Today is Monday, a day when those of you who are employed are forced to confront the gaping yaw of another workweek. Time for some self-reflection. As you sit at your desk, doing whatever it is you do, ask yourself the following questions: Focus: Do you consider yourself successful? Why? How do you personally define 'success'? Money? Possessions? Power? Something else? Alt. Focus: This is for posters aged 28 and older. Think back ten years. Are you presently where you thought you would be a decade ago? Have your life plans come to fruition? If they have, are they as satisfying as you thought they would be? How has your definition of success changed over time? Discuss.
By any classical definition, I'm not successful; I don't have a house, wife or white picket fence; I also don't have a fancy car, constantly eat at nice restaurants or have dinner parties with the neighbors I hate. By my personal definition, I'm not successful at all. I always figured I would get married by twenty-five to that insanely hot wife, be super ripped and have a fucking gnarly job and find happiness around every corner. Either way, I've done fairly well for myself; finished college, got a career and even managed to get laid a few times. Still have hopes and dreams of going back to school, inventing a rad piece of technology and shaping the future of mankind; I guess I really haven't grown out of being an idealistic fifteen year old.
While I don't like to directly tie money to being successful as a human being, I would define success as experiencing as many of the things you want to experience as possible. But since many of the things I want to experience (mostly travel, but also video games and movies on a 55" flat screen, don't judge me, I have bad eyesight) cost money it's kind of hard to separate money from success for my goals. I also believe that building and maintaining successful relationships (romantic/platonic/familial) is a good measure of your success as a person since being able to do that generally means you're a good person that people want to be around. Totally agree with this. If you want to be a starving artist and have no desire for a family then it's absolutely fine to pursue that path and be dead broke, if it makes you happy then you are still successful as a person. If you desire the white picket fence, kids and everything that lifestyle entails you need to be able to provide at least the basics.
Four years ago I would have told you I was a success, I was making very good money doing mortgages with a company my brother and I had started in 1998, socking money away in a SEP, I was buying property and flipping it, I owned my house free and clear as well as my vehicles, I could travel and fish when and where I wanted. I partied like a rockstar, drank like a fish and thought I was on top of the world. Today I am sober after a trip to rehab still doing mortgage and making it, I work extra jobs so I can still fish and hunt 5-6 weeks a year, I owe more on my house than it is worth because I tried to save 2 investment properties I bought that are currently being shortsaled and may be foreclosed on. I never touched my retirement so I still have that and I still drive the same truck that I paid off. Currently I meet the definition of insolvent to a T. If by success you mean I am better at my job, care more about people, think less of myself and am not as much of an asshole, then yes I am. For myself, if I can continue to hunt and fish as much as I want, then I am successful in my own mind.
What I'm doing today wasn't anywhere close to being on my radar screen 2 years ago, let alone 10. Am I successful? By my standards I am. I'm happy with just about every aspect of my life, and I'm taking positive action towards those areas that need improvement. Life's good today!
I would say that I am relatively successful. Now, I have to say that I absolutely lucked into the job that I am in, but I busted my butt for 5 straight years to be where I'm at right now. I studied, and worked hard, and taught myself alot to get ahead at work, and now I don't live check to check anymore. I still don't have a Porsche or an NSX like that motherfucker BrianH has, but that's okay, it'll come with time. I still squander a hell of alot of money on having fun, but that's the only thing that I'd cut out of my life if I needed to. When I graduated college I never thought I'd be where I'm at right now. I had to break up with the girl I thought I'd marry, move to a city where I didn't know anyone, get through rehab, luck into a job, and try to make something out of my life all on my own. So if that qualifies me as successful, then yeah, I am. No disrespect to BrianH by the way
Currently my thoughts are such: You're rich once money is not an issue for you. I define success pretty simply, as having met my goals and ideally made a better future. I still have to worry about money, and I haven't made as good a future as I want to yet. I'm patient, though, I should have enough time to get at least a bit close to that stuff.
To me success means freedom. I run my own business, make my own hours, am on the path to retire in my 40's, and have employees to pickup where I left off. On the back end of this, as owner I have stress that none of my employees understand. It sucks sometimes, but is heavily outweighed by the positives. My business isn't where I want it to be yet- Passive income where I don't even have to be there, but continues to grow. That's a few years off, but it's nice to have something to look forward to.
Do I consider myself a success? Not yet. I'm a cubicle slave (though I do love my job), who doesn't make nearly enough money to make ends meet, drive a 13 year old car that's falling apart, and I live in the ghetto raising my 3 kids. On the flip side, I have been hugely successful in the last 3 years, just getting to this point. I left a failed marriage after having been a stay home mommy for 6 years, with $17 in the bank, no car, no license and no skill set. I'm thrilled with my progress. Give me another 3 years of self propelled upward momentum like this and I'll be in a good place.
