Success

[poliphilo]

What constitutes success?

Take my man Stephen Foster. He was America's first professional songwriter. He drank too much and his marriage suffered. His songs are still performed today. He died broke at 37.

He wrote "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" but his wife had already left him.

Is that success or failure?

Or is the paradigm irrelevant?

I'm thinking about myself, of course.

I've never been cut-throat ambitious. I've written all my life, but never worked particularly hard at getting published. I have publication credits here, there and over yonder, but not what you'd call a career. And do I care? No, not really.

I'm living my life on my own terms. That's what matters to me.

Comments

Odd but I just had this conversation yesterday...

[punrufie.livejournal.com]

The paradigm is not irrelevant, but it's a personal and highly subjective litle beast.

Me, I have had an astoundingly successful life by my own terms; much to the amazement of others who can't quite figured out how somone with such a lackadaisical and come-what-may attitude could have such brilliant "luck". I don't work overly hard to get anywhere, to do anything, or to be anyone, but I constantly fall into situations where opportunities present themselves.

My opinion is that some people just try too hard to be perfect, to be the best, the biggest, the grandest...etc. My advice to relax is met with accusations of idealism and a lack of understanding about how the real world works on my part. I can't say who is right or wrong, or even if a right and wrong exist in this case, but I am curious to see who comes out feeling more fulfilled in the end.

Re: Odd but I just had this conversation yesterday...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

"fulfilled" is a key word.

I wasn't always so relaxed about success, but even when I wasn't relaxed I never worked that hard at making things happen. My philosophy is to go with the flow- and I don't think it's ever let me down.