This post is part of a series of posts called Water Cooler Monday. Every Monday from here on out, I’ll be publishing thoughts and topics of discussion throughout the day. If you have a topic or post idea to discuss around the water cooler, be sure to get in contact with us.,
One day, as I was sitting outside in my chair enjoying the weather, I began to think about what success meant to me. Thoughts of what might be considered a success started to wander through my mind such as: Would my blog be a success if it reached the Digg front page? What if my blog receives double digit comments on every post? As I started to figure out what would qualify as a success, I began to realize that what I thought was a success could be seen as a failure in someone else’s eyes. Thus, there may be a definition for the word in the dictionary, but it’s true meaning is different for every blogger.
In my mind, until I can create a vibrant community around a blog whether it be my own or someone else’s, I will consider myself a failure. Only when I am making a living from blogging while maintaining an active community will I ever deem myself or the site a success. Those are my goals and anything less is considered a failure.
So here at the Performancing water cooler, tell us what you define as success.
13 thoughts on “What Does Success Mean To You”
Alina, that is awesome. I especially enjoyed this part “it lies rather in the satisfaction of accomplishment.” If I don’t feel like I accomplished anything here at Performancing, I will not feel successful in the least. Accomplishment and success appear to go hand in hand. Thanks for the uplifting comment.
Anna Pavlova, a Russian Ballerina, defined success as follows:
“To follow without halt, one aim; there is the secret of success. And success? What is it? I do not find it in the applause of the theater; it lies rather in the satisfaction of accomplishment.”
Architect Maya Lin believes that:
“To fly, we have to have resistance.”
Two distinct women, two different era’s, and two very diverse perspectives on success.
Doesn’t that ever frustrate you to death? How to do you manage to keep on track if you are always changing things?
Hey SierraK, good luck on the rest of the way towards that paper! It will be worth it when it’s all said and done.
I see your point, but the fact that I have yet to establish a community or be successful at something is used as fuel for the fire. I am really determined to reach that point where I consider something I was apart of to be a success. This keeps me trying harder, keeps me giving more blood, sweat and tears to the overall goal. In my mindset, my overall goal is not high enough so that it becomes an impossibility. If that were the case, then I would agree that my mindset would probably be incorrect.
Success is a moving target.
Sometimes many times a day I find myself changing what I think will make me a success…
Success?…lmao A DEGREEEEEE for meeeee!!! I’m so close to the damned thing I can taste it and I’ll feel like a complete failure without it 🙁 granted I know that an assload of people just teach themselves photography and graphic design, I want that DAMNED PIECE OF PAPER!
You hit the nail on the head with your first statement. Interesting that your view of success is based on helping people. Thats a good thing but how would measure that success?
Well, you are indeed following me on Twitter which I thank you for. I guess that means I’ve made it!
Success to me is just creating. Overcoming those things that stall your writing. Creating ideas and getting ideas from readers. Intelligent discussion from either end that creates more ideas, writing, comments and posts. Sometimes I realize I fail when I start something and never finish it cause I feel like I am writing for someone else.
That covers most of the site I run.
On the opposing end, I run a non-profit animal rescue site and success would be to have a world wide understanding of breeding, spaying, neutering and responsible pet ownership. Success there would be never having to post another homeless pet.
While success can mean a number of things, you’re definition of failure isn’t very good. And if you apply that label to yourself and your blog, you will probably continue to “fail” because you’re in that mindset.
I set smaller, very achievable goals for all my websites, and when I reach that goal I gratulate myself on a job well done, then I set a new goal for that website. This way your websites can still be doing well, or “successful”, even if you’re not making a living off of one blog.
I do think success has different levels, but it’s all about your mindset. If you’re getting 100 unique visitors a day, some people might say that’s great and a huge success so far, while others might say it’s a failure because you can’t live off of that kind of traffic. But keep the positive mindset, and in time you’ll really be succesful
Success means many different things to many different people. To me success is simple, I have my own blog now and am able to hopefully put out some comments on it that might open someone elses eyes just a bit and see the world through someone elses eyes. It just might help in some small way to someone. That’s success to me, helping others.
Kendall Sue
You know you made it when I follow you on Twitter.
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