Excess Vs. Success

Before I left for Reading Week, my landlady told me to come back with some words of wisdom; it is apparently a tradition with her family to have some for each birthday. I went through the week not thinking on it too hard but on my last night with my parents we went out to dinner and I had a chat with my dad about success.

I was explaining the realization that I had come to while I was in Alberta working for the Brick. I had been working there for a year and I knew that I didn't want to work there. I had also appreciated the fact that there are people there who love what they do and wouldn't trade their job for the world and it helped me understand the nature of success a little better. Success is relative and my idea of success does not necessarily meet someone else's definition. I originally thought people who have been working in retail for most of their life should aim for something higher but now I see that they have merely chosen a different path than me and the fact that they are happy with what they do makes them more successful than me right now.

That still left me with my dissatisfaction towards my position. I wanted something more and I knew that I needed to do a lot more work to get it; I wanted to exceed where I was. This is where I currently stand and I can say that it is not necessarily very enjoyable. An analogy would be to say that I am on a mountain and I am not content with the view at my current height so I want to climb a bit higher. This doesn't mean that I will definitely like the view more when I get higher but I am unhappy enough with where I am that I am willing to put the work in to go higher.

So when I returned to my apartment from Reading Week, the words of wisdom I gave my landlady were "excess" and "success". To succeed means that you have found a post where you are happy and whereas to exceed means that you are unhappy and are looking for something greater. It should also be noted that achieving "higher" status does not always bring happiness but even if you do not find what you want at the higher-paying jobs or managerial positions you can always go back far more easily to something you enjoyed once before.

Enjoy Responsibly

Firstly, let me say thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. I did find it rather enjoyable so all your wishing did not go to waste. I had a quiet day with the family watching a couple old movies and getting some reading done; I know most people would call that a boring birthday and all I can say is that they don't have to imitate me. I am a man of simple tastes and I prefer not to go overboard with my celebrations because when I do, I usually end up paying for it sooner or later.
Most people at this stage of life should know how to drink so I don't want to claim to be preaching to the choir but I believe this is one of the most valuable lessons of drinking; it's fun and it makes making friends a whole lot easier but taken too far drinking can cause you to say things you don't mean and make messes that reflect badly on yourself. Regardless of whether or not you remember the night before, the people you were drinking with will remember it. It takes a bit of practice but there is a safe zone between sociably intoxicated and bringing out "Mr. Hyde."