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归属：所有者权益

How do you grade yourself?

2009-10-09
We all grade ourselves by different measures:
For some people, it’s as simple as how much money they make. When their net worth is going up, they know they’re doing well.
For others, it’s how much money they give.
For some people, it’s how many people’s lives they can influence for the better.
For others, it’s how deeply they can influence just a few people’s lives.
For me, it’s how many useful things I create, whether songs, companies, articles, websites, or anything else. If I create something that’s not useful to others, it doesn’t count. But I’m also not interested in doing something useful unless it needs my creative input.
How do you grade yourself?
It’s important to know in advance, to make sure you’re staying focused on what’s honestly important to you, instead of doing what others think you should.

Your thoughts? Please leave a reply:
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Comments

Chris Firenze (2009-10-09) #I love this one: “how many great joy-filled moments I’ve spent with the people in my life.”  That really resonates with me… and I think a part of that, for my measure is how many people I can move with my music :) 
Steve Fritz (2009-10-09) #I measure myself by standing strong in what I know to be true. Does that mean how many times you have stood strong? Or how well you have stood strong about a few things? Or something else? — Derek 
Christian Berntsen (2009-10-09) #I had not thought of this before now, at least not so specifically. I just left a creative situation that had long ago run its course for me, having stayed for years past when I should have and being unhappy as a result and making others around me unhappy. I think going forward my measure will be how true to myself I am being, because I wasn’t before. Being true to yourself is a great one. How would you measure it, though? — Derek 
Joel D Canfield (2009-10-09) #My primary measure is how loved my loved ones feel; if they feel secure and cared for, I can handle anything.  My secondary measure is how many people I’ve taught something meaningful to; based on their feedback, not my own opinion.  My third measure is whether I’m making progress on purely personal creative goals. This is the one I struggle with, keeping it moving forward. 
Nate (2009-10-09) #Derek, your measure is a really good one. My main measure would be how many times per day I feel truly present (in the moment). Usually this is due to meaningful work and relationships. 
DimpsforU (2009-10-09) #I weigh myself by the goals that I’ve accomplished. The positive effects that I have on others. Following thru with my inner thoughts. Following up on unfinished projects. How many projects I have completed. My personal gains. 
Steve Redig (2009-10-09) #I believe I grade myself (mostly)according to the extent that I believe I have followed the voice of Goodness. I know I also grade my self in other ways, but after I measure all my failures and my rare and small triumphs, I still care most about following that Voice. 
Josh Damigo (2009-10-09) #I know this isn’t the most healthy way to think of it, but for me, It’s “how many cd’s and merch I’ve sold at the end of the show, or show attendance”. Heheh… I’ll bet you have a deeper measure than that.
— Derek 
Michael Lourdeaux (2009-10-09) #By the collective societal recollection of my work and the length of it’s contribution to society to be measured long after I have passed. 
ross vick (2009-10-09) #Leaving this world better than I found it.   When my first single “The Road” breached the Adult Contemporary Top 25 charts I was selfishly and pridefully indulgent in that acheivement. I didn’t realize the real reason it happened until I recived an email. It was from a lady who said: “My husband’s been depressed lately, his job is going poorly and other issues have him down. He heard your song on the radio and it brought him out of his dark mood. Thank you for making him feel better.” That moment will stay with me forever. 
inkysmudge (2009-10-09) #Interesting question Derek. As a musician I completely endorse Clare’s comment. When you’re truly satisfied with something you’ve created, that sense of accomplishment and well-being is indescribable. On a completely different tack, I recently reflected on being able to remain compassionate and understanding in a very frustrating situation instead of flying off the handle at what I perceived to be a lot of provocation. That made me feel that I’d taken a step towards being a better human being. 
Dale LeRoy Perry (2009-10-09) #Whenever I grade my self it comes out the same…..not relevant. As long as I’m looking at “me” its likely something important is being missed. Get over your self. 
