Define Success 🤔🤔

This type of prompt reminds me too much of the mainly American success ‘gurus’ who say that the secret to success lies in getting up at 4am, doing 2 hours of exercise, drinking a seaweed smoothie and having an ice bath before starting a 10 hour day at work! If that’s success or the path towards it, count me out! The problem is, as I indicated in the title, is to define success. I think the Irish Boyband Westlife are far more accurate than the gurus when they sang ‘Flying Without Wings’, one of my favourite songs, back in 1999. The first line is

‘Everybody’s looking for that something, one thing that makes it all complete.’

They then go on to list a number of things that could be a person’s true path and true measure of success. They never suggest that anyone’s path is less valid than any of the alternatives, instead encouraging you to ‘find that special thing’ that means you are ‘Flying Without Wings’. In that way Westlife are far more reliable guides than the ‘success stories’ I described with only a small exaggeration at the beginning. Yes, if all you want is loads of money and material possessions then they are indeed your role models. However, if that’s not really what you want it will make you miserable, even if for some odd reason you actually enjoy seaweed smoothies and ice baths!!

So, listen to Westlife and take their lessons on board. I am going to spend my day with my family, who always make sure I am ‘Flying Without Wings’