What's up, I haven't posted in a while. I have written very fitfully over the last year or so, guess I've been busy with other things, but it is something I enjoy and it's good to organize my thinking. Your last couple of posts since you've been writing more have been really nice and inspiring, thanks for those. You seem to enjoy dabbling in ideas like I do.

This post nails a crucial issue I have thought a lot about. I believe many people are trapped or at least encounter this obstacle when basing ones success on an objective standard when it's ultimately subjective like any other value. Of course there are some external benchmarks that can give us a direction as to whether one is on the right path or not, though these things are just pieces that you can incorporate into a broader and more encompassing view of your own success.

As you say, participation is indeed enough as long to be considered successful as one genuinely participated. Consider the winner of a triathlon, while another places in 89th place, and another just runs, bikes, and swims on his own terms without ever any organized competing. All three could feel just as successful as the other, because no one person determine who is more successful based on the totality of each individuals circumstances.