To be successful or to not?

Question

My whole life I hear people tell me to do what they expect out of me. Not only the people but the society and the world. I think about it and read some spiritual/philosophical texts and ponder; is it really worth it?

Some questioning and thoughts:

- Success is relative. No one wants the same thing. Mostly society demands something out of you. But everyone wants to succeed in their own way. Happiness is what we want. Not what the society wants from you.

- "Nothing fails like success." -Osho . Even if you do succeed and work hard, you really won't be happy. You just did what they expected you to do, when you really left yourself empty inside. What did you get? What is the purpose of having all the money and security when you are not happy and that is not what you want?

- Everyone has a different purpose in the universe. This is more of a spiritual thought. I believe everyone has their own purpose. In that case, how can we generalize?

Answer 1

Success is not measured by the amount of money in your bank account or the number of awards you can count.  Its how well you do as a human being.

Answer 2

I think you have given your own answer to your question. Sometimes being successful or not is not within a person's control.

Answer 3

To thine own self be true.  Define for yourself what you deem to be "successful."  Then decide whether you choose to pursue it and set your goals.  

The happiest people I know have held fast to their own ideals and define success by their own terms.  Then, when they pursue their goals, they are doing so to please themselves and not someone else or society.

The reality is this:  Life is here and now....there is no dress rehearsal.

Answer 4

Please google Desiderata and read it - it is a short piece & has all the answers for both now & forever.

Regards.