Are You Successful?

My dad had a sign in his office that read something to the effect..Highly Successful People Are Those Who Make A Habit Out Of Doing Things That Everybody Else Doesn't Feel Like Doing...

When we look at the state of affairs in the West, not only do we see BIG time institutional devolution, but massive personal dys-function, as well. Why are so many individuals succumbing to crippling anxiety, severe mental illness, and chronic physical disease [particularly in societies that have been characterized by abundance]?

For thousands of years, sages have passed down four practices that lead to a balanced [healthy] life...eat well, sleep well, exercise regularly, and pray or meditate daily. How many people do you know who do any of these things, yet all of them?

Take a look out any window and witness an obesity bomb that went off about 40 years ago causing a massive increase in morbidity/mortality.

What percentage of adults exercise regularly? According to the CDC [who believes them anymore?], only 23% of American adults exercise enough to stay healthy. The real number is probably half of that. Pathetic.

Sleep is probably what we do best [only a third of us don't get enough sleep]. Way to go, team!

Prayer or meditation might be the most important of these practices but I would hate to guess at how many adults are committed to such. Instead, the norm seems to be those consumed with eating, drinking, porn, sports, shopping, and gambling...for sure, the short road to Hell.

If you wonder why you are not successful, take a look at what you do in your life. Success is not doing what you wish, instead, it is doing what you have to...studying as if it means something, working hard because it is your reputation on the line, being where you need to be when you need to be there, and all the other things in life that require sacrifice.

The old world is crumbling under the weight of corruption, malice, and lethargy. A new one is arising fueled by courage, optimism, hard work, and sacrifice.

It's up to you...go down with the old or rise up with the new.

 

Success, successful ... it's all buzz words. To be successful means to measure up to some social norm and goals. There's no achievement without a goal. The phrase "set the bar" is not accidental, it comes form sports. You jumped over the bar - you are successful. Failed to do so - not successful.
The question is, who sets the bars/goals?

 

Today's generation is composed largely of the laziest most spoiled and entitled human beings to ever walk the planet.

I met a man the other night approximately age 24 who claimed that he did not know how to put air in a tire. It is absolutely pathetic that any grown man should have reached that age without knowing how to do such a simple task.

I'm guessing he also did not know how a plunger works.

 

Success is finding your individual balance in life.

 

I believe that all systems exploit one particularly serious flaw in human nature...the desire to get something for nothing.

It has gotten to the point where many people feel they deserve a guaranteed income for life without having to do one erg of work [and there are actually people out there who would pay their hard earned money in taxes to this end...true morons!].

I have known literally thousands of wonderful people in my life, but [on the whole] this tendency for people to take the easy way out is so anti-Nature that it will surely be man's undoing.

 

So, a bum can also be successful.

 

If that's his/her calling in life, maybe so.

 

I agree.
Although the social norms, I'm sure, would disagree.

So, to be successful means to be happy where you are in life, but not necessarily in terms of money and possession.

 

Choose the harder right rather than the easier wrong.

 

Well, they ARE debt free.

 

Americans ARE hard working, and we work more than others in the Western world. Work hours, or 'hard work' does not always equate to best production, but to paint Americans as fat and lazy.

First you give four keys to success: eat well, sleep well, exercise regularly, and pray or meditate daily, and later you say its all about working hard. Some of us work so hard, there is no time for anything else. IMO a good work-life balance is the key to success & happiness.

Nonsense. Same has been said of every younger generation, so that line is as old and lame as it gets.

I'm not seeing it. Some people might try the "easy way" aka live off of government handouts, only to realize that over time the welfare amounts to so little that they live in poverty. This is why Americans do work, and many work 2-3 jobs.

IMO its the RW MSM who works to paint many (the 'them') Americans as fat, lazy and only interested in hand-outs, and the 'hard working' (the 'us') as the victims who have to pay for them. That view simply does NOT meet the reality. Such messaging only spreads pessimism, and does nothing but divide people into "us vs them".

What's hurting this country the most? Pessimism, negativity and division.

 

All 340M? I agree that Americans are the hardest working people in the world [and the most productive], but that's only a very small percentage. There are way too many people doing little to nothing [as well as being obese, drug and alcohol addicted, so on and so forth].

Yes, it's all about balance but working hard does not necessarily mean working long hours. I never worked more than four days a week yet was highly productive. You have to find your balance.

It's probably true for each succeeding generation. Another couple of generations and people won't be done anything at all.

There is tremendous dependency on government assistance. Not great.

Like suggesting that it's the RW MSM that is causing the problem?

That and a whole bunch of other things...corruption being #1 on my list.

