What Is Success? If we want to be successful, we must first be able to define success. What is success? What does it mean. Mainstream culture tells us that success equals money. Most people think that rich people are successful, and poor people aren’t. That, however, is a very shallow idea of success. If someone is miserable, angry, unhealthy, and lonely- are they successful (even if they are rich)? I don’t think so. Most of us need to broaden our idea of success. I define success in terms of health, connection, and freedom. Without physical health, nothing else matters. We cannot enjoy life if we are constantly weak, tired, and sick. Mental health is also important- true success brings happiness, even ecstasy. Does money automatically bring happiness and ecstasy? Obviously not. In fact, money often brings stress. Many people who suddenly become rich are very unhappy. Some even commit suicide. Connection is another vital part of success. Most human beings need to feel connected to other people. We suffer when we are lonely. To be successful, we must have friends and we must know how to connect to other people. Kindness and compassion are important ingredients for true success. Finally, we need to be free to be successful. Of course physical freedom is important- its hard to be successful if you are locked in a prison somewhere. Financial freedom, however, is also important. Many people don’t understand financial freedom. They think that if you have a lot of money, you must be financially free. This is not true. Financial freedom means you have many financial choices. It means you have excellent cash flow. It means you have total control over your finances. For example, many people who appear rich are not, in fact, financially free. Why not? Because they owe more money than they actually have. They have a big, expensive house-- and thus a big expensive house loan. They have a big expensive car loan. They have a large amount of credit card debt. They have many bills. On the outside, they appear rich. But their situation is very dangerous. They could easily lose everything if their income changed suddenly. Another problem-- these people don’t have many financial options. They are already spending more than they have, so they have fewer options for investing in new opportunities.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 13:44:49 +0000
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