7 of 70

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 2

success forever. You either achieved it or you didn't, right? But it doesn't seem to work like that. We talk about success being fleeting or describe someone as having been successful once upon a time. This suggests that to be considered successful, your successes must be current or recent. And there's an added twist. Successful people don't automatically lose it all when they retire. Perhaps the reputation of success' can be maintained as long as it's not replaced by a condition deemed worse.

Now for the big question how much is enough? Feeling successful is very personal. We all know people who see their own success quite differently to how we would view it. One way to look at it might be that we judge success as a ratio of desirable to undesirable outcomes. We'll see ourselves as successful when our actions yield more positive results than negative or neutral ones, and can feel like a success' overall when we can achieve such outcomes fairly consistently. Where people might differ is in what they count as a positive or negative result.

So dock the yacht and send the autograph hunters home. True success might lie in a rather inelegant search for a preponderance of desirable outcomes attained consistently through one's own actions'.

Learn more about this author, Adele Gregory.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2

Add your voice

Know something about The true meaning of success?
We want to hear your view. Write now!