Lea (2009-10-09) #I can say I can grade how “remaining true to myself” is a constant check …. and how well I maintain that.  …like doing the things I enjoy, music, yoga, spending quality time with people i want to … remaining present to every moment… enjoying day by day, instead of looking too far ahead though I still futur goals…. 
Ronnie Marler (2009-10-09) #Not sure what I measure success against. Perhaps that’s why I am such a C student. 
Christopher Delange (2009-10-09) #i measure myself on the not only the quality of my artwork and it’s effect on the viewer, but if i can inspire someone to get out there and be creative… and derek, you get an “A” for the thought provoking and inspirational blogs you are sharing with us. 
francis (2009-10-09) #how much joy is generated within myself at any given moment, and how much joy is given to the world at any given moment, but I think the question itself is not quite right.  I would frame it in a manner more like… how do you know when you are truly in the moment?  Grading yourself is to “self oriented”, and the answers will almost always relate to some sort of doing in the world rather than “being ” in the world. But for some people (the Trump example?) – being in the moment might not be the measure, y’know? But yeah this question is about the doing: what do you do that makes you feel you’re on the path that makes you happy? Maybe for you the answer is “not doing, being”? — Derek 
Mono Veissid (2009-10-09) #I agree with your view Derek.  Making creative things that are useful makes me happy.  taking hot showers is nice too. 
Mary Ann Hurst (2009-10-09) #I’d have to hand it over to God to write the report cards… I can’t read his handwriting. — Derek 
Melanie O’Reilly (2009-10-09) #Very helpful article and comments from others. If my creativity is of value to my community and ultimately to the world, I will feel I have lived my life with a purpose. 
Donnie Christianson (2009-10-09) #My measure of success is pretty similar to yours and Ariel’s – whether or not people are enjoying or somehow affected by things I do and create, whether it’s my music, my artwork, or my products. 
Charlie Cheney (2009-10-09) #I think I grade myself on how well I respond to events.  Yes. That’s it in its simplest form.  In that all events are neutral, and how I respond defines who I am.  It’s a perspective thing. A conscious choice to choose an open world-view rather than a closed one. To choose a positive perspective regardless of the situation or circumstance.  I do NOT always get an A. :-) 
Luko Adjaffi (2009-10-09) #hello my dear friends …i luko adjaffi never grade my self ..i always be under my skin …my music was still the schale of my  achievement …push it at all the time ..and be happy my music goes to the world….i ‘m happy when i see my music makes the lovers enjoy life…cheldren play ..poeple think of my messages  and words of my songs ..the audiance ..yes the public ..my schale 
Don Robinson (2009-10-09) #As one of Jehovahs Witnesses I grade myself according to my success in keeping loyal to my God ,Jehovah  If theres any doubt about what I mean pls. check the “Purple Triangle” at The Holocaust Museum ,Wash. D C 
Ian Narcisi (2009-10-09) #How many lives can I change from a single song? 
Derrek Wayne (2009-10-09) #I measure myself by how much wonder I can produce in the world – by the number of times the house lights come up and two people in the crowd turn to eachother as if to say, “did you just see that?” 
Kamal (2009-10-09) #Peace Derek,  Well, I just sold out my movie premeiere for my indie film and had to add another show in NYC. It sold out too. This is a new venture for me, but even with my music, I just do the damn thing in terms of production, performing and marketing and I let the results from the people be my grade! 
Jim Gerovac (2009-10-09) #I grade myself on what kind of impact I can make on the lives of my friends and family. I like to see what I’ve learned and changed about myself to grow as a human being and a brother/son/friend.   Then I look at what kind of impact I can/have made on strangers as an artist because it’s just as important to me to be willing and able to grow and change as a songwriter/performer/artist because my goal in music has always been to not only exorcise myself but to have the same effect on others that others’ music has had on me 
Josh Damigo (2009-10-09) #I’m working on it. The book you suggested has been awesome! (Ignore Everybody) 
Dean Whitbread (2009-10-09) #My measure is simple. If it’s simple, then I have succeeded. 
