Success - The ghost in the creativity machine

This is a writing sample from Scripted writer Kenneth J Gainor

Success - The ghost in the creativity machine

"What does "success" means to you? What is it? How do you define it? Is it lasting? Fleeting? Elusive? Possible? How do you know when you are successful? What constitutes success for you? Work? Fame? Family? Money? And, once you define it, how long till that definition changes?"

Let me tackle all of those questions in order:

-A lot.

-A status, not an end goal.

-Repeat last phrase.

-Yes/No/Maybe.

-Repeat last phrase.

-Repeat last phrase.

-Depends on your definition.

-You just do.

-Depends on the angle I'm looking at it from.

-Repeat last phrase.

-Repeat last phrase.

-Repeat last phrase.

-Repeat last phrase.

-Every damned day.

… Not very helpful, am I? Ok, let me try it this way:

Success is a term that is so damned hard to define, it makes creativity look like a black and white, yes or no concept. Success is redefined by even the slightest shift in your outlook, every single little second of every day.

It is far simpler to define failure, and to call anything that is not failure a "success" of some sort. Much like in one aspect of my little world: I set a goal to write a novel. Failure would be to never write that novel within the confines of my existence on this mortal coil. I wrote the damned novel. Therefore, I succeeded.

But, to look at it from the aspect of "writing a best-selling novel," I have not succeeded. (At least, not yet. I'm being hopeful here.)

You see, the novel just reached completion a week and a half ago, and is with my editor. I have to give her time to work with it, to mold it, to point out every last little inane quirk, and get me to transform it into actual human language. So it's in process; not yet a success, not yet a failure, by these new conditions of success.

I intend to podcast the novel in the coming months. Some needed components are in place, some are still in process, some are held up by financial matters. But it is moving forward, closer to success, further from failure.

And truly, even if I managed to podcast, and never make a penny off of it, is that failure? Sure, in some ways. But I accomplished something I set out to do, never honestly believing I could. And that is still success.

Success is always, and will always be, a fluid entity. It never matters how many benchmarks you reach, completing them to a satisfactory state or not; there are always new horizons to reach, and therefore, more to do to find success.

Because that is all you ever do with success; find it, flirt with it, and know you have reached it. You never hold on to it forever, unless you let your goals become stagnant.

For me, I'm relishing my moment of having successfully written my novel right now, but soon, I will be striving for the next leg of my dance with success.

… I just hope I remember the moves, and don't step on success' toes… It's a fickle dance partner.

Written by:

Kenneth J Gainor
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