Wealth, Success, Happiness…
Published August 14th, 2007 in Happiness, Busy, Love, Success, Thoughts, Life, Belief.
Do you want to be successful? Do you want to be rich?
Yes?
Why you want to be successful? Why you want to be rich?
… …
BTW, have you given any serious thoughts to these questions? (When come to think about it they are indeed very fundamental questions.) What do we actually crave for? What pushes us so ruthlessly for achievements?
For the freedom, the recognition, self-fulfillment that follow?
Maybe.
Then, why do we need those?
To be happy?
Then, does wealth and success guarantee our happiness?
But then, you are to consider that I have been very poor and I am now very rich. I am an optimist by nature. And I have the ability to write poetry and create the forest I am busy planting. Am I happy? No. Or, at least, only occasionally, when I am walking in the woods alone, or deeply ensconced in composing a different piece of verse, or sitting quietly with old friends over a bottle of wine. Or feeding a stray cat.
I could do all those things without wealth.
~ Felix Dennis, one of Britain’s wealthiest self-made entrepreneurs who founded Dennis Publishing which publishes Maxim, Auto Express, Stuff and The Week. Felix Dennis is also a poet.
Don’t take me wrong. I’m not trying to persuade you that it’s after all not worth-while and therefore there is no point to pursuit success and wealth.
I am also on my way.
Just that, we can get lost pretty easily - and it would be prudent to remind ourselves don’t mistaken the journey as the destination.
At this point I would like to share the definition of success by Andrew Matthews,
Being successful is (1) having people in your life who you love and love you; (2) spending your life doing things that have real meaning for you and (3) leaving the world a better place than you found it. For (2) and (3), prosperity helps.
Good luck!
* Cartoon also by Andrew Matthews, author of “Being Happy” and “Follow Your Heart“.
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The opposite of happy is not sad, but bored. So by wanting wealth, you need to be successful and in doing so you are not bored.
Hello,
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Hi Dan,
Interesting that you mention boredom - maybe you’re right - I do try my best and run away from it. When you do sth you really enjoy, you feel energized and never bored - and have a better chance to be successful.
Hi Mike,
Welcome to shinewithgrace and delighted to learn that you’d like to interview me. Will do so.
BTW, just been to your site - thank you so much for introducing us many great sites around. Will continue to explore.