 

A seven yoear old boy has persevered and finally learned to tie his shoe laces. He has extreme 'learning difficulties'. That is success.

 

Nice post impermanence. It is much along the lines of the gospel of Jesus Christ, repenting of sin, putting off the natural man, and loving and holding to the truth with faith, sacrificing and working towards perfection with hope. Effectually, it is a primer to salvation without being religious. Well done.

 

My father and I argued the definition of 'success' for a number of years.

His definition: How many people remember his name.

My definition: How many people remember my name, and smile.

There is success as viewed by external sources, and that measuring stick is usually visible evidence - clothes, home, car, bling. Internal success is the accomplishment of goals, which can include the visible evidence, but for those who don't use material goods as goals, it can be a flower blooming, a child laughing, an old person smiling, a meal well cooked.

Personal choices.

 

"Successful" in the eyes of whom?

The only opinion that really matters is your own. If you are meeting your needs and achieving your goals, then you are successful. I consider myself very successful. Warren Buffet, or the Dali Lama, or the Pope, or my brother, may not consider me successful at all, because they have a completely different notion of what success is.

I grew up in a small college town. The downtown weekend bar scene was always hopping, and there was this homeless guy, "Hippy Carl", that was a fixture and loved by the regulars. He was far and away the happiest, most cheerful person I have ever known. He lived in an old school bus that had not moved in many many years. He made and sold or traded trinkets and jewelry from things he scavenged. He was as "successful" as any 6-figure-salary, BMW-driving, rolex-wearing executive I have ever known. Even more so, because he was happy with what he had and who he was. He was debt free, and self sufficient. People loved him, and he loved his life. He had riches beyond measure.

So, the OP asks: am I successful? Well, the answer depends wholly and fully upon whom you ask.

 

More like it’s a primer of how to live your life according to the OP. Eat well, sleep well, exercise regularly and pray of meditate daily or you are a loser. Fat shaming obese people who apparently don’t exercise so it’s all their fault. For a person who claims they were a physician, he seems to be woefully unaware of the many causes of lack of sleep, the causes of various psychiatric problems, obesity, and the inability to eat nutritious food. He sounds so perfect while the rest of the unsuccessful losers are failing to meditate and are well on the road to hell because we are consumed with eating, drinking, sports, shopping and gambling.

What a short-sighted crock of advice full of veiled insults and attacking those who can’t somehow do what he defines as being successful. It’s a bit arrogant to believe that you can define what is or isn’t being successful. Each individual has their own definition of what makes them successful.

 

No. In general.

No, each younger generation has been ripped by the ignorant older generations, and they have been wrong every time,

Nowhere near as great as you think.

Creating the problem? What problem? Read what I said again.

 

I think he hit the nail on the head, and is right about pretty much everything. Were he my Doctor, I'd thank him and shake his hand.

 

I consider myself very successful - but that is measured only against myself and the goals for which I've set myself. As soon as I try to stack myself up against another, I have lost. Not because I am more or less successful but because success is a personal thing for me - not something to be measured against others.

 

But what about the American dream - a nice house in the suburbs? Got one?

 

Speak for yourself.

This is advice handed down for thousands of years. In my medical practice, I have talked with thousands of patients about how to achieve better health. After you have identified any organic causes, it's all about lifestyle. And in case you're the last one to know, all of the problems I've identified are widespread and serious. The time for making excuses has passed. If you do the best you can, things are probably going to work out ok. If you don't try, then you will never succeed [on any level].

 

The vast majority of people in the U.S. can hardly deal with the electricity going off for over ten minutes. Compare that to each preceding generation and to what extent they were able to take care of themselves.

If the the immigrants who came to this country over the past 300 years could see us now, they would fall over laughing in disbelief how most of us are incapable to doing anything except pushing buttons on our electronic devices.

 

Success has nothing to do with anything except finding your sweet spot.

 

What do you mean they can't deal with it? You think people start screaming hysterically when the power goes out? The power goes out all the time where I live, and people shrug and wait for it to come back. After a hurricane it can be out for weeks, but people do deal with it, because......just like in the past there is nothing else they can do.

Sorry, but I don't think you live in reality. Not sure where your hyper-negative attitude stems from, but it does not reflect the reality. Just because people use smart-phones, doesn't mean its the only thing they can do. Its like old ignorant folks in the -80s saying that all young people can do is hang out with friends and listen to their Sony Walkman's.

Younger folks are the future and they will succeed despite of pessimists like you trying to tear them down.

Regards: Gen-X. Yes, supposedly we were lazy and no good for anything, but the opposite turned out to be true.