vi0letblues said:

A lot of my friends are very successful. Though they are not the smartest, They are neither greedy or deceitful, the thing they all have in common is their personality. Very approachable, honest and friendly.

My smartest friends from school, that lacked these qualities are not doing so well. The deceitful and greedy that are not locked in a prison or dead or a joined a Christian born again religion are doing ok too, but it's only transitional until they end up in a prison or dead or join a Christian born again religion.

i agree, friendly people get very far

but attractive people get far too and some have the personality of a cardboard box

PicklesMcMillan said:

vi0letblues said:

A lot of my friends are very successful. Though they are not the smartest, They are neither greedy or deceitful, the thing they all have in common is their personality. Very approachable, honest and friendly.

My smartest friends from school, that lacked these qualities are not doing so well. The deceitful and greedy that are not locked in a prison or dead or a joined a Christian born again religion are doing ok too, but it's only transitional until they end up in a prison or dead or join a Christian born again religion.

i agree, friendly people get very far

but attractive people get far too and some have the personality of a cardboard box

No doubt beautiful people have an advantage, dont be jealous!

Jealous people do not go very far!

[Edited 10/3/10 16:01pm]

vi0letblues said:

PicklesMcMillan said:

i agree, friendly people get very far

but attractive people get far too and some have the personality of a cardboard box

No doubt beautiful people have an advantage, dont be jealous!

Jealous people do not go very far!

[Edited 10/3/10 16:01pm]

fuck it!.... im full of jealously

PicklesMcMillan said:

Ace said:

why be good then... if its a myth?

why are you even being nice to me right now ??

I didn't say that "being good" was a myth - I said that "selflessness" was.

And I'm being nice to you right now for the same reason we all do anything of our own volition: it makes me feel good. I am also a disgustingly empathetic person.

[Edited 10/4/10 3:00am]

PicklesMcMillan said:

vi0letblues said:

A lot of my friends are very successful. Though they are not the smartest, They are neither greedy or deceitful, the thing they all have in common is their personality. Very approachable, honest and friendly.

My smartest friends from school, that lacked these qualities are not doing so well. The deceitful and greedy that are not locked in a prison or dead or a joined a Christian born again religion are doing ok too, but it's only transitional until they end up in a prison or dead or join a Christian born again religion.

i agree, friendly people get very far

but attractive people get far too and some have the personality of a cardboard box

This is probably one of the few instances in life where I feel the phrase "it is what it is" is appropriate.

What good will envy and/or bitterness do you? Will it change the fact that the best-looking amongst us tend to have more doors opened to them? I think you know the answer to that question. In the end, are all of those doors worth walking through? IMHO, most of them are not.

Zen-Buddhist monks have rated "off the charts" in happiness studies. From Leo Babauta's "12 Essential Rules to Live More Like a Zen Monk":

Smile and serve others.

Zen monks spend part of their day in service to others, whether that be other monks in the monastery or people on the outside world. It teaches them humility, and ensures that their lives are not just selfish, but devoted to others. If you’re a parent, it’s likely you already spend at least some time in service to others in your household, and non-parents may already do this too. Similarly, smiling and being kind to others can be a great way to improve the lives of those around you. Also consider volunteering for charity work.

PicklesMcMillan said:

ConsciousContact said:

If you want to be successful in societys terms then you may have to be greedy and deceitful. Maybe we need a new definition of what being successful means. To me being successful is when you are totally true to yourself.

so why be good if doesnt get you anywhere in society ?

i can be true to myself all day long but 2 "society" thats not a feat so what good is it

well I m not interested in how society sees me so it makes no difference to me. If I want to be good, I am good, I don t think of it in terms of how I m going to be rewarded by society. If you are good just to see how you can get on in society then you are not good. You are being ambitious and greedy because you want to be rewarded by society, which is not goodness at all.

Economically-speaking, it's difficult to be "successful" (as in very wealthy) without taking advantage of people. It's just the way that Capitalism works. There are exceptions, of course...you can win the lottery, inherit $$, create or invent something (Harry Potter books or Paul Mitchell products for example)...but anyone who becomes wealthy via Wall Street, the Corporate ladder, or any of the traditional venues is doing so at the expense of other people's profit loss.

THAT BEING SAID; personally I consider being "successful" as someone who has reached a balance in their lives; where their finances, relationships and health have reached a positive and stable level. Having a surplus of cash in a bank vault, to me, doesn't necessarily indicate a "sucessful" person when they are maybe miserable, or perhaps their children are poppin' sleeping pills hoping to end it all.

PurpleJedi said:

I consider being "successful" as someone who has reached a balance in their lives; where their finances, relationships and health have reached a positive and stable level.

Ace said:

PurpleJedi said:

I consider being "successful" as someone who has reached a balance in their lives; where their finances, relationships and health have reached a positive and stable level.

...of course, I'll be branded a Socialist for saying it.

PurpleJedi said:

Ace said:

...of course, I'll be branded a Socialist for saying it.

Yes it is If you can succeed without doing bad things or screwing over people then that is the epitome of success