When you think of the word “successful,” who’s the first person that comes to mind and why?
If you answered yes,then you’re successful. If you’re happy, more often than not, you’re successful. If you’ve overcome your obstacles, you’re successful. If you don’t succumb to fear, you’re successful. Success has very little to do with money. If we indeed pursue happiness in this world, then anyone who achieves even a moment of happiness is a success. If you’ve achieved peace with the inevitably of your death, you are a successful person.
Since early childhood my family compared me unfavorably to anyone and everyone. Thereby, I quickly learned comparisons are invalid. Regarding death, my degrees are in Anthropology with a concentration in Thanatology. Paraphrasing Socrates when sentenced to choose death or exile and choosing death, “Death is either a dreamless, eternal sleep or a continuation of consciousness in a more just society.” As a nontheist I agree; death is either non-experience and nothing to fear or it is a continuation probably in some better form. Nothing to fear.
Well put 👏
Those are very good measures, and helpful reminders for me today.
I’ve been told I’m a tremendous success by one person in my life, and those were words I desperately needed to hear. Since then I’ve been learning to be a kinder to myself, and I know I have value. I’d been beaten down by most everyone I had ever known to that point.
I don’t view success monetarily, or by the number of funeral attendees when someone dies. It’s likely as a late-life self-identified autistic person I will die in abject poverty far sooner than the average life expectancy, and with few knowing anything about me or my accomplishments. That’s okay, and it’s better than being forced into torture chambers five or more days every week.
How we express love without hollow words, how we treat others in despair and those without a voice is what matters most to me in the area of success. That’s what I’ll be taking with me when I slip away.
Dogs and cats who don’t like strangers seek my company and easily attach to me. It’s always an honor. Cats will come out of hiding, even before I had much experience with them. They too have me feeling like a true human success story! 😺🐶
Great point! The ability to earn animals’ trust is very much something for which we all should be striving ,in order to be considered a successful person.