Have you met success if it looks good to the world ......?

Question

.... but does not feel good in your heart?

Answer 1

Nope, you've helped to paint its portrait with a big fixed smile, that's all. That's why success is entirely personal - it has to be based on your heart, not on the expectations of others.

Imagine you wrote your book, and it became the next great American novel, but you didn't recognise yourself in its voice or its message. The world would see you as a successful writer, but would that satisfy the reasons you first began to write? If so, fine, it would feel good in your heart too. If not, then whatever success you achieved in the world would still not make you a successful writer by your own standards.

Answer 2

The world will judge you by your behavior and they have a very sad view of what looks like success.

Take some of the worlds hero's like Hugh Heffener, the king of smutt who treats women like their meat and gets their respect and they actually take it all off for his smutt magazine.

Look at those who are famous for the music the make but their lives are a mess and they couldn't hold a job a burger king.

The list of the worlds heros is very long and proves that the world just doesn't get it.

Your heart, that is the real question and I would say that if your behavior is troubling your heart, something isn't right. What does God think of your heart and your behavior, that is the real question for He is the only judge that counts.

Answer 3

Bloody, Falco. I hate following his wonderful answers. :-)

So...in the spirit of brevity...lemme just add one thing:

Who gives a crap what the world thinks? If it doesn't feel like success to you or your heart...then you haven't achieved it. Simple as that.

Answer 4

In a recent interview with Oprah, Dave Chapelle said "worldly success will take you where character cannot sustain you."

Answer 5

You're in a weird friggin' mood today.

Answer 6

Yeah. I'm with "stillnotamused".