I recently watched the video below, Alain de Botton describing and defining success in our age, including the fabulous opportunity of success like no other time in history, and the shortcomings and downfalls that such thinking brings.  This is a good TED talk that helps ground the over-ambitious entrepreneur.  It allows you to do a little introspection regarding your ambitions and desires.  I liked as well the open identification of the weaknesses of a such a “success-driven” society, including meritocracy.  One must be careful, however, as the spectrum goes from “everything is my fault, good and bad” to “nothing is my fault”. Neither end is correct.  We do control much of our own future but not all of it (you never know when tragedy strikes, etc.). And, sorry, but the odds are you are not the next Bill Gates.  Which brings me to the next interesting point.

I found it interesting, yet logical, that essentially where success is treated as “easily accessible to all”, depression and suicide tend to be accessed much more than where it is not.  We all decide we must be failures since it is so readily available and yet, we’re not successful yet.  Although I feel it is more available than it has ever been, success has become a game of envy, jealousy, and comparison instead of individual opportunity to be YOU.

He also points out the concept that realistically, you can’t be good at everything.  He goes so far as to say that work-life balance is bunk.  I may not agree 100% but it is true.  I mean, the most successful mega-companies have typically been run by work-aholics with little, if any, “personal” life.  This doesn’t mean their have not been extremely successful people with some resemblance of balance, only that the most achieved individuals in one area often are lacking in other areas, no matter what you see (no one is touting their shortcomings…).

A recent post at “bootstrap business” defines the issue entrepreneurs continually have with this balance and validates, to some extent, the point Alain states in the video.

Check out the vid and do a little thinking about success and you want.  As he states, we often accept other people’s definitions of success which is a terrible thing as many arrive at their destination realizing it isn’t what they wanted all along.

Now there is your philosophy for the day.  Good luck in whatever venture you currently face.