Have you thought about what success means to you, as a writer?
Success means many different things to many different people:
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For some, success is fame.
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For others, success is power.
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For still others, success is obtaining wealth.
My take on success is a little bit different.
If you’re at all familiar with the story of how I became a freelance writer, then you may already know that I was drawn to freelancing in my quest to balance my life: specifically my attempt to achieve a balance between my professional life and my time with friend and family. For me, no amount of fame, power or fortune would be worth the loss of friends and family.
I’ve actually found that keeping a healthy balance enables me to produce a better quality of writing. In the long run, better writing means more clients, which is good for business.
Over all, I feel that I’m successfully meeting my goal of a balanced life. Most of the time, I am able to achieve a comfortable balance between the personal and the professional. It does take work. I say “no” more often than I’d like. However, if you have a similar definition of success know that achieving balance as a writer is quite doable and well worth the effort.
How do you define success?
Contents (c) Copyright 2009, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.
Image Source: Laura Spencer
6 responses so far ↓
1 Lillie Ammann // Apr 17, 2009 at
Laura,
Success to me means being in control. I prefer to work at night and sleep during the day. Though I occasionally have to adjust my schedule for meetings or phone calls, most of the time, I can work the hours I prefer. That’s really important to me.
2 Mihaela Lica // Apr 17, 2009 at
Success is more of a state of mind than anything else in my view. It’s hard to define it: fame, glory, money… these are not really what I would call success. As General Patton once said:
I also like your definition: I think in the end, being successful is being happy about who we are.
3 Laura Spencer // Apr 17, 2009 at
Hi Lillie and Mig!
I like the way that both of you define success.
Lillie – control is not something that I thought about, but it can be very important.
Mig, what a great quote! It also testifies to the importance of not quitting.
Good food for thought on a Friday!
4 Mary Ann // May 25, 2009 at
Success is defined differently by everyone. Many people think more about it in financial terms, but that can lead to unhappiness and lack of fulfillment. Think about all areas of your life and see where you can feel comfortable about the level of success you have achieved.
Relationships are also a way that we feel successful in our lives. Dealing with friends, co-workers, and family members in a positive and mutually respectful way can add to our own sense of self-worth.
5 elmo // Jun 9, 2009 at
Its not possible to define success unless you are really aware of all the material and psychological desires that would change in your life from time to time. The closest that we can get to is to define them with a certain time frame attached eg… to me, success, means been a gold medallist at the next Olympic games.
This happens because of a naturic continuos growth in your biological complexities that results in you moving from one stage to another stage of consciousness alongside changing your perceptions of life.
Thanks for giving me this opportunity to post my comments.
6 Sernan // Oct 18, 2009 at
Success for me is a dream being achieved… finishing what you planned to do and continue working for that achievement…:)