On being successful
“The Luncheon” by Claude Monet (c. 1873)
I am fortunate to have learned a good definition of being successful at a fairly young age. Before university I took a year-off and spent some months volunteering on a Kibbutz in northern Israel. I was listening to a conversation between three other volunteers—two young and obnoxious Brits who had just left a very expensive and exclusive Oxford private school, and an amiable Australian dood called Danny. The snobby Brits were mocking Danny for being a gardener, and so in their minds unsuccessful. Danny responded “What do you mean unsuccessful. I’m very successful. I spend my days relaxed, outdoors in the sun, getting paid to do something I love. What is unsuccessful about that?”
In Europe we have been infected with the “American dream” definition of success—basically that to be successful you have to get rich. This attitude causes a lot of unhappiness, with people working long hours often in jobs they don’t really like. To endure this people have embraced a type of modern Stoicism focused on resilience, grit, and enduring hardship, which is championed by people like Ryan Holiday and Tim Ferriss. But here in Europe I think we should temper Stoicism with a healthy dose of Epicureanism. How about this for a definition of being successful:
- Sitting in a nice garden on a sunny day talking with friends.
- Reading a great book.
- A good glass of red wine, some delicious cheese, a tasty cold apple.
- Comfortable clothes and shoes.
So what if we don’t have as much money as “successful” people in the USA? They have few holidays, are obsessed by work, and are currently very confused about what is valuable in life. It’s Europeans who have the better life. Let’s make sure we keep it that way.