Barry ( Skully) Waddell (2009-10-09) #I’m more of a create things that others enjoy type of fellow. I make stuff that goes out there. Music, art, and shark tooth chains. Stuff! Also like to try and help young musicians get a grip. Obviously not in it for the money. I don’t even bother messuring. Just keep moving forward doing as much as possible with what I have to work with. 
Steve Acho (2009-10-09) #I’m not writing to answer (yet), but just writing to say that the smartest and most successful people I have ever met, have always been the ones just as concerned about asking brilliant questions (like this one) as they have with answering them.   You’re at the top of that list D. Thanks Steve! I appreciate it.
— Derek 
Sean Gill (2009-10-09) #Much like you Derek, it’s about being creative. Though I don’t necessarily need it to be useful to others. As long as I’m satisfying my urge I’m good. I balance that with travel. I need to be on the go to feel rejuvenated. If I travel enough each year, I’ve been successful. 
Jim Vilandre (2009-10-09) #I love this one…  The measure starts with only one thing, who I am in Christ. Without Him, I am nothing. Without his mercy, his love, his guidance, his purpose, life is merely a vapor that is escaping into thin air. My prayer is that I will be a conduit of Christ’s love to others. That when people say my name, it becomes clear that I follow him. In the end of it all, whatever is done in Jesus name, will last. I have often heard it said that they are only 3 things that are going to last, God, His word, and people.  I had someone challenge me a time ago. The question was this, name that last 5 politzer prize recipients. I drew a blank. The next question was name 5 people who love you, that by far was easier to answer. What does it all mean? That when you love on people, that is the highest and most honorable thing that one could do for another person.   Lastly if I measure myself based upon my feelings, my awards, my work, my prizes, all of them are nice to have, but none of them means a thing without loved ones to share them with.  My happiness is found in the love that I have received from the Lord. He is the one who brings me peace, who comforts during times of trial, and guides my path.   If I am able to reflect God’s love to others, that to me is a success. I would never take credit for that, only to say that because God has changed my life am I able to love others through that.   God loves you! Find great encouragement and strength in that. I love you all too!  God bless, Jim Vilandre 
Tarlach (2009-10-09) #I measure myself by how much I like who I am. Lately I am liking me a lot. 
Leonard September (2009-10-09) #I grade myself on the growth and transformations I am able to make in myself and support in others. 
Lilli Lewis (2009-10-09) #grades are scary to me. i’ve always been a good student ad i really like doing the work but i’ve also always been afraid of being assessed. in college i got in the habit of only checking my grades until i felt i had enough “A’s” to be sure i was going to pass the class, then i’d stop looking. never looked at final report cards either…always a pleasant surprise to learn i’d made dean’s list but never a let down otherwise.   so, i recently realized that i haven’t grown up a bit when it comes to assessment, personal or otherwise. truth is, i generally grade myself based on how well others respond to my thoughts, art, presence in the world, etc…  i work hard, try to enjoy myself and NEVER look at report cards! 
Mary Z. Cox (2009-10-09) #Others grade me continually so why should I grade myself? :) I think I am happiest with a Montessori life. :) 
Gary Alt (2009-10-09) #I’m actually quite self-critical (probably much more than is healthy), and nowhere more so than with the music I write, perform and record. But I don’t “rate” myself based on those accomplishments.   Sometimes I’ve “rated” myself based on whatever positive influence I have had on some people, regardless of how many. But even this can get a person get into a self-worth crisis.  During my most lucid times, I think my rating system has been the most successful when I realized that it’s not how I rate myself, nor how other people rate me, that’s important. It’s how God rates me. A Bible scripture that has always moved me says in part “…God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.” In other words, even when we condemn and misvalue ourselves, God knows how precious we actually are to him, and how we SHOULD rate ourselves if we’re thinking clearly.  That’s why e.g. someone who is a paraplegic confined to a wheel chair can have more impact on the people around her/him than a very vibrant person who is somewhat self-absorbed.  I try to remember that whenever I screw up… 
Avil Beckford (2009-10-09) #The way I grade myself these days is by the number of commitments I honor, including those I make to myself. 
