What is it? What is success? I recently had a discussion about this with someone and was just curious to know what various people think about the term “success”. How do you know when you are “successful”? When you have “made it”?
ABEV: a bird’s eye view
An overly eclectic, likely inconsequent[ial], and blatantly fo[w]l blog on life, family, literature, law, and religion.
MA
Recent Comments
-
Recent Posts
- A Stranger, A Pilgrim: Liveblogging El Camino
- Mouths of Babes — Does Can Mean Should?
- Our Dead V: Memorial Day at St. Paul’s Cathedral
- Latent Racism, Orientalism and “Magic Underwear” in American Society and Mitt Romney’s Presidential Campaign
- Becoming a Mormon: Thinking about a Brand with Elder Ballard
Archives
- March 2013
- May 2012
- January 2012
- October 2011
- August 2011
- June 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- July 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
Links
Blogs
all-encompassingly * A Soft Answer * Bloggernacle Times * By Common Consent * Clean Cut * Defensor Veritatis (Catholic) * Ethesis * Green Mormon Architect * Headlife * Heart Issues for LDS (Evangelical) * Hopolios * Keepapitchinin * Kulturblog * Lehi's Library * Mormanity * Our Thoughts * Peter Priestertum * Radio Beloved * Salt Lake Architecture * Times and Seasons * Two Sticks (Jewish) * Velska's Blog
Political
U.S. Constitution * Declaration of Independence * Reflections on the Revolution in France * The Federalist Papers * The Anti-Federalist Papers * The Federalist Society * American Enterprise Institute * The Heritage Foundation * The Cato Institute * NGO Watch
International
Constitutions of the Americas * International Court of Justice * International Criminal Court
Europe
EU Constitution * European Court of Human Rights * European Court of Justice * European Parliament * European Union
Daily Reads
BBC News * CNN * Le Monde * London Times Online * National Review Online * Wall Street Opinion Journal * Die WeltUplifting Quote
Your tyranny
I was part of
Is now cracking
On every side
And your own life
Is in danger
Your empire
Is on fire
Meta
Blog Stats
- 101,620 hits
That term is entirely subjective, but I think it boils down to whether you have met the goals of whatever type you have set for yourself.
True. But once one meets goals, there is still always more to accomplish.
…and if you don’t accomplish more, by setting further goals and achieving them, you aren’t successful? I don’t think that’s true, so my statement still seems accurate to me.
I reckon part of the difficulty in defining success lies in reconciling exogenous and endogenous definitions that may change over time and space.
For example, success for a blue-collar worker dreaming of a better life might entail a desk job and the freedom to blog on company time. But her boss sure won’t mistake the life of a cube dweller for any kind of success, and after a few months, perhaps the worker will readjust as well. The boss’s definition of success might rely on the recognition and praise of others, and as long as that remains outstanding, no raises, Blackberries or company cars will compensate.
While I wouldn’t say that others’ expectations always trump personal determinations of success, one can’t easily ignore them, especially when they involve notions of some kind of Faustian drive, a world of ever expanding horizons.
Success might simply mean being able to provide for yourself or your family, if you have one.
Ultimate success in the Gospel context is obviously attaining the Celestial Kingdom with our families, although that will be because of Christ’s atonement rather than anything I do. Still, even once we reach that lofty sphere, won’t we still be working toward something?
I also get PEter’s definitions that vary depending on who is looking.
After thinking about this a little more, I have decided that success is an attitude more than a destination. What do you think about that?
The question is whether “success” requires winning or not.
The Latin suggests movement–going from a lower point to a higher. I sort of like the non-static implications–that we succeed by continuing to climb.
Thanks, Kristine. Although I must say- that definition of success is exhausting to consider. Can’t we ever just sit still and enjoy? Then again, I think I would get bored quickly sitting still…