What is the price of success? Happiness?

I can't help but notice the very high correlation between success and (un)happiness. I mean, its mind boggling. I thought the entire point of succeeding was to have it drive your confidence up even higher, and also make you happier in life, but what I've seen is that most successful people are extremely stressed, extremely depressed, and only put on a plastic smile for the public.

How does one achieve success while maintaining happiness Any ideas

I'm a little bit backwards, maybe worse than some of you here. I grew up in a very poor country, and when I came to America, I lived in the poor neighborhoods for a time. I wasn't exposed to the prissy suburbanite lifestyle until very recently. Anyway, growing up in poor places made me very aware of one thing: if you have it, then someone wants it.. and the more you have, the more forcefully they'll try to take it from you. This has me wondering.. if I were to ever strike it big, whether publicly or privately, then how would I protect my earnings. I mean, would I be dealing with the stress of people trying to take my things on a daily basis

I mean, I know being rich (and maybe famous, and hopefully successful) is a dream, and has its benefits, but is it really all its made out to be, and what are some tips for dealing with inevitable problems that arise

Also, how do you choose friends, and find people with a mind similar to your own The one thing I've found with my life is that it has been extremely lonely, because its rare that I encounter someone similar to myself. I mean, its either chuckles in a corner from people saying, "look at that weirdo," or an uninvited barage of negativety from people saying, "damn you, you arrogant little shit," or people belittling me, and putting me down because I chilled out and became passive. I mean, generally, I always feel like I'm getting manipulated, and its just a constant source of stress, and is slowly progressing into an overall feeling of helplessness.

I suppose this is one good thing about being here: maybe these problems are so basic, and so common, and so cliche, that solving them, to you, seems like nothing.

I'm on some sort of journey here, and I would really appreciate any help right now, as this is just pissing me off to no end.

Thanks.

You need to take it one step at a time. How do you eat an elephant
You seem to be getting too much inside your head.
When you change from inside, the world will too. Focus on improving yourself one thing at a time and these things would automatically vanish. And keep having fun too btw

Seems that you worry a bit too much about people trying to take your things away and their comments and views. IMO, it is useless to worry about what people think of us. We are not responsible for their thoughts and in any case, such persons are unworthy of any attention or relationships.

Happiness is a state of mind and the money is a bonus. Start out with small goals for yourself everyday and if you reach those goals, feel a sense of satisfaction. It doesn't matter what those goals are; to others it may seem insignificant, but persist with them and you will find that you feel happy whenever you reach those goals. Stay focussed on your life and your goals. Like an ahtlete, set higher goals each time and work towards them and you will have no time for worry and you will also find that your estimate of yourself goes up.

Finally, I would also suggest that you take your mind off other people, their views and their opinions and get on with your life. It is your life and you cannot live it based on others' opinions.

GetAhead wrote:Finally, I would also suggest that you take your mind off other people, their views and their opinions and get on with your life. It is your life and you cannot live it based on others' opinions.

I would absolutely agree with GetAhead here. This is your life we're talking about here. So anything anyone says that would put you down, you ignore it, you move on with your life. The problem is that you let these negative thoughts weigh down your mind. What someone else says about you has no meaning at all. That is.. Not unless you give it meaning. Not unless you give them the power to call you what they want.
So don't let this happen because it is your life and you are in control.

Find the missing link in your life. Being successful does not promise happiness. Explore your horizons and you might get the answer.