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If I asked you, are you a successful person? How would you answer?
Being a Chinese person, I have seen the extraordinary growth in China’s economy in the past two decades, and know many people who have benefited from this economic boom. When people on the outside look at these people, they see the wealth they have accumulated, and instantly the word success is associated with these people.
Meanwhile, time and time again I hear about horrible cases of the production of fake products:
- Lamb skewers that use the meat of mice
- Fake baby formula that use deadly ingredients
- Oil that is reused after it is disposed of down the drain
All these things are done with the sole focus of driving down costs whilst having no consideration at all for the health and safety of consumers.
So are these people successful? These people who become wealthy but hurt other people along the way?
How about power or fame; does becoming famous or having power make you successful?
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Many people often look up to celebrities and famous people. Depending on your interests, there are famous people we look up to in every field, whether it’s sport, business, or crypto, there are always people who others look up to. These people usually have a greater amount of influence than others in that field. You could say that they are powerful to some extent. There are also others who are truly powerful by our society’s standards. Think about those who have the ability to make decisions on behalf of an entire nation, or CEOs of large corporations who produce products that can change the way we live, or how about the most popular singers, actors, and sportspersons in the world.
Are these people successful?
Well, it depends.
What I think success is
A few years ago, I attended the funeral of a man in his thirties. He had a small business, a wife and three young children. At his funeral, I heard story after story of people whose lives have been touched by him. People would share about his generosity, about things he did and said that altered the course of their lives. It was more like a celebration, a celebration of his life. His funeral impacted me greatly, as he impressed on my heart how I want to live the rest of my life.
Just to be clear, I’m not saying that wealth, fame or power is necessarily bad. But to me, they do not determine success.
To me, being successful is about what I have done to improve the lives of others, and how I have contributed to making our world a better place for us all. Success to me is hearing my children say that I’m a great father, my wife tell me that I’m a wonderful husband, and friends tell me that I have always been there for them when they needed me most. Success is not measured by how much we have, but how much we give.
Please let me know what you think. I would love to hear your thoughts on what you believe success to be in the comments below.
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Jimmy