelines?
Very true. That's why I don't define my success based on my career, income, or material possession. The more I made, the more I was unhappy because I always wanted more and thought I should have more. Now I have the mindset to be just contend with what I have and I'm much happier. Why would myself to death to buy crap I don't even enjoy.
Very true. My in-laws are single income with 6 kids (only 2 living at home.) My mother-in-law can manage money like a mofo. They make probably around $60k/year (that is alright in Alaska....) but live in a huge house, are debt free, and have retirement. They don't splurge on stupid stuff and she coupon shops. I would say her money management style has them living more like they make $100k. Do people realize how much money they save by saving and paying cash for a vehicle? Or paying credit cards on time? Thankfully my wife has some of this skill. For example, I have a lot of brand name clothes (not awesome, AE, Gap, Ralph Lauren) but my wife only buys them for me on discount. $50 khakis for $7 is awesome!
Success if partly defined by our society. Someone successful in America has a different lifestyle than someon who is successful in Darfur.
And no, hunting buffalo and barely making it through winters is not success by today's standards.
DivideBYZero
Lifer
- May 18, 2001
- 24,117
- 2
- 0
Meh, a career is a means to an end. Enjoy life if you cannot enjoy work. Work simply supports life, no matter how much you think you love it.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes + WCL Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 23K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
News NVIDIA and Intel to Develop AI Infrastructure and Personal Computing Products- Started by poke01
- Replies: 411
Facebook
Twitter