A Thinker's Ambitions; or, Reflections on Success (Part 1)
I want to be successful. I've always wanted to be successful. I'm particularly drawn to the tales of people who have made something of their lives, who have directed their energy towards something and proved themselves to the world in some way or another. None of this is particularly unusual. I think it's a fairly normal human emotion to have ambition and be drawn to those who have acted on and achieved something with their ambitions. However, desiring success is dangerously close to desiring fame , and these days that latter thing is a dirty thing to desire. There is a difference between the two. Having success does not entail having fame -- this much is obvious. You can be a successful employee at a company and have nobody but your co-workers and industry peers know your name (perhaps not even them, to be honest). You can be a housewife and raise wonderful children, and be known to nobody outside of your community and family -- this is a kind of success. So, success mea...