Share Your Light

You are a miracle - Let it happen

#JustAThought … What Means Success?

February 8, 2020•Just a thought, Success

In our society success seems to be defined by sales numbers, collecting awards and degrees, follower numbers, likes, possessions… Yes, we all need to make a living and of course, want to enjoy life since money still rules this world. But even aside from the thoughts about our financial security still, the need for having more and more and more doesn’t stop. As long as society plays that game, those plans will work out.

But does it make one happy? Or does it only feed the hunger to keep up that race? Isn’t there a motivation behind only satisfying my own ego by impressing others and their egos how much better I am? Sometimes even by faking results. There is something for everyone and that is why no one must be discouraged to share their skills. Not the majority says what’s good. Especially, when it is more of a herd reaction to go with the crowd than a personal decision. In that case, the object everybody is running after is an empty shell and will break sooner or later.

I don’t say success has nothing to do with money and acknowledgment. Making money with what I do can be a consequence of success and yes, a confirmation that I must do something quite right. But money and becoming famous should not be the motivation and driving force behind my deeds. If what I do comes from the heart and not from a place of being focused on money and achievement, it will always turn out wonderfully and will bring beautiful confirming successful results.

I would like to know what success means to you.

In Love and Light

Discover more from Share Your Light

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

About the Author

Erika's avatar

Posted by

The purpose of my blog is to inspire and shine a light on the beauty and power of the wonderful being inside your body. You came into this world to share what only you can give. Remember who you really are, conquer the world the way you always wanted to, and become the blessing to us all that you were meant to be.

Categories:

Just a thought, Success

Tags:

, , , ,

91 Comments

What a food for thought post for this day, Erika. How often have we seen so called successful people not be able to enjoy their success because of insecurities believing they have to top themselves in order to consider themselves successful. Everyone has their own individual definition of success which should be respected. As for me, success means that I am putting forth a sincere effort towards goals and dreams. I believe the outcome will reflect my efforts. Great post 👍👍

Liked by 1 person

Reply

I see it in a similar way. I don’t call it success but greed. An ego-driven force behind the deeds to show others how much better I am. But it gives a false idea of feeling satisfied. The satisfaction lasts only a short time and instead results in a constant need to top my achievements.
I like the different definitions of success because it gives meaning to this post… lol! Thank you for your definition, Sylvester!

Like

Reply

I like how you put this. In finding out who you are, you find out what you are actually meant to bring into this life for others and yourself and that brings inner peace and state of happiness as a solid basic condition.
Thank you very much for stopping by and leaving this wondeful comment!

Like

Reply

Thank you so much…i just want to ask something. Does material success not mean success?….should we try to achieve success in terms of money and houses and cars or not? And should we only try to measure success based on how much impact we made in society?

Liked by 2 people

I would suggest that material success does not = success. Material success can only equal material success.

At a much deeper level, I would suggest that success is a life long goal. It is achieved if you can reach your final phase of life, and look back with a smile. I see no value in setting a goal of (e.g.) having $1M in the bank because, at life’s end, I will know that the same $1M could have done so much good. Instead it did nothing. I would not want to be at life’s end and think “If only I …..”

I will consider myself successful if I can reflect back and know that I helped a lot of people; I did many things with no expectations of rewards; i was a positive influence on many people, and I role modelled what I believe. Simplifying that … I treated people in the way that I would like to be treated. My success will be based on whether my life served a productive purpose. 🙂

Like

Well at 73, one has to have learned something about life and happiness! So pleased that you are on the same road. Just imagine how much more you will have experienced, and learned, when you get to my age! Sadly, I won’t be around to witness it, but please accept my advanced congratulations! 🙂

Liked by 1 person

We are work in progress and as I said it in a reply we may never know ourselves completely since we discover things about ourselves while life progresses and confronts us with new situations.
Ha, who knows Colin! Adding 20 more years sounds not impossible to me 😉

