Tuesday, July 7, 2009

No napping here.

There is no point at which you can say, "Well, I'm successful now. I might as well take a nap." - Carrie Fisher

Yesterday, I commented on Roger Federer, and asked what it is that drives apart the champions of the world and the rest of humanity.

The determination that I saw yesterday, and that I continue to see in the rest of the "successful" bunch, goes hand in hand with constant action, constant improvement, constant reinvention.

I think I've always wondered, is there a point at which people truly retire? Do people just stop once they've reached what they designate as "success"?

The answer is an emphatic "no".

Those who become legends, much like Michael Jackson, whose memorial touched me today, never stop searching, never stop working, never stop dreaming for bigger or better. They know that even if things are great at the moment, they can always get better, forgetting the possibility of failure as they do so.

What if we all forget about the destination, instead looking only at the journey, and decide that was what we really wanted after all?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I agree with you. There have been many times in my life when I've finally achieved whatever is was I was after, then thought, "well now what?" It was the trying to get there that I liked.

Thanks for stopping by my blog:)

Escapologist said...

As a blooming psychologist-to-be the constant drive to success always tended to scare me.

Let's play devil's advocate for a minute - are we not just setting ourselves up for constant failure, if we don't settle for less than perfect? What could that be doing to us and our egos?

Like many "successful" people, Michael Jackson was never satisfied for what he had. Thus, he strived for more. Did that ultimately break him in the end, or did that make him a hero? Like his predecessor (Elvis, the King) he died at an early age. Some would say he achieved greatness in his lifetime. What do you think he will think?

What we need to learn is satisfaction in what we have accomplished. Learning to live and love what skills we have acquired thus far is an accomplishment in itself, because I am yet to meet a person who has achieved that. This includes me ...

Samantha Betts said...

Armyblond, I suppose that you are right to an extent. Although, I hate to think that people stagnate simply out of fear of failure or because they become comfortable. That's not to say that you can't feel a sense of accomplishment for anything you have succeeded with. Maybe life means for us to balance the two. Hmm...

Escapologist said...

Another excellent point. I guess what I was attempting to say was that too many people get addicted to success. I suppose its good to crave for it, but not to get "bent around the axle" (army term - sorry) if we don't achieve it.

PS ... love your blogs!

Samantha Betts said...

Armyblond, I agree. I know people on both ends of the spectrum.

I love your blog too! Thanks for visiting.