By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: Are You Succesfull (in China)?
Here are two variations on the same theme - do you consider yourself successful in China?
“Success”
Inaccurately attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
“What Constitutes Success”
By Bessie Stanley (1905)
He has achieved success who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much;
who has gained the respect of intelligent men
and the love of little children;
who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
who has left the world better than he found it,
whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
who has never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty
or failed to express it;
who has always looked for the best in others
and given them the best he had;
whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction.
Post looks a bizarre Christmas tree. Go figure.
9 years 51 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
I am certainly not succesful, but I try to live a little.
I had an ambition to be ambitious at a long distant point in my life....but I realized I was not ambitious enough to be ambitious.
Mediocrity is not as bad as people say it is you know 
sorry for the spelling. Using my phone to post.
Success is a relative term. I say that because everyone has their idea of success. It depends on where he is on the social ladder. A person near the bottom of that ladder cannot but dream of making it big but that is what it will be - a dream. Most people aim high and fall short. They leave this world bitter and regretful about the one that got away, about how successful he'd be if he got it. Alas, for most of us, we are but common folk trying to live life as it is dished out. So, what exactly is success? In my opinion, if you lived life to the fullest and most meaningful, you would already have succeeded. For many, success is measured by the size of their bank accounts and how many properties are in their names. But I say, you came into this world empty handed and you will leave empty handed.
My idea of success is the ability to pay forward what you have taken in your life. Paying forward can be in so many ways. To teach the next generations of movers and shakers, to donate time to the physically and mentally challenged, etc. It doesn't have to be money. When I was younger, I used to give my Sundays at an orphanage. The time I spent there is something I will remember for a long time. And it costs me nothing, except some time to these kids who just want some company.
In the ever changing and tumultuous world we live in now, most of us are after our own idea of success, some monetary, some closer to the heart but at the end of the day, if we so much as give a little thought to the less fortunate, I think we will have a better world than it is now. That....is my idea of success.
SwedKiwi1:
Great definition of success- I wholeheartedly agree with you on any real success coming from helping others.
icnif77:
At my School, we have classes where mentally and physically challenged are in the same class with other students. Fuk. is very small city, and there's no special School for such students.
At my start, I suggested to School I would like to have EC with special students, on the top of my required hours. I explained to Principal, I would do such classes voluntarily. I even told her, I would like to get more experience while working with special students.
They all looked at me 'strange', and I never get an answer on my request/suggestion.
I have one special student in Grade 4, who's 'Down syndrome', but he always participate in role play in the class with all other kids. His English is better than other's in the class. His main problem is 'attention deficit disorder'. I'm not 'mental specialist', so this is only my opinion.
When we walk home together for lunch, he repeats everything I say, and always candy in my pocket for him.
It makes me sad, when I think about Chinese opinion about such kids.
Nope.
However, I am leaving for home soon.
The things that I am qualified for would never be available to me here and I am not a business minded chap.
Yes, I am 'top half of the tree'.
I have all listed, but 'To earn the appreciation of honest critics'.
No Chinese criticize my work. I hate that!
I value more person who shows me my mistakes, over the person who's telling me I'm good!
I do what I like and I like what I do.
Interesting office job. Most of the time I am satisfied, even despite the usual bias of working with Chinese characteristics (robotic way of treating problems, low standards of professionalism and the like). General treatment is OK. I can work at home when I feel like. Salary is OK. I could get better elsewhere, but I couldn't save more. Professionnaly and geographically, I am right where I want to be.
I guess that makes me successful in my own eyes.
In the eyes of others, I don't know and I don't care.
Im not allowed to answer this or ill get shit on.....
ScotsAlan:
Nah.
Every succesfull person I know, .ie. rich, have a certain drive about them.
They are not afraid to take things or people on, head on and in their face.
They are not traits I want to have myself, but there is no denying that a certain respect is due to people who are not shy of a battle.
Just wish I did not have to work for them 
.
Hey ho. Without the go getters there would probably not be the jobs for us.
But that only applies to the ones with talent. I cant be doing with the climbers who tread on heads on their way up 
Robk:
Haha... I think this was another post made for you.
"Read my posts Mike, I am trying to indirectly teach you something... you are not successful Mike, you are not happy! Look at the Christmas tree of text and learn you Neanderthal!"
