Are You Successful? by htargett on Blogster

This is the time of year that I think about “Who am I?”, “Why am I?”, and “To what Purpose?” From what I have read and thought about for seventy odd years, the answers to these general questions for me have been boiled down to say that man’s purpose is to realize his potential. To me it is that simple. He is given life so that he can make of himself a success. That is his aim, his purpose and his goal. (He is also she).

Sounds good I guess but a pat answer is always incomplete. It prompts more probing questions like: “What is Success? What does it consist of? How do I find it?”

Society tells us every day that success is a comparison with others. If one compares his successes with his siblings or his neighbors he may be more successful than anyone he knows but if he broadens his vision the LESS successful he must become because he will inevitably meet someone more successful than he is.

Therefore, I and many others believe that genuine success is not a matter of comparison with some other person; it is what a man does with his own potential, whatever that may be.

Success, therefore, is the progressive realization of worthwhile predetermined personal goals and is not something that can be measured out on a gradient scale.

This means that if I set MY goal (not someone else’s) that is worthwhile (doesn’t harm anyone) and work towards its attainment then I am successful.

Think about it, if you have gotten this far with me this means that once (the very moment) you START TOWARDS your personal predetermined worthwhile goal YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL!

You and I can be successful every day of our lives!

Have a Great Day,

Hugh

17 comments on Are You Successful?

alfredo said 9 months ago
Being Alive is successful.[HEART][HEART][HEART]
htargett said 9 months ago
Can't disagree no will I![SMILE]
anniel said 9 months ago
I quite agree.[THUMBUP][THUMBUP]
shelmadine said 9 months ago
Guess I'm surprised and impressed a person your age would philosophise about success. Proves one's never too old.[THUMBUP]
htargett said 9 months ago
Don't be surprised since I don't think thoughts about our individual lives questioning the meaning and purpose thereof magically stop at a certain age, if anything they may increase with age as one has more time to think about them. [SMILE]
centurion said 9 months ago
I like what you did here. The only danger in this view, merely as a matter of opinion, is in the boiled down "realizing one's potential" assertion. I am convinced that man (both collectively and individually) has limitless potential. And that means that even our best possible efforts can never fully realize it, which in turn can lead to a certain amount of frustration and unhappiness, depriving one of the wonderful feeling of personal contentment. For me, success is exactly that state of consummate contentment - contentment with both my achievements as well as with those things I've come to realize will never be achieved. I guess it's strange to think of success in terms of what you can't do or things you won't have, but I think it's necessary to the state of satisfaction that's essential to contentment.

Another odd thought occurs to me: Success can only be properly determined by your survivors - once you are dead - because as long as you're alive, no matter how "successful" you've been, every new day brings new opportunity for you to really screw it up.

Don't mind me. I take the refuge of cowards and blame any nonsense I might write on my meds.[ROLLEYES]
htargett said 9 months ago
I'll write about those things you know you will never achieve very soon! Excellent observation and it is so true![SMILE]
joerff said 9 months ago
Success is the absence of hate,compassion for humans and animals,knowing what is a sin and taking responsibility for your actions.
htargett said 9 months ago
I'll go along with that![THUMBUP]
80hanginginthere said 9 months ago
GEE THAT IS SO THOUGHTFUL I WONDER EXACTLY WHAT IS SUCCESS? WIFE, MOM, GOOD FRIEND, NEIGHBOR, PERSON,LOVING PEOPLE ALL, GEE YOU GOT ME THINKING REST OF NIGHT I WONDER IF I WILL SLEEP NOW??????????????????[SMILE][HEART][HEART]
anniel said 9 months ago
I've been pondering the same questions lately and feeling that maybe I have missed my goal. I'll turn 60 this coming year and those milestones always cause one to take a good look at one's life. I'm sad that I wasted so many years in non-productive activities and looking back... I would do life differently. But, we don't get that choice. Now, I find I just have to take one day at a time and make the best of it. I'm with alredo.... "Being Alive is successful."[THUMBUP][THUMBUP]
htargett said 9 months ago
I agree with Fredo also because life itself is productive by description. Start a list of EVERYTHING you have accomplished in your life that you are happy about and I bet it will overflow the page![SMILE]
aseeker said 9 months ago
[THUMBUP]AMEN[THUMBUP][SMILE][HEART]
elderjanememorabilia said 9 months ago
Sucess should be measured one day at a time. If you accomplish everything that is within your power to do, then you are a sucess. That is my take on it and I h ave fallen woefully short many times but each new day brings opportunity.[HEART]
htargett said 9 months ago
The one equalizer is time. We all have the same amount of it to spend! No one has more than 24 hours in a day......equality![SMILE]
aseeker said 9 months ago
I sure agree that we cannot judge success by comparing with others- even the Apostle Paul agrees. I eventually came to the personal conclusion though - after setting and blowing more than a few Goals - that God was paying attention to me (hard to believe) and if I paid attention to Him the path before me would provide Joy and Peace - i.e. "success" for me. But everyone takes his own path [SMILE][HEART]
htargett said 9 months ago
Very well said and meaningful![SMILE]