Does Success Equal Money?
A few weeks ago my husband and I were in Toronto visiting our daughter. While we were there we also visited with my husband’s nephew and his family. We always have great conversations with Mark and his wife since they are both well-read and well-informed and love a good discussion as much as we do.
Somehow the conversation turned to the meaning of success. My daughter was totally convinced that success can only be measured by the amount of money a person makes; the more money you earn, the more successful you are. She might be somewhat jaded by the fact that she was recently laid off and is having a hard time finding another job. Mark took the opposite view, and he knows what he’s talking about. For several years he worked in sales, making a very good living. By my daughter’s definition, he was successful. But he was unhappy in his work. He went back to university, got his teaching degree, and now teaches high school math and chemistry. He absolutely loves it. If he’d stayed in sales he’d make more money, but he’d have less job satisfaction. Because he makes less money, is he unsuccessful?
I thought about my own situation with my writing. If making money was the only criteria by which I measured my writing success, I’d have to say I was a whopping big failure. I’m lucky if I cover my writing expenses. Yet I feel I have achieved a certain level of success. There are many ways to measure success.
Over the years I’ve set many goals for my writing. Some have been accomplished and some not. I find that these goals change over time. For instance, when I first started writing, my goal was to complete and polish a book. The next goal was to submit it to a publisher. Then after that, my goal was to find a publisher who would accept my book.
I’ve had some success with these goals. But now my goals have changed. I want to continue to complete and publish new books, but now I want to submit to larger publishing houses. I want to write that ‘breakout’ book that Donald Maass talks about in "Writing the Breakout Novel". And I’m not gonna lie, I want to make money. Making money from my writing would allow me to spend more time writing, to perhaps attend more conferences, or to spend more time and money on promotion. Perhaps that would help me to reach a level of success that right now I can only dream of – to be a well-known, and well-loved romance writer. Money is great, but it’s simply a a tool. It allows you to do what you really want to do.
Though money is an element of success, it is not the only measurement. Does what you do provide you with self-fulfillment and self-worth? Does it make you happy? Then in my book, you are a success.
How do you measure success?
Jana Richards has tried her hand at many writing projects over the years, from magazine articles and short stories to full-length paranormal suspense and romantic comedy. She loves to create characters with a sense of humor, but also a serious side. She believes there’s nothing more interesting then peeling back the layers of a character to see what makes them tick.
When not writing up a storm, working at her day job as an Office Administrator, or dealing with ever present mountains of laundry, Jana can be found on the local golf course pursuing her newest hobby.
Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren, and a highly spoiled Pug/Terrier cross named Lou. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.netThe Girl Most Likely by Jana Richards:
Cara McLeod, the girl most likely to have the perfect marriage, is now divorced and, in her own words, "fat, frumpy, and over forty." The thought of facing former classmates—and the ex-husband who dumped her—at her high school reunion terrifies her. Cajoled into attending by her kids and her best friend, Cara enlists help at the gym to lose weight and look great for the reunion. Personal Trainer Finn Cooper is more than willing to help—but does he have to be so to-die-for gorgeous?
Finn thinks Cara is perfect just the way she is. She’s everything he wants in a woman, except for one thing—she can’t get past the fact that he's eight years younger. To Finn, age and weight are just numbers. But can he convince Cara the numbers she worries about add up to only one thing for him—love?
Jana's newest book,
The Girl Most Likely from The Wild Rose Press, is available now. Go
here for details on picking up your own copy.
You know, the week between Christmas and New Year's where you go from Christmas prep (gifts, decorating, baking, parties) to contemplating the year that's past and what lies ahead. It really is a huge change in direction this T'ween Week - and usually involves lazy days, lots of leftovers (including chocolates and shortbread cookies) and notebooks for journaling my thoughts and ideas.