Ian Byington (2009-10-09) #Simple grades: Sharing & healing. As much as possible. 
Ryan Michael Galloway (2009-10-09) #The impact I’ve had to help others reach a better place. The number of people who come back and tell me I guided, mentored or taught them and it changed their lives. I once helped a single mom jump from $25k to $50k a year in one job move by repackaging her skills–and I’m not that kind of career coach. When I learned of her success, I felt like I got a 100 percent raise myself. I can understand why Ross Vick’s song the Road (mentioned above) could have a positive impact on someone. I’ve had simular things happen to me, and there are few highs that compare. 
Kat Downs (2009-10-09) #Great question – got me thinking. I guess I grade myself on how much of myself I’m devoting to the activities/projects that make me feel fulfilled. When I’m fulfilled I’m better to myself, and everyone else around me – the projects themselves shine. If I’m staying focused on those things, (other than the other distractions in life) I know I’m doing ok! 
Tom N. Tierney (2009-10-09) #I’ve never quite thought about it like that. To me, grading is something associated with a goal which is trying to be achieved… so, no goal, no grade. So do people with no goal in life meander about with no direction? Perhaps! That’s for them to answer. When all is said and done, I guess for me it’s the number of people I have positively influenced through my art and music. Since I am a Christian, my goal is pleasing God. If He is pleased, don’t matter what people think… but that’s not to be taken in the wrong way. I’ve found that if He is pleased, they usually are too, and if not, they are hating me for Spiritual reasons — much like they did 2,000 years ago — so, I love them anyway. Make sense? 
Helge Krabye (2009-10-09) #I measure myself by how seldom I measure myself. The brilliant British author A. S. Byatt said in an interview I heard: “I used to be so concerned about myself and my own happiness. The moment I stopped being so focused on myself, the world became endlessly interesting.” 
Millicent George (2009-10-09) #I would have to say I grade myself based on how well I feel (mentally and spiritually) about myself at the end of the day. Some days I flunk the test, some days I give myself a, “need improvement” and some days I give myself a gold star:) 
Tony Barker (2009-10-09) #I am in a position that allows me to influence young minds, and I’m constantly evaluating the impression I’ve just left after each conversation. They’re my toughest audience, and reaching them is a high-water mark for me.  Professionally, I have honed in on converting the post-show, “That was GREAT!” to email/Street Team assistance. It’s the biggest impact that I can have on my career, and the most measurable.  I’m not sure, but I think I got the idea from you (I’m a long-time fan). 
Nat Jay (2009-10-09) #I measure myself by my amount of effort, regardless of the outcome. If I am doing my best, then I give myself a pat on the back (and usually some ice cream).  I also measure myself by whether I’m doing something that is meaningful for me. For example, I quit my nice job to become a full-time musician. Took a hell of a paycut, but I give myself an ‘A’ for that decision. 
Kevin King (2009-10-09) #Work, self, time, resources are all measured by the positive impact they have on others. I want the world to have been a better place on account of my living today. 
Joel Styzens (2009-10-09) #I used to measure my progress only by what I was accomplishing for myself and my career.  Now that I was given the opportunity of studying music at the University level and successfully networking into a music scene, I now measure my progress more on how I’m able to include and give something to other people within the process of my creating. I’m not only focusing on how I can achieve the artistic and musical things I want, but on how I can do it outside of myself with those same goals.  Example: I am focusing on promoting my music to be able to continue to express myself creatively and make a living at my craft, but I also have the objective of sharing my story to create more awareness about hearing conservation and to create a more localized network of musicians and people with tinnitus & hyperacusis — with a goal of creating more support for each other and raising money for research into finding a cure for tinnitus & hyperacusis. 
