Have you ever bought something or endorsed an idea as a result of book, movie, game, T.V., etc? What was it?
~ “Yes. I became vegan after reading a book.“
If you could switch to your dream job, career, or lifestyle immediately would you do it for the pay you make now? What career?
~ “No, because I am already practically living my dream life. It’s not easy, but it’s where I want to be”
Excluding work or school, what is a meaningful success you have achieved, acquired, or experienced?
~ “Learning to speak English“
Success Week
What goals are you working towards right now? Who do you confer with when inspiration strikes? Where do we find success, outside of the workplace? Welcome to Voices of the Day! Would you take your dream job for the pay you are making now, or is the pay an important part of that career? I tried to stray away from the more predictable questions about success and instead approach them from slightly different angles. Thankfully, it only caused minor confusion among the various viewpoints collected here. So stick around, soak it up, and share your thoughts with a friend – what is success and why is it so important?
You have a great idea for a song, business, app, or otherwise. Who do you tell it to? Why them?
~ “No one. Share things when you’ve actually produced results.“
~ “My best friend. Just to see what their reaction is and if I should go forward with my idea.”
~ “My boyfriend, to see if he also thinks it’s a good idea“
~ “I don’t have good ideas for those things.“
~ “Maybe a few friends, if the topic comes up, because it’s fun to talk about. I wouldn’t bring it up because I’m not going to start anything. I’d rather focus on a steady job than skip around like that.”
~ “I would keep it to myself for a while, but the first person I would tell is my older sister since she works with startup”
~ “My friend, because I trust them“
~ “my friends, because i get very excited when i come up with a new idea and i have a compulsive need to tell everybody!“
~ “Friends with an interest in the same area and who will be willing to tell me if it’s stupid”
~ “My boyfriend because he will listen, encourage me in a balanced way and will not judge me.“
~ “My partner and close friends. Because I trust them.“
Have you ever bought something or endorsed an idea as a result of book, movie, game, T.V., etc? What was it?
~ “Isn’t that just advertising? Everyone has.“
~ “Not really“
~ “Yes, i have bought a book which was referenced in another book i was reading“
~ “I don’t understand this question.“
~ “Not that I can recall, beyond “bought the sequel.“
~ “No”
~ “Yes, a plethora of things. Mostly cosmetics.“
~ “not that i can think of off the top of my head, but probably!“
~ “Books, internet videos, and documentaries definitely influence my political opinion, as far as endorsing an idea goes.“
(No Response Given)
~ “Yes. I became vegan after reading a book.“
If you could switch to your dream job, career, or lifestyle immediately would you do it for the pay you make now? What career?
~ “Musical performance”
~ “No, because I am already practically living my dream life. It’s not easy, but it’s where I want to be”
~ “Yes, I would like to be the manager of a nature reserve.“
~ “I don’t have a dream job.“
~ “Sure, that’s a better job for the same money so why not? I’d get married and have kids, not have a “paid job” at all. I only work to pay bills.”
~ “N/A – Unemployed at the moment, but yeah I would love to have my dream job as long as my pay can increase over time.”
~ “Entertainment. No.”
~ “not really applicable because i’m a student and my summer job doesn’t pay enough to make me want to do ANYTHING, but ideally i just want to have a career that attracts good people to it so that i can spend my day surrounded by good people!“
~ “Absolutely, of course. Musician.“
~ “I’m not sure because I’m poor. I don’t know.“
~ “I am already in my dream career, and I am payed too little.“
What is the most amount of money you have lost that you are comfortable sharing? How did you lose it?
~ “$30,000 for wasting a semester of college”
~ “$20 worth of tips that fell out of my pocket”
~ “None”
~ “I sometimes lose a couple of Euros because I don’t make the effort to research about special offers and stuff.“
~ “I don’t think I’ve lost more than a $20 bill.“
~ “I lost £7 from an online gaming scam and yes I would share that. Other than that, I haven’t really lost money before. I prefer to use my card more often since I don’t want to lose coins/notes“
~ “$9.60, extorted by scammers”
~ “i bought 3 gift cards to give to 3 different people and lost them all by accident for a total of $75?“
~ “I’ve lost a couple of hundred pounds on scratchcards in a day (in terms of where I was at the point of highest winnings to walking away down at the end of the day). Initial investment was pretty low though, I just should have walked away when I was on about £150.“
~ “I don’t think I’ve ever lost money.“
~ “I haven’t lost any money yet.“
Excluding work or school, what is a meaningful success you have achieved, acquired, or experienced?
