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 Fri May 26, 2006 16:42 pm Success |
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It didn’t ring any bell to me. But now, thanks to good old Google, I know it’s the title of a book about success. Is that the Strange Secret you meant, Torsten?
Even without reading it, I’m sure that’s not a book for me, since I never think in terms of success (or failure, for that matter). A more meaningful and popular word with me is ‘happiness’. I would even go as far as to say that both words could be antonyms, in a way. Some people seem to spend their entire life desperately trying to achieve what they call ‘success’. What it comes down to is a lifelong marathon that doesn’t allow for any weaknesses or sentimentalities, like picking up a flower, listening to a bird song or gazing at the landscape along the way – in other words, really living life. That is, at least, my impression. |
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Conchita
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| Fri May 26, 2006 17:26 pm What is the Strangest Secret? |
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Hi Conchita
I had also never heard of "The Strangest Secret" and I googled it, too. And I'm 100% with you, Conchita!
My first reaction to what I read was to ask myself "What IS success?" From what I could find using Google, according to The Strangest Secret, success doesn't seem to have anything to do with happiness, but rather, success seems to be defined by how much money you earn.
I don't think you have to be rich to be successful. And, I think there are rich people who are unhappy.
Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English |
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Yankee
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| Fri May 26, 2006 22:50 pm What is the Strangest Secret? |
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Hi!
If "The Strangest Secret" is a book about success I think it doesn?t have to do only with commercial success. I?ve often heard that success is mostly defined about the way you reach your goals, whatever your goals are! That might be stop smoking, for instance. If you intend ending your smoking the next day and the next day you don?t smoke any cigarette than you succeded! You feel good because you succeded and that gives you the power not to smoke the now following day too and so on. Like I mentioned, success isn?t neccessarily the range of commerce but the way one can succeed. If Google would be right with its result it might be interesting to learn more about the book!
Michael |
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Fan of Arabian horses
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| Tue May 30, 2006 19:58 pm The strangest secret in the world |
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Hi Michael,
You are right, success can mean many different things -- and I agree with Conchita and Amy, you can be successful and happy without making or having a lot of money. We had a similar discussion titled How much are you worth? So, one question is how you define success and happiness and another question is what kind of value system we use.
As for the Strangest Secret -- it might be also the title of a book (as a matter of fact, it's a record). However, the secret itself is a very basic principle that is much older than our monetary system and although (or rather because) it is so basic it means much more than just success or happiness. Still, it is a secret because only a few people know it.
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Torsten
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| Tue May 30, 2006 20:53 pm What is the Strangest Secret in the world? |
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Hi Torsten and every else!
Because you mentioned that the strangest secret isn?t about success only, I liked to add that I?ve read a book about Red Indians who have a native word for it :Wakantanka I think I?ll google and tell you more about it if I can find any result that refers to.
Michael
Googling my suggestion about the Strangest Secret or WakanTanka I found this:
http://budgerwillowhorse.homestead.com/SunDancer.html
Would like to read your opinion
Michael once again |
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Fan of Arabian horses
I'm here quite often ;-)
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| Tue May 30, 2006 22:32 pm Success |
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| Conchita wrote: | | Even without reading it, I’m sure that’s not a book for me, since I never think in terms of success (or failure, for that matter). A more meaningful and popular word with me is ‘happiness’. I would even go as far as to say that both words could be antonyms, in a way. Some people seem to spend their entire life desperately trying to achieve what they call ‘success’. What it comes down to is a lifelong marathon that doesn’t allow for any weaknesses or sentimentalities, like picking up a flower, listening to a bird song or gazing at the landscape along the way – in other words, really living life. That is, at least, my impression. |
I don't like "success" books much, but I'm fascinated at this point in my life by people who think that financially successful people don't have time to pick up a flower, listen to a bird song or gaze at the landscape. I've noticed that the more financially successful a person is, the more time they have to do all those things -- really living life, enjoying their families, engaging in hobbies, giving time to charity, etc.
I spent my earlier years "living life" and not thinking about money very much. The result is that I now have almost no spare time. Meanwhile, my cousins who thought about money when they were younger have not only money, but spare time to enjoy their lives.
