Define success.
March 10, 2010 1:03 PM   Subscribe

In our professional or personal life, there are different parameters taken into consideration while judging whether a person is successful or not. These may be well defined, like at work, where you get feedback or much less defined and hard to quantify. I am finding it increasingly difficult to define success at work and I want to set long-term parameters by which I can define my success, irrespective of what the job requirements are. But I am also curious as to how you define it in other areas of your life- hobbies, spirituality, relationships- you name it. So, what does success mean to you?
posted by xm to Grab Bag (4 answers total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Chatfilter. -- cortex

 
Success results in something that increases my level of control over myself or my life. With greater control, I am better able to pursue what I think will make me happy. So success does not necessarily equal happiness, but it is a prerequisite of happiness.
posted by 517 at 1:12 PM on March 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


Success for me, generally, is achieving the goals I've set for myself in roughly the timeframe and manner I'd hoped for...or, alternately, recognizing opportunities and taking advantage of them when they're presented, even if they deviate from the path I'd assumed I'd take. It's a sense of accomplishment and forward momentum, satisfaction with what I've done and the knowledge that I'm moving in a positive direction.

Professional success, specifically, is doing the tasks that I've been given as quickly and as well as I'm able -- often going beyond the bare requirements and thus exceeding expectations -- while earning the respect of my peers and supervisors and taking steps toward where I'd like to be in my job. It's also the feeling of being a member of a community of professionals, with whom I can network and collaborate over the years, and which often results in real friendships that make my work that much more satisfying.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 1:22 PM on March 10, 2010 [2 favorites]


Happiness. Simple and pure.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 1:23 PM on March 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


Being successful is being able to say you're proud of what you've accomplished.
posted by lizbunny at 1:26 PM on March 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


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