Definition of success

One mans view

Published on December 10, 2004 By Draginol In Philosophy

How do you define success? Different people define it different ways of course.

But most of the time, people in conversation qualify the term success. They say things like "He is very successful in business" or "She has a successful marriage".

So what does success mean in the generic sense? What does it mean when someone says John is successful?

Here's my definition:

A successful person is one who is able to achieve a level of material and emotional comfort in which their needs and desires are easily met. A successful person is someone who is happy in both their personal life and is able to acquire most material goods without consideration.

The more successful the person, the more the happier they are in their personal life and the more material desires they are able to fill without consideration.

Example:
A person who is happy with their home life, loves their job, can afford to go to the movies at any time they want, doesn't worry about how much dinner costs or how much a hard cover book they like costs is more successful than the guy who hates his job, has to go to the matinee showing of the movie, and has to wait for the discount paperback book to come out.

So in a debate, when I say someone is more successful than someone else, I am saying that that person has achieved some combination of being happier with their home life, happier in their career, and more financially capable of obtaining what material goods and services they desire without concern.

Comments

iamheather

on Dec 10, 2004

Very insightful. I would only add "spiritual comfort" to the definition.

SSG Geezer

on Dec 11, 2004

I would have to say that to be a success, you must do a better job of raising your children then your parents did with you. Or at least do as good a job if your upbringing was better than most.
If they turn into good, kind, thinking persons, You are a success.

InBloom

on Dec 11, 2004

Success: occurs when you have reached happiness and fullfillment in your life.

Moderateman

on Dec 11, 2004

I think success comes in many forms dragonal {prolly misspelled yer name} I agree that what you blogged is YOUR definition for success, not mine tho.

i HAVE most of what your said but my success comes from waking up in the morning looking at my wife. seeing the black under her eyes seeing her hair stand straight in the air and the worse case of morning breath EVER. and think to myself what a lovely creature, how was I so blessed to have this woman in my life.

iamheather

on Dec 11, 2004

waking up in the morning looking at my wife. seeing the black under her eyes seeing her hair stand straight in the air and the worse case of morning breath EVER. and think to myself what a lovely creature, how was I so blessed to have this woman in my life.

Bless you, moderateman. The world needs more men like you! That was too sweet.

Kobrano

on Dec 11, 2004

Damn, I guess by the definition of success, i've been a successful person for the majority of my life. I have a great wife, two great kids, a nice house (thats mostly paid off) in the most desirable area to live in Michigan (according to the newspapers), and we both have successful careers.

We do what we want, when we want to, and buy things that we want. However, I will say, even with our success, we both find it exciting to "Get deals" on things, and to pinch pennies. Not because we can't afford things, but because the less you spend, the more you have, and its quite a challenge to hang on to your money nowadays. Anyone with money can throw gobs of money around, but the real challenge is to hang onto it for the sake of building more wealth.

But suffice it to say, when we want to go out and have $25 per plate Prime Rib dinner, we do, and there is absolutely no worry about whether or not we can afford it, that just doesn't come up, and hasn't come up in many many years.

You've made me reflect with this article, i've been so busy the last few years, and have had so much going on, that I never real sat back, and said "Dang, i'm successful"... I guess we should all reflect at times about where we are, who we are, and where we want to be, and then see if we are there. If we aren't, then figure out why, and make it happen. If we are there, then take it all in, and enjoy it. Life is too short.

-BobM (Kobrano)

imajinit

on Dec 11, 2004

I don't know for sure if this counts as flat out disagreeing with you, but I would venture so far as to say that 'success' has nothing to do with material things. But then I have to consider different perspectives. Success in whose eyes? Success in the eyes of society? Success in the eyes of God? Successful by our own standards? In the eyes of our peers? Our Family? I don't think they're all the same, all the time.

It sounds like the success you're defining is in your eyes. You're taking a step back and telling yourself, "Brad, you have all the things you want, your business is going well, you have a beautiful wife and healthy children, you must be successful"... That or you're lucky, or 'blessed', or you've worked hard and been lucky... and blessed.

