Definition Of Success

Do you really want success?

Most, if not all, would answer this question with a resounding Yes.

So what can I possibly have to say? Tell you the ‘secret’ of success?

Well I have no secret to tell you, just an opinion.

There are two types of success, ego success and heart success.

Ego success is what we normally understand as success, it is the success our ego needs.

It is the part of us that continually needs to be validated, so success is perceived as having

the perfect partner,

a good job,

money in excess,

to be chosen above others by something or someone,

to have respect,

to be told we did well,

to have and hold power,

to have control

A short list of some of our ego’s needs, and though they created our communities and our sense of self, the excess of pandering to ego’s needs is now killing the planet, our communities and our sense of self.

The western social construct is built around the ideas of success and growth, it is in fact one massive great Ponzi scheme, built on growth.

I doubt a downsize to sustainable growth could even be achievable .

The run away growth that we need to sustain any kind of living in a way that has become ‘normal’ is tearing the world apart because underlying all the theorys of economics is the ego’s clawing for success after success, whatever success ego has today, when it wakes up tomorrow it needs more, bigger and better, and for every bigger and better success for the ego something or someone will need to be exploited to the same degree

There is only one reason we have massive corporations, immoral bank bonuses, crime, totalitarian governments, lying incompetent democratic governments, poverty and inequality and that is to feed the successful participating individuals egos.

So what is heart success? When I speak of heart I do not mean the romantic heart I mean the warmth felt inside for doing a good thing. An action that brings no fame, no fuss, no money, no congratulation just the knowledge that it was the right thing to do.

The anonymous charity donor,

pride in doing ones work to ones best ability,

not making judgments about others

caring for and working for the local community (for free)

respecting and taking care of animals

respecting and taking care of the environment.

Just some examples of the heart success one can feel in a life that is wholesome.

So maybe the next time you look at someone not dressed as well as you, not as attractive as you, who doesn’t earn as much you, and is not as ego successful as you, try not to judge them because they may actually be far more heart successful than you could ever know.

 

This post is based on an idea taken from a Buddhist teaching.