OK, we're successful. Great. Now what?

[Nords]

The author enjoyed a success but discovered that it initially led to more problems. Eventually he figured it out.

It's long and it's a little overblown on its vocabulary, but I enjoyed reading phrases like "I, too, shall warn life's lumpenproletarian losers about success's manifold miseries."

What Comes After Success? (printer-friendly version).

Scott Adams alluded to similar feelings in his blog a few weeks back.

In retrospect they both could have saved themselves the effort:
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success!"
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Good enough for me.

 

[OKLibrarian]

Ditto.

 

[clifp]

"An unaimed arrow never misses." Kimo's Hawaiian Rules

 

[Goonie]

In retrospect they both could have saved themselves the effort:
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success!"
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Good enough for me.

Yep! That's pretty much been my credo (or whatever ya want to call it) for many years! Ralph knew what he was talking about!

 

[hogtied]

Success to me would not entail having to "win" or "earn" the respect of anyone. That's shallow and leans to a lack of self esteem. "Oh my I need to look good in so and so's eyes. I better work on winning / earning their respect. This type of thinking is vanity and a waste of time. Why in the world would I spend time and energy to care what someone else thinks of me? Success is being joyful with the blessings of family and all the material wealth that you have. Contentness, ah what a beautiful thing.

In answer to your question: Be content and full of joy!