This is a work in progress, and I'm kinda thinking as I write... When I look over the list up there, I have to speculate that your family, your peers, & society all view you as successful as well, so perhaps they coincide more often than I think. I don't know what your religious views are, and I have no desire to troll up your thread with religious banter, but I wonder what God's view of success is. I mean, Ghandi and Mother Theresa were both very successful people, but they didn't have material things... the ability to buy whatever they wanted was never really a factor in their everyday lives, as far as I can tell. I think their view of success was more associated with 'denial of the self', and learning to live without the material things that society tells us we need to have in order to be successful. (of course, that was only a small part of what made them successful IMO)

I think success and happiness are intrinsically linked, and I think happiness is the more important of the two. I believe wholeheartedly that one can be happy without being 'successful' by society's standards. When I hear about a woman who adopts 3 children with AIDS, and then gets stricken with cancer herself, I don't view her as unsuccessful if she can't afford to go to the movies.

Please don't think that I'm being judgmental of you, because that's not my intention at all... I'm certainly no philanthropist. I'm as selfish and self-centered as they come, but what sucks about my situation is that I'm surrounded by material things that are supposed to make me happy (some of which are paid for, and some aren't), but they don't. I have a hole in my heart that can only be filled spiritually, but I'm apparently not 'broken' enough to allow it to be filled.

The day is coming when I'll be able to 'give back' to a world that has been so good to me. (I wrote about it in a recent article)... When I'm 'giving back' in some capacity, then I'll consider myself 'successful'...

relswick

on Dec 11, 2004

I would agree here with imajinit.

I would define success as something you have set a goal to try and achieve. Once you have, then you are successfull.

The question I would say to ask, is: Am I doing the morally right thing with this goal.

I love the examples imajinit put down too!

Two reaon why I decided to pursue Engineering in college.

1. I met an engineer previously, who affected me with his all encompassing knowledge of a machine! I wanted to be him.
2. I wanted to do (invent) something in my lifetime, which would help mankind and be known for it.

I have completed the first one and the second I have basically done with my present job. Of course, now I also have a family to raise, so priorities shift, but one day I hope to refocus my efforts on #2.

iamheather

on Dec 11, 2004

I have a hole in my heart that can only be filled spiritually, but I'm apparently not 'broken' enough to allow it to be filled.

I would only add "spiritual comfort" to the definition.

imajinit....this is the hardest form of success because spirituality is fluid and can vary from day to day...I wish you spiritual success.

cactoblasta

on Dec 11, 2004

I solely define success in spiritual and happiness terms. I've already got the money, and I'll never have to work for it, so to define success with some element of economics seems pointless to me. But if I can be a good person, and find that unity between God and humanity then I'd consider my spiritual life a success. If I can be happy at the same time then I'd consider myself successful full-stop.

Draginol

on Dec 15, 2004

We can all definine success on a personal basis.

But when a stranger says "That man (or woman) is very successful" do you think that they are saying that that person has reached their "spiritual center"?

Many terms, such as success, do not have an ultimate definition because they are subjective. As a result, we have to rely on consensus. And that consensus is likely to be different from culture to culture. In the United States, I am pretty confident that the definition of success I've provided is pretty in-line with how the vast vast vast majority of Americans define it.

Most Americans aspire to achieve happiness and contentment by a combination of having a satisfying home and professional in which their professional life generates enough income for them to obtain the material possessions they desire. This is one of the reasons why Americans work so hard and long. Now, you may not agree that this is what people shoudl be doing but that's completely irrelevant. We can argue about how things should be all day. This is a question of how things are.

cactoblasta

on Dec 15, 2004

True, but then again the West seems to be undergoing a new wave of spiritualism at the moment. Books and videos claiming to show the path to inner success are everywhere, and it may be only a matter of decades before this has a significant impact on the very meaning of success. But of course you are right - most people do define success in terms of financial power. But the envy for successful people isn't so strong these days, particularly with the spread of the mass media into the lives of celebrities. Success doesn't glitter so much any more, even if it's still desirable.

Draginol

on Apr 02, 2005

In the real world, when discussing what it means to be successful, it's the same few factors coming up over and over: A combination of financial, family, and education "wealth". Fame can also become a factor.

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