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A question that has no real answer, a question that has been asked before, a question that might have meaning when staring down the barrel of a gun called time.

What is success?

Three simple words that I have heard uttered lately. A lot of people I talk to are starting to question their goals in life and what makes them happy. Some of the happiest people I know have some of the least lofty goals. This seems to be a paradox that arises quite often. A reoccurring statement on that theme is that “money doesn’t buy happiness.” Without debating the fundamentals I will both side with that statement and against it.

First, if you are unhappy with life and what you are required to do then the statement is quite accurate. If you are required to do things to earn the vast sums of money that will make you happy which you despise, I am sure it won’t make you happy. However, if you are not required to lower yourself in order to make the monies that will enrich your life then, quite possibly, money could buy you happiness. I think the debate is on the definition of buy.

I agree, there is no way to buy (obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction) happiness. However, there are things that can be paid for in order to gain peace of mind. Simple things that we all worry about day in and out like food or rent or car payments or vacations. Not having the need to stress over such common day items like this, I believe, would tend to help anyone’s happiness out.

But what if you have no such worldly needs? To keep this short of a book I will make a statement, move out of your parent’s house and transfer all bills, titles, insurances, healthcare, mortgages, credit cards and such into your name. Once you have done that, moved several hundred miles away (can no longer make a visit for free food) and miss your parents asking the question, “How have you been?” Let us readdress that simple statement then.

To the question, though, is this success? It seems the more money you make the more worries you acquire. Your tax bills loom, your work stress increases, your personal time decreases and you start sacrificing your values. Well, maybe not you directly but someone else. The guy you work with, maybe your boss or your boss’s boss. How about the director of you department or division?

I was once told, “don’t worry about the money. It will come with time. What is most important is to keep true to yourself and your beliefs. When you follow your passion and become apart of it then you will find happiness.” This almost sounds like a Haiku:
            Passion brings success
            Self belief, trust, confidence
            Fortunes will follow

The irony, you ask? I learned this lesson from a Japanese man that gave me a vast amount of knowledge.

A problem, I see currently, is that you need to set yourself apart from others if you set the bar high for yourself. So, what is wrong with that? Adding another famous statement, “every thing in moderation my dear.” Going back a good twenty years or more, from my understanding, there wasn’t such a high level of competition for the top roles. People felt successful with having a family, putting food on the table and taking life as it came. Today people have project plans for there life. I have been asked several times, “where do you see yourself in the next five years?”

Five years? I don’t know where I seem myself at the end of this year! I know that I would like to regain some, not much, peace and stability I had in my life once (for a brief moment). Past that, I really am not concerned. I have more pressing needs I have to follow right now.

Is having a project plan with tasks and milestones good? Does completing your tasks, reaching your milestones and making your goals bring you closer to success? I believe, however incorrect and debatable the statement, that higher education (universities and Six Sigma (not picking on the system of practices) certifications and others) is making us believe that things can happen in a straight path that we set out to follow. Our set backs in today’s world is our favorite pet has a problem or a close relative has passed away or we are looking for another job while collecting unemployment.

I am not belittling any of those issues; I am merely performing a contrast. Forty years ago people, in the middle-class, where still worrying about where their dinner was going to come from that night or if they were going live through the night (at 45!) or if they would make any money in the next few months.

Many people in this country, still, stair down this dark tunnel of uncertainty today. But the numbers are not the same. People are starting to believe, more and more, that because they have reached a certain level in our higher education systems that are owed something. They will be immediately successful when they leave there last place of higher education and move into the business world. Sadly, this is more a truth then people want to believe.

Pulling it back together a little bit. Everyone judges success differently. Everyone’s value of money is relative; you might feel that $1,000 a week gross is great while your next-door neighbor might think that is $400 too little.

A few things I believe are that money might not buy you happiness but it might give you the ability to pay for things that give you more peace and freedoms. Judging people is wrong unless it keeps you from getting screwed. Paying attention to detail is of utmost importance until you can’t make a profit because you’re stumbling over your own paperwork. The analogy of “monkey tree” has changed a bit. When you looked up all you saw were asses. Now you see the asses but they are sleeping.

Most importantly, success should not be measured by one’s title, degrees, certifications, world experiences or grammatical abilities but rather the quality of their work and their life and caliber of their friends.

Programming Grads Meet a Skills Gap in the Real World
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2178319,00.asp?kc=EWKNLBOE090807STR1 

How many of you enjoy your jobs? Good for you if you say "I do!" However, you are part of the dying breed in America these days. The relatively young executives in a lot of large companies would like everyone to believe they are doing their best to make work environments better. That is great news! But there are a few things I have learned so far in life though. One, talk is cheap. Two, put your money where your mouth is.

I have not seen their talk actually being applied. No, really, I don't see work environments getting better, I don't see people getting happier with their companies and I don't see people staying at companies as long as they had in the past. Below I have included a link to a good archive from the PBS Nightly Business Report backs up my statements.Commentary: A Profile of the American Workforce

Am I saying that Americans have the right to slack off at work? Absolutely not! So what is my solution? I can't honestly tell you what my solution is. But I can tell I am slightly nervous as to direction we are heading now. Some people say we are at the pinnacle of a society. Others will say we are in the midst of a correction. Still more will say that America has its problems but is the best country in the World to live in. I cannot confirm nor deny any of these statements. I have not lived in every country and I don't take other peoples statements at face value.

What I have seen is what is described in yet another article from the Night Business Report (Reeling Retirees Back To Work). We are losing our top decision makers, creators and scientists. We are focusing on people that have gone through our education system and gotten all their degrees rather then how much success they have achieved. Funny at it might be but the country was not built only by people with degrees if they were lucky enough to be educated at all. A lot of our top leaders and founders of companies where educated by the school of life. It is ironic that, short of creating the next ING, Thomson or Microsoft, you will be hard pressed to reach a top level leadership position.

Is there a correlation between the increased amount of education and the depreciating level of quality leaders? Will we replace our top engineers and scientists in the next 10 years? Will we just outsource our intelligence to India, China, Germany or other countries instead of fixing the problem with education here? Will we improve job satisfaction and pay? Will we value the people that "do" more then we value the people that say they can but don't?

Answers to the questions above would be assumptions or best guesses. However, thinking about these questions and asking more is a healthy exercise. Let's all remember that "too many cooks spoil the soup."