A German named Bodo Sch?fer, who writes on personal finance, points out that the people who are the most obsessed with money are the ones who hardly have any. He is right when he says that the way to stop worrying about money is to make a lot of it. Then you can concentrate on important things. |
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Jamie (K)
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| Wed May 31, 2006 11:54 am What is success? |
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| Jamie (K) wrote: | | I've noticed that the more financially successful a person is, the more time they have to do all those things -- really living life, enjoying their families, engaging in hobbies, giving time to charity, etc. |
I agree with you Jamie. I also think that money is the result of being happy and taking responsibility and finding the answers to questions.
| Jamie (K) wrote: | | I spent my earlier years "living life" and not thinking about money very much. The result is that I now have almost no spare time. Meanwhile, my cousins who thought about money when they were younger have not only money, but spare time to enjoy their lives. |
Do you mean thinking about money or thinking about how to be useful to others?
| Jamie (K) wrote: | | A German named Bodo Sch?fer, who writes on personal finance, points out that the people who are the most obsessed with money are the ones who hardly have any. He is right when he says that the way to stop worrying about money is to make a lot of it. Then you can concentrate on important things. |
Of course, when you just concentrate on money rather than the origin of it, you will not be able to generate any money. Money is nothing else but the financial equivalent to the immaterial riches you provide others with. So it follows, if you don't give others any intellectual or emotional support you are bound to have very little money too.
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Torsten
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| Wed May 31, 2006 12:44 pm What is success? |
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| Torsten wrote: | | Jamie (K) wrote: | | I spent my earlier years "living life" and not thinking about money very much. The result is that I now have almost no spare time. Meanwhile, my cousins who thought about money when they were younger have not only money, but spare time to enjoy their lives. |
Do you mean thinking about money or thinking about how to be useful to others? |
You're a little off track here, Torsten. There is such a thing as an under-earner. It's almost like a psychological problem.
I was very useful to people, but I had no realistic concept of how much my time and effort were worth. I had no negotiating skills and treated every customer as if he were a charity case, because I didn't want to be "greedy". The Czechs taught me to stop this. When I lived there, a man from the forest authority came with a translation he wanted me to do. I gave him some ridiculous price, probably 200 crowns. The man turned, walked away from me, and started calling out to the director of the language school, "Olga, you have to teach him how to do business!" They talked in the room for a few minutes, came out and said, "You're taking 2000 crowns!" I had lowballed my price by 90 percent!
When rich families in that Czech town would need tutoring for their kids, I'd try to give them foolishly low rates, and they would have to make me understand that they had the money and could pay me very good rates. Sure, I'd help out poor families who had motivated kids, but for some stupid reason I didn't understand that other people could pay. They had to teach me the value of my time.
I had never developed those skills in the United States, and I'm lucky I learned them in Europe, because now that I'm back home there are translation agencies that try to cheat me. The old me would have just lied down and let their truck run over me.
| Torsten wrote: | | Of course, when you just concentrate on money rather than the origin of it, you will not be able to generate any money. Money is nothing else but the financial equivalent to the immaterial riches you provide others with. So it follows, if you don't give others any intellectual or emotional support you are bound to have very little money too. |
But what your business motivation books are not telling you is that regardless of how much you are able to provide to other people and how you are able to fulfill their needs, if you never ASK for the money, you won't GET the money!
You should read a book called The Money Trap by Ron Gallen. He's licensed as both a psychotherapist and a financial planner. He explains the problems of intelligent people who can't seem to make any money. They fall into the categories of under-achievers and under-earners. |
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Jamie (K)
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Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| Wed May 31, 2006 22:06 pm What is success? |
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| Jamie (K) wrote: | | But what your business motivation books are not telling you is that regardless of how much you are able to provide to other people and how you are able to fulfill their needs, if you never ASK for the money, you won't GET the money! |
Jamie, what books are you referring to? I was actually talking about my own experiences but if you like we can talk about books too. I've made a mental note to get a copy of The Money Trap so I won't fall into it  .
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Torsten
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| Thu Jun 01, 2006 6:03 am What is success? |
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| Torsten wrote: | | Jamie (K) wrote: | | But what your business motivation books are not telling you is that regardless of how much you are able to provide to other people and how you are able to fulfill their needs, if you never ASK for the money, you won't GET the money! |
Jamie, what books are you referring to? I was actually talking about my own experiences but if you like we can talk about books too. I've made a mental note to get a copy of The Money Trap so I won't fall into it . |
You're always referring to various business motivation recordings and books -- or at least the types of ideas they contain -- so I thought that was what you were referring to.
By the way, I made a mistake. The author of The Money Trap actually refers to the two types of people with serious money problems as over-spenders and under-earners. |
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Jamie (K)
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Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| Thu Jun 01, 2006 7:18 am What is success? |
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| Jamie (K) wrote: | You're always referring to various business motivation recordings and books -- or at least the types of ideas they contain -- so I thought that was what you were referring to.
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Jamie, how do you define a business motivation book and what kind of ideas do they contain in your opinion? Also, does The Money Trap fall into the category of business motivation books or this is something else?
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