Your question about success brings a short story to mind:
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented
the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took
him to catch them.
"Not very long," answered the Mexican.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the
American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs
and those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with
my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village
to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs
. . I have a full life."
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra
fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
And after that?" asked the Mexican.
With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one
and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.
Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate
directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You
can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or
even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting,"
answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you
can start selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast,
sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with
your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
And the moral is: Know where you're going in life...you may already be
there.
And another short one that sums up my personal philosphy on life:
When things in your life seem almost to much to
handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough,
remember the mayonnaise jar........and the beer....
A professor stood before his philosophy class and
had some items in front of him. When the class
began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and
empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with
golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar
was full.
They agreed that it was. So the professor then
picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the
jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled
into the open areas between the golf balls. He then
asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and
poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled
up everything else. He asked once more if the jar
was full.
The students responded with an unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cans of beer from
under the table and poured the entire contents into
the jar, effectively filling the empty space between
the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
"I want you to recognize that this jar represents
your life. The golf balls are the important
things--your family, your children, your health,
your friends, your favorite passions--things that if everything else
was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. "The
pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house,
your car. The sand is everything else--the small
stuff.
If you put the sand into the jar first," he
continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the
golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all
your time and energy on the small stuff, you will
never have room for the things that are important to
you. Pay attention to the things that are critical
to your happiness. Play with your children. Take
time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out
to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be
time to clean the house, and fix the disposal.
"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really
matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired
what the beer represented. The professor smiled.
"I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that
no matter how full your life may seem, there's
always room for a couple of beers."
Hope you enjoyed the stories - Lambda