~ “Becoming more comfortable with myself and my identity“
~ “Going a whole year without a panic attack“
~ “I have got financial security“
~ “I found someone I feel at ease with.“
~ “That IS “meaningful success.” Other than family, it’s either work or school. Everything else is just a hobby.“
~ “Getting a partnership on my YouTube channel“
~ “Went abroad“
~ “in general i think i’m a very charismatic person, which is see as a meaningful success because wits something I’ve worked really hard on improving and it’s something i care a lot about!“
~ “Some computer game nonsense probably. Not really meaningful though.“
~ “Learning to speak English“
~ “Built relationships with wonderful people.“
How are you feeling, right now?
~ “Groggy“
~ “Pretty good“
~ “Tired”
~ “Bad. I stayed up too late.“
~ “Fine / normal.“
~ “Entrepreneurial”
~ “Unsure and not confident“
~ “pretty calm compared to the week i just had— it was a roller coaster of emotions but i think I’ve finally worked everything out!”
~ “Tired, bored, headache.”
~ “Terrible”
~ “Sleepy but very happy, I just woke up!”
Describe yourself, however you want, in two sentences.
~ “I’m talented and have a lot of hobbies, yet I can’t find the motivation to enjoy them anymore. Nevertheless I’m incredibly optimistic and friendly, and will always search for the good in other people, even if I can’t find it in myself.“
~ “Average 20 year old female college student. I work 2 jobs at 2 different museums“
~ “I’m a kind person and a good friend. I am smart and well-educated and I love to learn new things.“
~ “I’m not the typical guy and I don’t think my idea of success is very common, so I probably am an outlier in a study about it.“
~ (No Self-Description Given)
~ “Happy and smiley “
~ “I’m smart and capable, but I have no idea why I needed help from others and why they think that they need to fix whatever I do. It makes me feel sorry for myself when I realize that I’m incapable of anything.“
~ “i’m creative and logical, i have a lot of energy, and i like to keep my life exciting! on the other hand, i tend to overthink things, and i can definitely also be stubborn. “
~ “Afraid to go anywhere or do anything. Also fat.“
~ (No Self-Description Given)
~ “I love gardening, growing my own food, and helping people.“
Final Thoughts
It would appear that we have very fiscally responsible voices here; one of the most important things with the Voices of the Day for me, and hopefully for others, is we can see the importance of asking good questions and the detriment of poorer questions. It would have been likely more effective to ask about misusing and wasting money as well as losing it. Contrast that with the final question, and it is a world of difference. I love being able to see the diverse ways that people find meanings – through travel, learning language, and social connections. Then there is the “dream job” question, which highlighted the willingness for a number of people to pursue their passion if they had the chance, or are already pursuing it, with little regard to pay. All in all, the voices gave good insights about their thinking, and continue to offer a broader perspective on a topic so many of us find existentially meaningful.
Conversation Sparks
Here are some more ideas to keep this one going. What is your greatest defeat? Are you more productive when you are working alone, in small groups, or apart of large collaborative teams? Can others count on you, can they trust your word? Where do you see yourself in five years? Could your past self have imagined where you are now, five years ago?
So, how are you doing right now? Are you finding appropriate success in your endeavors? If not, what is holding you back. Whether you are striving or struggling take some solace in the knowledge that, whichever way you are, we are with you. Someone else is sharing in similar experiences. While we all write our own unique stories, sharing and investigating the themes in another’s life can help enhance our understanding of our own situation immensely. So, I hope you enjoyed this week! If you want to gain even more perspective, check out the prior posts focused on Trust and Confidence to get yourself in a successful mindset! Until next time, have a wonderful day. And remember, be heard.