5 Responses to “Questions”

I certainly don’t think they are mutually exclusive, but if I had to pick one then I would pick happiness. However, I think that if you are happy then by definition your are successful, perhaps not in material terms, but if whatever you are doing makes you happy then you are being successful. And, in my opinion, no amount of money or promotions or any other ’success’ markers will make up for being unhappy.

I don’t think that the reverse is true in the second question… if you experience the transition from a pessimist to an optimist then, most likely, it will be the result of a series of good things which shouldn’t result in a “worst feeling” sort of reaction. I would think that the worst feeling for a pessimist would be to have ones fears and doubts confirmed. I’d like to think that most pessimists are secretly hoping to be proven wrong, even if their own past experience has driven them to be pessimists.

Left by John on October 16th, 2003

It’s impossible to be successful and unhappy. If you’re not happy, then you have not been successful. That said, there are, obviously, a number of yardsticks you could use to define success. Wealth, fame, etc.. but for the general word ’successful’, I’d say it’s based on what you feel is success.

Left by Peter Cooper on October 16th, 2003

I agree with both of you. I think that happiness and success are not mutually exclusive. I think that if you define success improperly than you might end up being ’successful,’ but still unhappy. Jordan created a situation where the two are mutually exclusive though, which makes it really hard. I suppose I’d rather be successful at being a genuinely good, full of love, mature and complete person than be happy, because I think that chasing happiness is as fleeting as chasing the wind. Just go outside, do your thing, and you’ll feel the wind come and go.
I think that the reverse is true. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve known two pessimissts rather well, and both of them hated coming anywhere close to optimism because it caused pride issues and messed with them emotionally. These two pessimists that I know are pessimists to set up an emotional hedge bet of sorts. Optimism is scary to them because then all their eggs are in one basket. They see things in terms of right and wrong, good or bad, and then no matter what happens they are either pleased that things went alright or they are pleased with the fact that they are right. After a while it seems like being right is sometimes more important than getting the good outcome that they are predicting doesn’t occur, because the boost from being right and letting others know it must outweigh everything else since they’ve trained themselves as such to deal with life’s bumps. So, beoming an optimist is terrible because they are suddenly putting all of their eggs in one basket, and thinking about being wrong means losing completely in their mind.
I don’t know if even this is a corollary.

Left by David on October 16th, 2003

Probably go with Happiness - that’ll be my success

Left by Giles on October 18th, 2003

Your question sets up a false, but interesting dichotomy. Happiness is not an enduring state. Being successful is enduring, in that to be successful usually means long effort. I value success ie, staying married, accumulating wealth, becoming expert at something, and I strive for success. I like to be happy, of course, but do not strive for happiness. In fact, the thought of a drug to make me constantly happy sounds like a living coma. So, I would choose success over happiness. Life’s meaning (and contentment) comes from striving for something. Also, never let society decide your definition of success. You have to think about it enough to know what you want.

Left by Margaret on October 19th, 2003