what is the measure of your success? and other questions to ponder…

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Feeling a bit pensive today- & wanted to share the love.

How does one know if what they’re doing is a success or a failure?
What constitutes a successful life?
Is it silly to think in terms of success & failure when it comes to evaluating a life/life decisions?
Is it accumulation of stuff? Wealth? Friendships? Philanthropy/benevolence/humanitarianism? Education? Accomplishments?

What standard will I be measured with? Against?

WHAT IS THE MEASURE OF YOUR SUCCESS?

© Roland Steven Taylor, from the Album “I Predict 1990”

In this city I confess
I am driven to possess
answer no one, let them guess
are you someone I impress?

I am a big boss
with a short fuse
I have a nylon carpet and rubber shoes
and when I shake hands
you’ll get a big shock
you’ll be begging for mercy when the champ is through
you’d better believe I’ll put the clamps on you

In this city, be assured
some will rise above the herd
feed the fatted, leave the rest
this is how we won the West

I am a safebox
I am the inner sanctum when the door locks
I own the passkey
you say you can’t take it with you?
we’ll see about that, won’t we?

push…push…push…

In this city I confess
god is mammon, more is less
off like lemmings at the gun
I know better, still I run

I am an old man
and the word came
but you can’t buy time on a good name
now when the heirs come around like buzzards on a kill
I see my reflection in their envious eyes
I’d watch it all burn
to buy another sunrise

Some men find the fire escape
old men learn it all too late
push…push…push the alarm
old MacDonald’s bought the farm

4 thoughts on “what is the measure of your success? and other questions to ponder…”

  1. My personal theology is that my success is measured in relation to my obedience to God or even Love God – Love Others . . . the problem is that it often doesn’t FEEL very successful to me . . . and I don’t like that . . .

    So I guess the question I struggle with is not so much what does success look like, but what is success supposed to feel like . . .

  2. I may post more on this, but I’d sum up my “success” as knowing or at least hoping to know my own life-purpose is & sticking to it, w/o regard for the criticisms, complaints, mockage, derision, glad-handing, approval & cheering of others.

    Like Ricky Nelson said.

  3. most people measure success by things that are countable or visible such as cars, houses, dollars (or euros/pounds over here where it’s unfortunately stronger). few people really take the time to think about what we take with us when we die.

    i think you both summed it up so well. what do we take with us when we die? when i stand before him what will be his verdict? loving God and loving people….knowing and living the will of God.

    I think that about says it all.

  4. I once told someone that my theology was to love God and love people and they said that’s not a theology. So I told them I didn’t have one.

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