Like

Who knows what the future brings, right? But that is what we both learned, to enjoy and make use of the moment even more and I am thankful to have you over in the moment you read this 😊

Liked by 1 person

You mean on social media? I am on Twitter and Facebook too under AuthorErikaKind. But I warn you, I am a bad user of those platforms… lol

Like

That is the question? What do you think? How is success measured? Can it be measured? If yes, who provides the directions?
In my opinion, Colin gave here an excellent explaination and I share his opinion. I think material success is nothing bad at all. I just like to point out that material success is not fulfilling if the only motivation is to collect money and possessions because then you will never get it done because there is always more to collect like a bigger car, more followers, a bigger house, a better spouse,… When can I say that I am successful? When I am the richest of the country, the continent, the world? And what do I do, when I think I cannot top it anymore? Some people who live like this are reminded by life taking everything they possesed… The ultimate catastrophe. But that way they discover the real meaning.
I believe that when you are authentically creating your actions from what you feel as the purpose you have come here, material success will always follow. Because when you linger in a sense of “I am blessed with what I have in my life” the universe will reply with blessings in every part of your life.

So, to me, success is to feel fulfilled with what I am doing, smiling back on the day or my whole life and saying, it was a joy😊 but again, I could not have said it better than Colin did!

Liked by 2 people

Ah… I like this question Erika! I used to get caught up in the results side of this question. The tangible outcomes from pursuing something. It wasn’t until a therapist and I were discussing it and she reminded me that the past ten years I have spent been searching for myself, my spiritual journey is something not everybody is willing to do or has the commitment for. It has always bothered my that my family gauges success by money and although my bank account doesn’t reflect my soul’s riches my attitude does. I have taken a deep dive into my own emotions and healing myself. I have gone past the surface because I am curious about why, who am I….deep stuff😉
Today I believe anything I am passionate about, reflects my morals and beliefs and accomplished with my whole heart as the driving force is a true success. Passion runs everything I do or else I simply don’t do it. I certainly don’t care about it as much.
Great post my friend😉❤🙏

Liked by 1 person

Reply

Hi, Maria, I think most of us (me included) had the tendency to strive for success in a way to be better or more than others. Society pushes and influences us extremely from childhood on… and even more these times. I think the real meaning or what about succes does matter for us indiviually reveals over time.

As you said, the more you analyze yourself, life, life around life, your origin and purpose the more different the goals and the meaning of success become. Yes, what comes from inside is the only power that brings true, satisfying, and persistent success. The more authentic we are the more we are on the path that belongs to who we are.

Thank you so much for your wonderful comment, Maria 💖

Liked by 1 person

Reply

I have been struck lately by the thought provoking questions from my fellow blogger friends on here. One just inspired my latest post this morning too😉
I recently did my birth chart and am reading the book by Chani Nicholas entitled, “You were born for this” about how one’s birth chart is a blueprint for you life yet you have the power of choose to see where certain aspects of it will lead you.
I am a inquisitive and philosophical person by nature. Knowing myself has always been my higgest priority, an unending quest for truth. I’m happy that at this stage in my life it’s unfolded to a point where pursing my passions is successful as one plays into the other for this late bloomer 😉🌺

Liked by 1 person

I think get to know ourselves will never really end. Because particular developments or aspects are only seen as we progress in life and with the situation we are confronted with. In the end, we need to watch ourselves from a distance and see us in the greater context being aware that we are a work in progress… which keeps this life exciting 😊

Liked by 1 person

Agreed, we will always be working on and shifting into different selves. It is always a process. I have many ah-ha moments in life lately. Certain parts and aspects, for me, have started to make sense now in my 40s but I knew that would happen. Love and light to you my free spirited and sweet friend❤😊

Liked by 1 person

Each of those AHA-moments are like another light bulbs illuminating our path, right? Thank you and have very nice rest of your day, dear Maria 💖 Btw. I will respond to your email soon… sorry about the delay!

