The subject of success has come up quite a bit lately in various conversations with people and I have been pondering it off-and-on for quite awhile. I will not attempt to formulate a prescription for success nor endeavour to describe it because I'm just not that bright; plus, I'd be guaranteed to offend at least a few of you and I'd rather not do that. Rather, I just want to comment on what I have seen and experienced regarding success (and for the record, I've seen a lot more than I've experienced!).
I have realized that what our culture tells us a lot of lies about what constitutes success. Putting all one's energy into chasing after that promotion at work, more money, more 'toys', a newer car, and a bigger house, among others things, does not make a person happy. The people I know who live in this world have shallow relationships with others that lack any authenticity/vulnerability, they are often lonely, and their material possessions bring them little fulfillment. They lack joy of any kind. That does not sound much like living to me. At the end of one's life are people really going to remember them for their success? I can't really imagine anyone being eulogized with something along the lines of "Jim was a great businessman and is best known for the promotion he got in 1997, the merger he initiated in 2003 and his jump to a seven-figure salary the following year." Yet, people work like dogs, not stopping to enjoy their families, relationships, or anything else in pursuit of "more." The question is, more what?
Another thing that has been brought to my attention is that striving for success or prestige solely to prove to someone that you're better/stronger/smarter than they have labeled you is a cancer. And that cancer will eat you from the inside out because it's built on resentment--as the old saying goes, “resentment is a poison we take, hoping the other person will die.” Whatever success you may end up finding trying to prove someone else wrong, I do not see how you can enjoy it much. I certainly wouldn't.
The above contains nothing earth-shattering, just some ideas. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm not that bright so there are no truly original thoughts, but rather hopefully a couple reminders to slow down, enjoy life, and remember that "stuff" isn't going to make you happy. I certainly want my life's success to measured in the quality and depth of my relationships as well as the way I impacted people, a phrase oft-repeated by my good friend Randy.
Opinions? Do you think me naive? Out-to-lunch? Just plain dumb?
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1 comment:
It all sounds good to me Matty! Actually, you don't sound dumb in the slightest. If fact, you sound like a burgeoning Buddhist (not to say that you don't sound like a true Christian). Hey, if you want to hear some really earth-shattering ideas, I would love to have you come to one of my Buddhist meetings! Please come! It's open to people of all faiths or philosophical bents, and I haven't found anything more uplifting or reaffirming.
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