In summary, what are your thoughts on what it takes to be successful?

[Foxaèr]

Nobody reads Walden anymore, I guess.

I read it in my youth.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

There is no correlation between positivity/negativity and how successful someone is. My mom is a very hateful person, and she runs her own successful business. On the other hand, I am a very loving person, and I have nothing.

Why does everyone here associate success with material possessions? With income? 

That seems like a very narrow view of life to me.

I wasn’t thinking of material success when I posted the above. Being loving and positive is no guarantee of emotional or spiritual success.

I guess nobody reads When Bad Things Happen To Good People any more.

Boru

[Gentle_Idiot]

According to my definition, people like this are successful people. Someone who is negative and full of hate is, in my view, unsuccessful, regardless of income or status.

There is no correlation between positivity/negativity and how successful someone is. My mom is a very hateful person, and she runs her own successful business. On the other hand, I am a very loving person, and I have nothing.

Good point.

I think what people should be asking about is the type of intelligence and abilities to have to be successful. I'm shit at math, but when it comes to things like speaking in front of people, I shine and I can sway them easily to my side. I gained lots of leadership positions in the past because of that.

On the other hand we have Elon Musk who has Asperger's but still managed to kick ass. Maybe the key to success runs much deeper than that.

[Ranjr]

Set goals and accomplish them.

[Gentle_Idiot]

Set goals and accomplish them.

lol. You make it sound so easy. XD

[Angrboda]

Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing the self is enlightenment.
Mastering others requires force;
Mastering the self needs strength.

He who knows he has enough is rich.

Laozi, ch. 33


Fame or self: Which matters more?
Self or wealth: Which is more precious?
Gain or loss: Which is more painful?

He who is attached to things will suffer much.
He who saves will suffer heavy loss.
A contented man is never disappointed.

Laozi, ch. 44


Not exalting the gifted prevents quarelling.
Not collecting treasures prevents stealing.
Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart.

The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies,
by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.
If people lack knowledge and desire,
then intellectuals will not try to interfere.
If nothing is done, then all will be well.

Laozi, ch. 3

[Gentle_Idiot]

Your patience recommendation speaks deeply to me.

People forget that success is a matter of years of consistent hard work.

Don’t leave out the luck factor.

‘There’s a thousand better singers than me out there, singers you’ve never heard of. Why me and not them? Because I was in the right place at the right time. Lucky fuckin’ me, mate.’ - Ozzy Osbourne

Boru

lol. Spoken like a true atheist.

You have to understand I spent two decades of my life as a devout Christian. lol. "Luck" doesn't ring right with me. Yet.

[Gentle_Idiot]

Is "success" judged internally or externally, or, both?

I see it as measurable. Some people are objectively more successful than others. Honestly, I don't give a rat's behind how a person feels. If he looks like a loser from the outside, he's a loser.

I personally would say the criteria for success are Twitter followers, material wealth, physical strength (for men), raw beauty (for women), accumulated skills, and number of close friends.

[Mister Agenda]

Compare the number of people who are wealthy because they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to the number of people who became wealth because they inherited it.

Not saying it can’t be done, but having to work for it does not give the best odds of getting there.

Oh, fair enough. I actually haven't paid much attention to the demographics of it.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/social-mo...literature.

[The Grand Nudger]

600k gallons of water and 3k hours of labor over 24 weeks. So.... in order of importance.... incredibly good fortune, lots of friends, and hard work.