Tim Woods´s last blog post..Practical Ingenuity

“This might help propel you into it more, or it may open you up to the illusion.”

Love it!

@ Anna, I think freedom is a huge component of success. You do your business full time, right? If you make enough money that you don’t even need a job, that’s pretty darn successful even in a purely materialistic sense!

@ Alex, sorry your comment got eaten, but thanks for trying again. You and Madonna are great examples of how we just gotta do what we gotta do.

@ Ron, you might be one of the few who think that way, but so am I. It’s great that not everybody is going after the same thing. We can all decide on our own values.

@ Akemi, I know America has that stereotype, and I’m sure it’s true compared to most other countries. But actually, I can’t think of anyone I know in person who cares much about money. Once at work a few years ago, we had the option to work some extra hours to make some extra money, and I was the only one who did.

I actually think I’m pretty balanced on this. Yes, I’d like the “American Dream” (though I’m not sure exactly what the official definition is), but I’d also like to achieve enlightenment. To want one but not the other would seem really strange to me. We’re spiritual beings living on Earth, so it makes sense we’d have an interest in both worlds. I don’t see any conflict at all. In fact, one can help the other.

You don’t feel conflicted about being both a successful entrepreneur and a lightworker, do you?

Yeah, if you can get rid of any blog poltergeists I may have, that would be great!

@ Bamboo Forest, although we have different definitions for success, I think we’re generally in agreement. If someone has all the money in the world but is obnoxious, I’d say they’re successful but a jerk, because success refers to just the money. You might say they’re not successful because success includes character. Either way, we agree that money isn’t remotely everything. Also, good point about practice being pleasure.

@ Marelisa, yes, I saw that post of yours. I’d say he’s obviously made the right decision, because he’s doing what he wants to do. But I wonder what he was doing at Harvard in the first place. University professors are usually people who want to do research, not teach. People who like teaching tend to aim at high school and below.

Marelisa´s last blog post..54 Tips For Writers, From Writers

“But don’t redefine “success” to mean “happiness” just because it’s much easier to achieve, and you have this false idea that all good people are required to be successful.”

I would say… that success does mean attaining happiness. Because if you have achieved success, you have attained something that is of great value. And happiness is of profound value. Moreover… happiness is actually not always a very easy thing to attain – it can require enormous effort, strategy and humility.

I’d argue there’s also character success. By working on ourselves we can become better citizens. And yet… you could have all the money in the world and be a preeminent business man and still be a really obnoxious human being.

I understand the traditional definition… but my definition is simply that success is achieving a worthwhile goal.

All this said… the price that some had to pay, for example, to make it to the NBA, NFL or MLB etc., was not quite as large a price as we may think considering that this is a craft they cherished, and spending many hours doing it was often a pleasure.

Moreover… Playing basketball with other people… that’s akin to running through the fields in some ways. Except by engaging in this sort of craft it could lead to a professional career.

Bamboo Forest – PunIntended´s last blog post..Why You Should Accept Everything in Life Just the Way it is

Akemi – Yes to Me´s last blog post..Ask The Readers: What Is Romantic Love?

In the oriental mindset, there is a strong sense of apprehension, or even despise, about pursuing worldly success. We have valued, say a mystic who has achieved enlightenment, and those who have achieved worldly success would gladly go to them, bow and ask for guidance. The mystic could easily ask for tons of money or fame, but he just wouldn’t, because he knows that would only make him busy and interfere with his own life.

This is just one example. And of course there are plenty of those who seek “success” anywhere in the world. But there are also other models to follow.

I think it’s time to free ourselves from the stereotype of “successful life”.

Akemi – Yes to Me´s last blog post..Creating The New World, Part 5 Power

Is wealth important to me? Yes. I can use my wealth to serve humanity.

Is status important to me? Yes. I can use my staus to influence people which ultimately makes humanity better.

I am a success chaser. I would curl up and die if I did not chase it. It would actually scare if I were not chasing success.

Sure, I may pay the price and give up a lot BUT I’ll gain much more.

Besides, once I die none of it will matter anyway.

Just enjoy the ride doing what you want to do when you want to do it!

Ron´s last blog post..Free Authority guide about no cost exit-plans.

Everyone determines their own level of success. Madonna wouldn’t have been happy I’m sure with anything less than what she has achieved despite all the turmoil it’s brought along with it.

Likewise I’ve chosen to live with a low income because I want to be happy along the journey. I recognize that I might not achieve success with my goals (like becoming a fiction author), but trying makes me happy and that’s success enough for me.

It’s a choice and when people let the choice be made for them by others then they’ll never find personal success no matter what traditional success they might achieve.

Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post..Living with Tough Decisions: Angie Haggstrom Interview

Glen Allsopp said:

“Excellent post Hunter and very well written.

This part was definitely my favourite:

Likewise, I wouldn’t consider Barack Obama a failed dentist, or Mohandas Gandhi a failed football player. Maybe they’re not good at those particular things, but they have different objectives.

That right there is the key to all of this. If you are chasing some form of success then it’s probably a good idea that right now, you look at your motivations for doing so. This might help propel you into it more, or it may open you up to the illusion.

Thanks for the quote!”

and Anna Conlan said:

“Hi Hunter!

This was an interesting post and timely for me because I realized recently that everyone has their own version of success. I just wrote on my blog about how certain family members of mine often disagree with choices I make because their version of success and mine don’t coincide. So whereas they may see success as material security and stability, I see it as how much fun I’m having and how free I feel to do my own thing.

Anna”