ADN

I was just thinking the other day while I was walking home. I don't have a car of my own as yet, I don't have that much money but what I do have is a family that cares for me and friends that I can share all my sorrows with.

So the question the that came to my mind was what do I really conjecture from the word "success".

To me success is not about having money or a great car but having friends and family who you care about and who care about you and will be there for you in the time of your need. In simple terms its the number of people one has to share his/ her sorrows with. To me thats the real success. All that matters in life is people, thus the number of people who you care for and who care for you would determine your level of success right?

What do you consider to be success? and why?

I'm with you on this one Dee. My two brothers who went into computers/networking/development right out of college would be seen by many as successful and are held up by my father as examples of what "hard work can accomplish". Not to take anything away from either of them, but they were basically in the right place at the right time, making some choices that have paid off down the road monetarily.

I went another path, choosing to serve the less fortunate, spending 15 years after grad school helping people with mental retardation have a better life. It was extremely rewarding and I was very successful at what I did. However, the "world" doesn't put as much value on human services as it does on networking computers. So in the eyes of many (including my father) I am not successful. My house is not as nice as theirs is (not that I give a rats ass, it keeps me dry) and my cars are not as new as theirs (but they're paid for... cash). But I secretly compare my kids and theirs and have a grin to myself. Even with all that my kids have been through with my 3 marriages and other "drama" in their lives, they are far more well adjusted than those of my brothers.

Success to me is being able to look back and think of all the lives I've helped make better. I've got an expandable file filled with letters from parents of some of those kids. Whenever I start feeling down on myself (usually from spending too much time with my Dad), I'll pop open that file and read a few. I'm back on track in no time.

Money has its place in life and does have its importance however as you pointed out it is not the most important of the things in life. Hard work will get you success, monetary success, however it should not be at the cost of people. The people that care about you and who you care about. Many times it is seen that people become so obsessed with making money that they forget about the small things, saying good night to their family, which of course means a lot.

People do forget that a simle gesture of a hand shake or a helping hand to someone who has just fallen down could mean a lot to someone. Those to me are the true measure of success. The peoples lives you have touched and changed for the better.

DD I have had some experience with some of my mates having depression and I have found that when they are feeling down and come to you for your help and you finally get them to smile, it just feels so great and no amount of money in the world could put a price on that. These are some of the many things that would determine success; the true success, of a person.

You're right. Some of my "successes" have been after multiple years of working with a client on the same thing over and over again. It's demanding, patience-trying work, but ultimately very rewarding.

to me, success is a particular thing.

you make a goal. you achieve it.

when you achieve all your goals, you have success.

vertical,
raum

I agree...

And I know you guys might think I'm crapping out here, but I just have a great respect for life...

Man, everyday that I wake up, I feel it is a success...Because if I am alive, I don't feel as if I can fail at anything...Of course things don't always go my way, but shit, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I don't really want them to...

I know that my experiences have forged me into the person that I am, my interaction with friends and family alike are all a part of that...I try to never get down on myself, cause when I look back man, I've done some really great and fun things, and I've been there for people...

I work really hard on being fair, and my day is full of little triumphs...I don't have the greatest of cars, but dammit, I got internet, and I can look at all the cars I want....CDR...I learn something new everyday...My kid smiles at me, and I am loved...I have a slew of friends here on the site that do all sorts of neat things...

Don't get no better than that...

so, you realized you can peep under the door, huh?> /:D" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt=":D" />

I have great confidence in you.

Ch

I'm with Raum again on this one...lol. Success is different for each person. If you have a goal and accomplish it that's being successful

Success is still being on your feet after I cross you over.

That's easy man. I always stop your crossover....