Like

If we define success in financial terms, than it can be reached. If we define success by our self esteem, our image of ourselves, our impact on those around us i.e. our happiness, then money may or may not be a part of the equation … but it will never be the only part of the equation.

I am reminded of the “new car syndrome” – Am I happy with a new car? Yes.
How will I feel in 12 months time when all the new smells have gone and there’s perhaps a scratch outside somewhere? Indifferent because it is just a car.
If happiness is our goal, then money can never provide it long term.

Liked by 1 person

Reply

I think you touched the core here. In order to define success, we need to define the goal first. Your examples explained that well. I like the direction from which you encountered the subject.
Thank you for your input, Colin!

Like

Reply

Another great subject to get your readers talking and discussing, Erika.

I published a blog post last year, asking what makes a blog post successful and got a lot of different answers. Some saw the number of likes or hits a post got as a marker as to if it’d had been successful or not, yet others saw the number of comments a post as the marker for success.

For me, success is something that I enjoy doing and which I’ve done for a long time. Now, that doesn’t mean all the jobs I’ve done in my life were successful because some of them only lasted a few weeks, but those where I stayed for more than three years I would consider as successful. And of course, if I’d had no desire or motivation to leave a job then, to me, I was successful in that job.

Likewise, I would say that somebody who gives up blogging within a year because they don’t get engagement or the viewing figures they desired were not successful in it. Whereas somebody who has been blogging for more than a couple of years because they enjoy writing or taking photos, and who do not care about the stats, are successful are what they do.

Liked by 1 person

Reply

Those are really good exmaples. I even think I remember that post you mentioned. If you want, please feel free to leave the link in the comments.

I feel the same about success. What you says about the jobs resonates with me. I think also that it even is a big success to stick with a job you don’t really like to do but hang in and even manage to be good in it and begin to finally feel a bit comfortable in it. The success then lies in your endurance and willpower… saying this by experience… lol!!

What you said about blogging I can relate to more and more. And this may count in general. It is the joy you let flow in what you do that makes something successful compared with endurance. Some may give up because the feel not successful in blogging because they have not the heart to look behind and find out where the problem lies. Again, what was the motivation for starting a blog?

Thank you very much for another inspiring comment, Hugh 😊

Liked by 1 person

Reply

I think success can often be blocked by our ability to dislike any form of change, Erika. I remember thinking that I’d never been successful at writing a rom-com story. I was a sci-fi and horror writer. I was hopeless at rom-com. I couldn’t change what genre I wrote in. Then, after a challenge from my editor, I wrote a rom-com which she praised and said would be great to put in my next book. Just by making me change my thoughts on rom-com, she managed to get me to write something which I saw as a success.

You’re right; it’s a little like what you mentioned about a job you didn’t particularly enjoy doing, yet made a success of by sticking with it. Success comes in and can be created in many forms. If we ever feel like something has been a failure, then we should turn the mistakes we made in making it a failure, into making it a success. I believe that is what those bloggers who have blogged for more than a couple of years do.

Liked by 1 person

Oh, yes, totally, a resistance of accepting change or of at least giving something new a chance is a big block of another chance on success. If we are stubborn doing it one way, we miss all the other options to reach our goals. Here we are at the mindset again…

Good thought. It is like Edison said, that he knows thousands of ways how a light bulb doesn’t work. But he did not see as failure but as constant steps to success. It is about development and being open for insights to become better.

Liked by 1 person

My God, is this wonderful, Mark! I have no words but goosebumps all over. What a wonderful definition. Thank you very much for sharing this. Would you allow me to quote you with this? 🙏

Liked by 1 person

Reply

That is what matters in the end, isn’t it? What makes me more or less content with my success is how I achieved it. And I think the “how” is where the definition becomes really individual. I just thought of the current and the former president of the US. Both have/had the job and bothe are/were satisfied with what they achieved but how they achieved everything is veeeery different. A different motivation behind it.

Like

Reply

1 2

Add a Response

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Pinkgbacks & Trackbacks