Success is Relative

There are people or should I say citizens living in the United States that are currently working for $10/hour and if they were to receive a wage increase up to $15/hour then they would feel like they have been successful in their careers.

There are other citizens living in the United States who currently feel that if I do not generate $10 million of annual income that their careers have not been successful.

Both individuals are correct in their assessment of themselves and obviously both live completely different lifestyles...  but... what is the correct measure of success?

• One's paycheck?
• One's net worth?
• One's spiritual beliefs?
• One's family and friends?
• One's healthy lifestyle?
• One's frugal lifestyle?
• One's honesty and integrity?
• One's kindness to animals?

Success accentuates the positive not the negative...  however and this oftentimes happens, if one is to be success one also has to create a certain amount of negativity in order to get there...  wherever there might be.

That is to say that success creates winners and losers and while success sometimes does create winners and winners that oftentimes does not happen due to the circumstances that always leads to one's success...  in that the circumstance always pivot around competition.

You might have enough money to purchase a house for $20,000 over the listed price and because others cannot afford to go higher than $20,000 over listed price, you successfully are able to purchase the house that you want, while others were not successful.

How many times does a loser lose before that loser finally decides to quit?

And, therein lies the difference, the winner does not count the number of loses only the number of wins...  and, mathematically or statistically, a winner loses just as often as a winner wins.

Winners don't quit...  which is why most of them are ultimately successful.

However, one can still be successful by not setting such high and lofty goals.

Why not strive for a net worth of $500,000 instead of a net worth of $10,000,000?

One can be successful at both goals.

BUT, our society only measures true success on the amount of financial capital one accumulates over one's lifetime.  Therefore, the more wealthy are the more successful.

I don't think that is the true measure of success and I feel this way not because I don't have a lot of money saved or invested because I have all that I need to live a comfortable life for the rest of my life.  Some may think my definition of comfortable is wrong because my 1500 square foot home will never compare to their 15,000 square foot home or their 10,000 square foot beach cottage on the coast or at Martha's Vineyard.

What can one do in a 15,000 square foot home?  I mean would you allocate so much time each day to be spent in each room or are those extra rooms there for guests that may or may not show up but once or twice a year, around the holiday period.

Why would you want to read a book alone in a room that could easily hold 100 guests.  All one needs is a chair and a lamp or a window with the curtains open.

I am sitting at my desk right now in an 8 X 10 foot room, looking out the window that my Siamese cat is also looking out of, at the three Dogwood trees that I intentionally planted very close together so that they would create an umbrella affect as they matured.  One blooms pink, one white, and one red in the spring of every year without fail.

I planted them that close to symbolize the religious trinity from which a lot of my inspiration comes these days as I find myself aging out of life.  I look at those three trees and I ponder all sorts of things but mainly how I have survived two types of cancer growing side-by-side in my body for over 12 years.

To me, having a window to look out of and see these three trees that enables my mind and thought to be grateful and appreciative of the life I have been given, to me, is being successful.  I don't need a lot of money to help me generate happiness...  and, I feel sad for those who need money or perceive that they need money to generate their happiness for themselves and others.

College Degree = Success = Happiness

Many well educated and well experienced people belief beyond a shadow of a doubt that having a college degree in the KEY to having a successful career and happy life.  In fact, some believe that not just a BA/BS degree is required to achieve success and happiness but that one should seek out a Masters Degree as well.  HOWEVER, I would submit to you that MONEY and GREED are at the foundation of success and happiness not necessarily one's education.

In addition to one's education, one must be willing (more often than not) to violate their values, integrity, honor, and sometimes morals in order to achieve success and happiness...  Yet, it is true that education opens the door...  but, there is much more to it than that.

Successful people (not necessarily happy ones) put their FAMILIES SECOND behind their EMPLOYMENT and the company that employees them.  Successful people (not necessarily happy ones) are willing to work 60-80 hours a week, including nights and weekends...   and, in many cases are sent out-of-town on business trips at the drop of a hat.

Their family life is non-existent...  Their vacations are oftentimes spent conducting business as well...  and, many people enjoy combining business with pleasure but not all families with children are able to cope with this lifestyle.

My father's job for instance, took him away from the family for 9 months out of 12 and he allowed this to happen for about 10 years until he could find himself in a position where options were being presented to him.  Those options were being presented ONLY BECAUSE HE WAS SUCCESSFUL at accomplishing a variety of goals at which many others before him had failed.

SO...

there is a new criteria to add to education and experience and that is SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES...  If you don't there is no promotion and one could face termination of employment.

LIVING UNDER THESE CONDITIONS is not a good methodology by which one manages STRESS.

Additionally, many people are awarded PhD's and decide to teach for a living and even with that amount of education, teachers never become WEALTHY...  They are financially well off, but never WEALTHY...   and, if success and happiness is based upon WEALTH, then these people are never considered to be successful or happy.

I believe after working in a career for 45 years, I can say that the happiest I have ever been is when I had eliminated my stress...  and, once stress was eliminated, I also felt like I was finally successful in life.  Success and Happiness was NOT BASED UPON EDUCATION OR MONEY, but on living a life of contentment and wanting for nothing.

WANTING FOR NOTHING goes against the concept of GREED.  Our entire economic system is predicated upon GREED.  If and when Americans stop wanting more, life as we know it will become meaningless...  and yet, that is exactly what one needs to achieve in order to be successful and happy.  Many wealthy people do not considered themselves successful because there is more money to be earned...  and, while these wealthy people have all sorts of toys, the fact that they want/needs more is an indication that they are NOT HAPPY.