How to measure your success in life?

[kghayesh]

I have been thinking about this question a lot these days. I feel that i don't know what i wanna do in my life and that like i am a bit lost.
I am pursuing a Computer Engineering bachelor degree that i am gonna finish next year most probably. In the meanwhile, i am taking the piano stuff so seriously and am practicing harder than ever coz i am really considering the possibility of having a career in music.

It is just that I have so much aspirations and dreams for the future and in the same time i am afraid of what's coming next.

[pianohopper]

if you're happy with what you're doing, the people you have relationsips with, and the situation you are in, the places you go and live, and all that other stuff, then you are successful.  Success cannot be measured by money and property, but by your satisfaction.


Example:  "Starving artist" who buys houses cheap, fixes them up, and resells them, all while doing his art and what he wants to do.  Sure, he doesn't make the Forbes100, but he's happy, therefore he is successful.

[Bob]

... security too (financial included), if you like your daily life and your work and those around you...

A career in music?  Doing what?  Performing?

If you finish next year, finish that degree.  You already decided and you're nearly there.  Finish that thing and then change if you need to.

[lau]

essense you values, count the number of times you have failed and channel your flavors. It is what works best for me! 

[pianistimo]

don't measure your success by how you feel.  often, when you are feeling terrible or things aren't going well, that's how other's measure how you handle it.  try to be positive and things will probably turn out more positive than you expect.  on the other hand, for people who complain a lot - others tend to start expecting that life is just 'too hard' for that person and they have too many excuses. 

having a focus in life is hard to maintain (speaking to self).  if you have too many goals - you never really become that good at any.  of course, you can have a lot of fun that way, too.  but - for men, it must be just that much harder - sometimes family, wife,e tc. rely on you and you need to find strength in your successes more.  maybe the most successful thing you can do is to be the friendliest, kindest person you can be.  be different than those who constantly try to bring others down.  then you'll probably meet someone who will notice and treat you similarly. 

my greatest success has been meeting/marrying my husband and having a family.  piano is a few steps under that.  i never stopped having the dream of being a concert pianist - but i put it on the back burner for awhile.  to me, it's like arranging your dreams in the order that you want them.  i felt like for me, if i had a piano career and no family - it would be less success.  a family makes you feel like you are part of something bigger and you have someone to 'come home' to.  of course, if you love animals, you could just adopt a cat or dog and still have a family 'feel' at home. (or a bunch of monkeys)

[ted]

I can't be bothered trying to measure anything. Other people think they are much more qualified to evaluate me in this regard so I let them have their fun and take their word for it; it's easier in the long run.

[zheer]

I use a ruler to meassure my success.

[Dazzer]

What a coincidence. I use a 10cm ruler.

[prometheus]

You can't. Who says you need to have sucess. What is sucess anyway? Sucess in your eyes or in that of others? Etc.

[Tash]

i agree with that- i don't understand the concept of success, same with setting goals, it's too vague to set a specific point on. personally i just do what i want to do because i can't stand being in a situation where i'm not comfortable (but different from being in my comfort zone, i don't mind going out of it provided i'm not forced to). don't try and anticipiate what's going to happen next, cos i swear it never works out the way you think it will. just put as much effort as you want into the things you love and you never know what might come your way!

[Torp]

Happiness is not having all that you want but wanting all that you have.

I believe I first read this concept in "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior," by Dan Millman, but I have heard it in various ways since then.  It has provided many years of guidance and reflection for me.

[thalbergmad]

What a coincidence. I use a 10cm ruler.

I use a 10inch

[ted]

I have twelve inches but don't use it as a rule.

[prometheus]

Wanting things making you unhappy is a buddhist idea. You can only be happy once you require nothing.

[BoliverAllmon]

oh yes lets all measure our little weenies and brag about it now.

[stevie]

I have twelve inches but don't use it as a rule.

hahahahahhaha, true

oh yes lets all measure our little weenies and brag about it now.

hahaha boliver, i, for one, am not a member of your little weenie brigade, i have a large weenie!! YAY!!! 

[thalbergmad]

perhaps boliver uses a micrometer.

[BoliverAllmon]

perhaps boliver uses a micrometer.

 

[bernhard]

How do you measure anything?

First you do not need a definition of what you want to measure. All you need is a standard everyone agrees on, and then a way to compare whatever with this standard.