I consider myself to be successful, but not a success. As in, it's still a work in progress, and my no means have I "made it," at least to where I want to be. I'm also still young, though I don't consider that to be an excuse. I'm 22, about to get married in a few weeks to the woman of my dreams (and, on that front, I have zero complaints). About to finish undergrad, and law school is certain to follow. I've been at the same job for eight years, and will utilize the law degree within the company when I graduate. Job-wise, I will never bitch. I get to do what I enjoy, and get paid for it. Money is always something I watch, just because I'm a tight ass, but by no means is it an "issue," at least as much as it used to be, and certainly not like you would expect for someone at my point in life. As far as the living situation, I owned a house for two years and am soon getting out of it (it looks like) having made a few bucks. The house I'm in now doesn't have my name on it, but I don't pay rent either. I still wish I could hunt and fish more, and it wouldn't hurt to own a few more guns. Most importantly, however, I have my health. And as long as I stay healthy, I'm not going to complain at all. Life's too short to fucking complain.
At 32, I was raised middle class and am bonifide middle class. I'm not by any means disapointed, but know I can and will do better. I have had a good run of bad luck that has lasted a decade (mixed with blessings) that have put serious halts in my life (losing my job while my wife was on a 15 month mat' leave), but I have a house that I like (in a neighbourhodd that I don't) and my family has cool shit and doesn't ever go hungry. I know better times lie ahead, but I have a few more level bosses to beat before I rescue the princess. I own one small business, and plan on starting another next year that should do well.
Today is Monday, a day when those of you who are employed are forced to confront the gaping yaw of another workweek. Time for some self-reflection. As you sit at your desk, doing whatever it is you do, ask yourself the following questions: Focus: Do you consider yourself successful? Why? How do you personally define 'success'? Money? Possessions? Power? Something else? Alt. Focus: This is for posters aged 28 and older. Think back ten years. Are you presently where you thought you would be a decade ago? Have your life plans come to fruition? If they have, are they as satisfying as you thought they would be? How has your definition of success changed over time? Discuss. I am successful and I am on a path to be continually being successful. I cannot believe at 22 that I can finally even say that...when less than a year ago I felt like the biggest failure in life. I struggled through most of my life with deep seated anger issues, depression, alcohol problems, school trouble etc even after graduating college I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going. Some how I have gotten over my alcohol problems, cleaned up, my anger is now settled to a calm lake and I have found my passion in life which is totally the opposite of what I went to school for but is fine by me. I am at the happiest point I've ever been within my memory reaches and it seems to be continually increasing, I define this as being successful. I don't make much money at all 9.00 an hour to be exact, I work 50+ hour weeks, have debt up to my eyeballs from my now useless degree, yet every morning when I get up, I wake up with a smile and say today is a good day because I am still living and I am progressing towards what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. I define success in terms of personal harmony and happiness, if you have neither your life will never be fulfilled to its potential. Jeez won't lie but I've been waiting forever and a day to finally get that off my chest, been holding that in for the past 6 months.
Focus: Do you consider yourself successful? Why? How do you personally define 'success'? Money? Possessions? Power? Something else? Up to this point in life I consider myself successful. I am 25, debt free, approaching the two-year anniversary with a great girl, and working two jobs that I love. Job-wise I'm beyond content with my current situation. Do I want to be calling hockey games in the boondocks of Canada forever? No. But at this stage of my career it's natural and it's the right fit. I'm making enough money to enjoy life, but I don't have a ton of 'fuck you money' that I can spend on i,pulse. The fridge is always stocked with food and booze and I'm able to afford at least one lengthy vacation per year. My parents are happy, supportive and two of my best friends in life. I'm dating a girl who makes me want to be a better person and somebody who I find stunningly beautiful even in the most bizarre circumstances. I've got a loyal group of friends who would take a bullet for me, and vice-versa and I get to play golf (for free) twice a week. Sure I've had my peaks and valleys, and I sometimes long to have a job which would allow me the means to splurge on more 'stuff.' But I feel that if someone wakes up, and is surrounded by more positivity than negativity and generally feels good about themselves - That makes them a success in my books.
First post. What's up? Yeah, I'm successful. I don't love my job every day, I could always make more, and I could always be better. But I'm improving myself, and until I throw up my hands and I say 'fuck it', I will see myself as successful. As for where I thought I'd be ten years ago at 18? Haha, I was a delusional little shit who figured if I could become a millionaire by thirty, I would've 'made it'. That was about the time reality set in.