Sinobear:
All fun and games, guys and gals. It doesn't matter who you like or dislike...it's just a community.
ScotsAlan:
It's a surprisingly small community for such a large land mass.
Last place I lived was an Island of 80k people and their forum is normally buzzing. It even got the attention of Government many times and things happened.
I still contribute to it. Normally when they say bad things about China 
.
Let me ask you this,
How can one ever be "successful" when the ultimate goal of most "successful" people is to constantly be bettering themselves and the lives of their loved ones/community?
"Successful" people are too busy doing their thing to really know if they are "successful". Does that make sense?
Let's take the movie Schindler's List as an example. He originally thought he was "successful" because he was rich and powerful. Later, he realized helping others would make him a better person. Later on through the movie, he still felt like he wasn't "successful" because he didn't help enough people and wanted to hand over his watch and other valuables in exchange. In his eyes, maybe he was never a "success" because he didn't do enough but in other people's eyes he was "successful" since the beginning of the movie.
What a paradoxical question!
Since im not allowed to give my opinion or ill be called a narcissistic braggart ill just give my opinion on success itself.
Im not sure success can be measured in a forum like this as everyone comes from.different ages, backgrounds and countries. I generally think success comes from goals and more specifically of where you are in life compared to your age.
For example an english teacher making 15000 a month might feel he is doing ok based on his salary from back home if he was say american but someone from eastern europe with the same salary might be quite pleased with themselves. I know my friends from there have zero shame in that. Others with 15000 might feel its embaressing when compared to back home but whwn compared with other teachers here wouldnt feel bad at all.
As the oldest child in a single parent home, i feel alot of pride being able to provide for people i care about. I know givng to the less fortunate is good but for me nothing compares to being the big brother that bought his little bro his first car and took him to disneyland or his first ball game. I feel like a huge success when i can pay for my family to travel and treat them to things they wouldnt be able to do on their own.
I worked.my ass off and saved for 8 months and didnt drink a beer and paid for 40 people to go to thailand and to see my family and my new family and how proud my wife was.... I dont think a man could feel more proud. And i guess thats how you can measure success. Pride. How proud you feel and how you can take care of the people you love
ScotsAlan:
Sooooooo... not that succesfull if you had to save up for 8 months just to take 40 people to Thailand .
Only Joking dude.
But seriously, I know one guy who would just fly them there on his own jets. I don't think he knows me though. sigh. He used to own the company I work for.
His partner bought an English football club to keep him busy in retirement.
That is serious money.
Sounds like you will get there......
Robk:
You damn narcissistic braggart! 
Would it not be easier to just buy the airline? Perhaps a fleet of ships?
---
Seriously, that must have been a pretty penny to fly 40 people there. You just super leveled-up in China for that move (probably more so than back home). Major face gaining and you showed your love for family and community (+++ points in China, you already know that).
But now do you get family always coming around asking for hand-outs and loans?
mike695ca:
Hahaha lord jesus, nope im no where close to that successful. 40 people = more than 300 000 jesus. Im not sure if ill ever be rich enough to stick my nose up at that. Im ok with saving for that. Thats successful enough for me!
mike695ca:
@robk to be honest. Im incredibly lucky. My wifes family has a bit of money and dont ask for anything. Never asked once. In fact my b day was a few weeks ago and they surprised me by throwing cash into my bank account. No business opportunities. Nothing. Perhaps my wife peotects me well and hides it from me even better. But i count my blessings thats for sure.
I came the pockets empty, with just a vague sense of what I should do. Now, I'm married with a job I love, where we build cool science stuffs, that pays well and I bring my job with me anywhere on the globe. I learned a little about human nature and what matters in life. Can't say it was boring, can't say it was easy.
I've... seen things you people wouldn't believe... [contemptuous laugh] Buses loosing their transmission on the road, cigarettes butts in my soup, hellish toilets around Qinghai Lake. I watched greasy neons glitter in the dark near the Sanlitun Gate. All those... moments... will be lost in time, like [small cough] tears... in... rain. Time... to leave China...
Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. I would say you are successful if you're thinking about what it means to be successful. Some people don't have the luxury of worrying about what is success because they're too busy trying to survive.