For instance. Take distance. There is no real definition of distance. But at a certain point, everyone agreed that a straight piece of metal of a certain size would be the standard of distance. They called it a meter, and every distance now can be expressed as a multiple/fraction of that standard. So now we have an operational definition of distance, instead of a metaphysical one. Or take mass. No one really knows what it is. But everyone agrees that a certain amount of it is called a “kilogram”. And a balance is necessary to compare the mass of anything with that agreed standard. Notice that you use distance to measure distance and mass to measure mass, and in this way you avoid any need for a  metaphysical definition.

So how do you measure success? First you will need a standard, a unit of success. Once you have decided on that, then you need a way to compare whatever success you may find with this standard unit. And remember that for this to work, you do not need to define success. All you need is to use success to measure success.

Or you can do what I did: Write a book, have a child, plant a tree, build a house.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[leahcim]

There is no real definition of distance. But at a certain point, everyone agreed that a straight piece of metal of a certain size would be the standard of distance.

Dull fact of the day.

The kilogram is the only SI unit that's still a reference to an arbitrary artifact, the other units now reference some fundamental physical property.

The bar thing was true once [it actually comes from a measurement of the Earth], but it's changed twice since.

Currently it's the length of the path travelled by light in absolute vacuum during a time interval of 1/299,792,458 of a second.

But between the two it was "1,650,763.73 wavelengths of the orange-red emission line in the electromagnetic spectrum of the krypton-86 atom in a vacuum."

[bernhard]

Ah! That is why the builder in the house in front was carrying that vaccum machine attached to a laser! it was his very modern tape measure!

[leahcim]

Ah! That is why the builder in the house in front was carrying that vaccum machine attached to a laser! it was his very modern tape measure!

Was it a dyson or a hoover?

[pianistimo]

as i see it - the standard is different for everyone because everyone has different goals that they want to attain - making that particular goal a success for them.  (different talents)  if you bury your talents or goals that equals non-success for you because you've been lazy.  if you sort of equalize everything - that's like getting a 'C' - just sort of average.   but, if you bring in a return of some kind on your investment - you'd probably feel successful.  to me a return doesn't have to be monetary.  it can be happiness related - but usually helps society in some way also.  volunteers don't make money - but they use the resource of knowledge.  i bet a lot of people are very grateful in louisiana for engineers that know how to deal with the water situation and drainage and all that engineering stuff.  i would consider myself very successful if i could help in some small way - solve problems like that.   unfortunately, or fortunately, what i do (as compared to my step-dad who IS an engineer) is sort of unneccesary to society's functioning to his way of thinking.  but, to mine - i cannot imagine this earth without music.  so - if he doesn't see me as a success - it doesn't matter to me. 

psychologically, i think music is crucial to people's mental states (mood states) and could be used effectively in mental facilities, prisons, wherever there are people who are angry, depressed.  for pregnant women, newborns, people who are sufferring under stress.  music therapy will probably be a big item in the future - as i see it.  and, people who perform music will always be able to 'self-medicate.'  i always feel much m uch better after a practice session - thus relieving some poor psychologist from dealing with my problems.  music is not only theraputic but brings beauty to the world for our ears.  and, last but not least, a way to return praise or love (like poetry).  in past civilizations it was also a way to transfer oral history and reminders of things our ancestors went through.  sorry to get so defensive while speaking to myself (have to remind myself that this is piano forum after all - and made up mostly of musicians).  anyway, never let anyone make you feel you are less of a success because you are a musician.  maybe musicians will never be fully understood and appreciated - except when they are making music and help a dinner digest, or a person escape the doldrums of daily living/existence.  or a piano lesson to a child or adult - who really wants to learn something new.  these are successful things, imo.  special occasions seem to always merit music to make things better.

[sonatainfsharp]

I measure sucess in terms of true happiness.

If you are happy living out of a cardboard box and having no friends, then I would consider you much more successful than a guy owning a business and a BMW who can't sleep at night or keep a relationship because he is "too important" at work.

[m1469]

The same way you measure your success in a moment.

[I Love Xenakis]

If you're happy then you've succeeded.

[lau]

I like your bunny xenakis

[pianorama]

Go Bunny! Go Bunny!Your the best, Kitty sucks!