I've been asking myself that question a lot lately. In search of answers, I read the book of the same title by Po Bronson. I especially like the book since it doesn't offer any trite answers, only dozens of fascinating interviews that allow you to discover your own lessons. It also has some amazing quotes:
"After college, I worked for a year at an insurance company. I decided to go to Oxford for a year, because, well, it was Oxford. I told the other women at work, and one said, 'I wish I could just up and go to Oxford.' So I asked, 'Why don't you?' She said, 'I would, but I bought a couch.' I always remembered that moment, and I ever wanted to be that woman. I never wanted to be trapped by my belongings, my past, my commitments." - Heidi Olson in "The Boom Wrangler Has Many Reasons to Live"
"The stereotype is that domineering parents push their kids to succeed, killing their children's love for whatever they're studying. But the opposite was far more common - young people who were given too much leeway by parents afraid of being overbearing, when their children really needed help in identifying what was important to them." - Po Bronson in "The Chemical Engineer Who Lacked a Chemical"
"Failure's hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you're successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever. It is so, so much harder to leave a good thing." -Po Bronson in "A Billion Is Chump Change"
"You want to know where your fears are hiding? Tell me what you know about yourself. Tell me what you can't live without." - Po Bronson in "Where Fears Hide"
I still don't have the answer, but I am not going to buy a couch.
