3 didget termanary adder,
What is success measured in? Possessions? Friends? Money? Miles traveled? Countries visited? Happiness, maybe? Regardless of what the dictionary, or even Opera, might say success can't be measured by any common unit. This is especially true for success in my eyes.
In all honesty, success, to me, is fulfilling my dreams. Dreams don't just come in one shape or size, and mine are no exception. I beleive that if I am to become successful, I'll need to learn as much as I possibly can. Not just in the 'book learning' either, but rather the learning you get from life experiences, the accumulation of wisdom, rather than pure and basic knowledge. Plenty of people only learn what they need to get by, that's not succeeding to me, that's a waste of life.
Besides gaining knowledge and wisdom, there are many more aspects to consider. Wealth, for one. I don't know how to be successful in a world like this without it. Now, I don't need to be a multi-milliona
A family is the essential core of success in my life. Finding a girl to love and living the rest of my days with her, that's what I want more than anything in this world. An intelligent, funny, wonderful girl who can understand me. She'd be beautiful, of course, because any girl like that is beautiful to me. To have a family with that girl, with kids who act nothing like 90% of the people I've grown up around. It's nothing truly personal, just that if my children acted the way I've heard most of these kids do, I'd feel I'd have failed as a parent in a big way.
Going further than all that though, is a level of personal success that, in a way, makes the others seem slightly less grand. To be successful, truly successful, I need to be able to stick to a set of morals and standards. I'll need to have strength, not physically, but, rather, emotionally and possibly even spiritually. Even if I had all the other things I've listed, if I can't look at myself in the mirror and say "I'm proud of who I am. Of what I've done." then it's not worth it. How could anyone consider themself a success if they couldn't look themselves in the eyes of their soul without feeling ashamed of what they saw? I know I could never manage it. Ever.
(If you insist on only having one paragraph, then you can read this one. The 'in depth' stuff is above.)
In short, success to me is the compilation of my dreams coming to fruition. Having enough money to live comfortably in a job I enjoy. Finding the girl of my dreams, or at least one close enough to make life worth every moment. Living with a family full of love, respect, and several values which seem to have been lost in this day and age. And, of course, being able to be proud of my reflections, both the one I see in the bathroom mirror, and the one in the mirror of my heart. That's success, and I can only imagine why anyone would think of it any differently.
Bob, an almost respectable lawyer, also happened to be into some... let's just say 'questionable' practices. He kept them a secret from everyone he knew because, well, the world frowns upon practices such as those that Bob enjoyed. Well, despite how well he kept it hidden, one day bob's wife, Mimzy, figured it all out and turned him into the police. Bob was arrested, and found guilty on 23 of the 26 charges that were brought against him. After being sentenced to life in prison, Bob lost his wife, his job, and his reputation. His wife, in eliminating the only source of income for their family, tried to get a good paying job, but failed to manage both home and work life and fell into bankruptcy within two months.
It just goes to show you that, sometimes, you should just punish people yourself instead of getting the police involved.
Kevin was Polish. What that has to do with this story, you may never know. At any rate, he came to America seeking fame, fortune, and a supermodel girlfriend. He had the right spirit to be an American, obviously, now all it would take was a little 'hootzpa'. Every day he would go to work, but by night he was a notorious drinker, saying that he needed the drinks to get through the day. Well, one night he drank a wee bit too much, ended up sleeping in, and because of his inexcuseable absence, as well as a boss who demanded that even his dog show up on time, he was fired. The man continued to drink himself into ruin every night, claiming still that he needed it to make it through the days. And now he's dead.
If you're looking for a lesson from this one, it's find a boss who didn't put his goldfish through military academy, at least if you plan on drinking at some point during your life.