Is there such a thing as success?

[The Cloud]

Success. That is what we all live for. That is what we all strive for. That's why we go to school, that's why we go after women/men, that's why we struggle and toil and sweat over life. But what is it? What is success? Can you give me a jar of success? Can you measure me out a mole of success? Can you detect a current of success running through the bodies of CEOs and Presidents? No, you can't, there is no unit for success, there is no measure of success. Success exists only in our minds. Success is totally subjective. And therefore success does not exist. It has no physical designation, it is not real. We work hard, push ourselves, do things that we do not want to do, things that cause us stress and unhappiness and ulcers and heart disease, all in the name of success, all in the name of something that does not exist. And we expect it to make us happy. We expect that all this hard work that we complain about and stress over will make us happy, never once questioning why we do things that make us unhappy to make us happy. The hypocrisy of it all is astounding, that unhappiness will somehow lead to happiness, that stress will somehow lead to relaxation. We're all in such a hurry to finish the things we don't like doing to make time for the things that we want to do that we never ask ourselves why we're doing things that we don't want to do in the first place. We're so hell-bent on accumulating as much success as we possibly can that we don't even stop to ask what purpose we are actually trying to fulfill. So, what do you do without success? I'm not sure, but I suspect it involves just being, just happening, just letting myself do what it is that I want to do because there is no objective judgment of what happens. I am willing and in fact eager to hear alternative hypothesis, however.

[Johnny5]

Hi there,

Success is the positive outcome in the way we wanted. That is the success. If you don't know what you are looking for, you will not find success.

For example:

If you go to college to get four years degree, and you complete the course and get the degree. It is a success, because you get the degree.

On the otherhand, you decided to drop out of school, because of financial reason or other reason that you will not get the degree. It is a failure, because you do not get a degree.

And you can apply the term of success to any area of your life.....

Success in business....because the business is growing....expanding....make more money.

Success in relationship....because relationship is in a positive way that make you happy and stay together.

Success in war....because the war that you started turn out the way you wanted....

Success in leadership....Because the leadership brings more positive way for the followers...

Not all people have success in everything....Even Bill gates. He was a college dropped out (failure in schooling); however, he is running Microsoft very successfully, so he is a success person in business, but a failure in school...

Henry Ford....the founder of Ford Motor got only 6th grade Education; however, he ran Ford Motor very successfully.....

If you know what you're looking for, you will find success.... if you don't, you will be confused, lost your way in the world....and pondering the meaning of success.

Best Regards;

Johnny

[DrMartinRussell]

You've got a minimum of 3 different concepts in there

1. Success - and getting what you are going after is a reasonable definition

2. Happiness - you seem to be suggesting this is the real purpose of getting success. I disagree. Happiness can come without success as defined above. In fact waiting for happiness this way is a formula for mid-life crisis.

Here's an eloquent video of the science - get at least 3 minutes in to get hooked...
TED | Talks | Dan Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren't we happy? (video)

3. Purpose - ah, well. Different again. You may go after a purpose and NEVER achieve it ie succeed, but it was still worth doing.

If it helps...

[The Cloud]

Originally Posted by Johnny5

Success is the positive outcome in the way we wanted. That is the success.

Yes, but how do you define a positive outcome? By what you want? Then the positivity of the outcome is purely subjective, and so the perceived success is also subjective. Is there any way to prove, in an objective fashion, that a particular outcome is desirable?

Originally Posted by Johnny5

On the otherhand, you decided to drop out of school, because of financial reason or other reason that you will not get the degree. It is a failure, because you do not get a degree.

Again, what objective scale can be used to define the "goodness" or "badness" of not getting a degree? I can't think of one. All a degree does is says that you have this or that knowledge, but you'd have that knowledge without the degree. So the degree is just an imperfect subjective representation of the knowledge that you supposedly have gained in college. Maybe it says that you're really smart, maybe it says you know how to butter up the professors, maybe it says that you're a good cheater. It proves nothing, it's just an idea that has been created by people, and for some reason has replaced the objective pursuit of knowledge as the goal of school. So instead of going to school for useful knowledge that can be used to further interact with the universe, you go for a letter grade and a piece of paper that really has nothing to do with reality.