Stewart Francke (2009-10-09) #Derek,  It’s “the” question, isn’t it? It took me a long time to learn a lot of this–many heartbreaks and bumps in the road. I grade myself on how much of my life and myself I can give away, in a sequential order of equally important places: to my wife & kids, I give my time, love and affirmation so that they’re on solid ground and their dreams are in sight; to my music and audience, everything I’ve got from an emotional, musical and technical standpoint; to my extended family & friends, everything they ask that’s within my reach (and hopefully I can anticipate some of those); to my fellow cancer patients and the newly diagnosed, as much comfort and knowledge as I can provide. It seems paradoxical, but the more I give away, the more content I am. Like I said, it took me some time to fully hold and live out this ideal. Quality of life hinges on your level of awareness. 
Kevin Paul (2009-10-09) #I grade on how many hours I have to work at a day job to have a comfortable life. Once it gets to zero hours, and I only have to work on music to have a comfortable life, I get an A.  Marry Megan Fox for an A+ 
Richy Kicklighter (2009-10-09) #in relation to the different things in my life, children, music, love, money, business etc..Different scores for different things. 
Frank Tuma (2009-10-09) #First of all I’m very impressed at the raw honesty pulled from deep inside of these wonderful people here. For me I’ve set goals from the beginning to rise upward in knowledge,achievement and creativity by surrounding myself with people that are very knowledgeable and successful. But that didn’t work well because of the differences in personal courses and objectives. My direction taken in life ended up distinctly my own. But I learned that making people think,feel and do accordingly was my best asset. Creativity in this endeavor is a necessity. 
Deborah Crooks (2009-10-09) #I think I’m doing well if someone’s told me I’ve inspired them.  In everything, it’s really about how well I’ve loved, if I was in the moment or not…aka whether I was truly fearless. 
Anne Roos (2009-10-09) #I simply grade myself on how happy I am. Nothing more. But what comes before that? What makes you happy? — Derek 
Peter Ncanywa (2009-10-09) #There’s nothing I can say that hasn’t been said already:  Mara said: “How well I’m achieving the various goals I’ve set out for myself.”  Gary Jules said, “How helpful I’m being.” 
vinh (2009-10-09) #I actually took a week off couple of years back, flew to Prague and just thought about what I want in life (it was kinda tough to be just with myself for so long). I compiled my mental model down to a “life codex” which I still regularly look at. Quite interesting that the things I considered important and relevant back then are still important to me now (such as: make a difference in my world, whereby also accepting that my world is limited and not equals mankind) 
Sarah Dylan (2009-10-09) #… a lot it has to with how well I do in school…. like if I get an A+ on a paper… but I think that means that I base on how much knowledge I have acquired … I love to learn … so I think I would measure myself based on my knowledge of things that are going to help me in life…. or of things that I love, like my musical knowledge, or how to use certain computer programs..hmm maybe it’s also knowledge that would allow me to help and influence other… ok this is kind of long, but I think I would measure myself on well informed I am, or much I KNOW!  -Sarah 
Don Baaska (2009-10-09) #I don’t grade myself. Hey I’m trying to get of my Ego. What’s to grade?  Love, B 
Camille DeVore (2009-10-09) #1. Accepting the path I’m on now.
1. Learning to accept my negative emotions as part of me, but not all of me. Creating more positive experiences with myself and others.
  1. Moving towards a place of renewed strength so I can share my music and hope that it will resonate and/or lead someone else in a positive direction. 
Thom Jayne (2009-10-09) #How much of this day have I spent in the company of God? And how many lives in this day have I been able to touch positively in some way. 
Barry (2009-10-09) #By using my experience and talent to help others reach their goals and at the same time make a good living and pay my bill, stress free.  If I can sustain that, I measure that as success. 
Joe Romeo (2009-10-09) #I think measuring and counting is unwise. I think we can artificially inflate ourselves, and then one day come crashing down.  I need God’s grace, continually. 
Frank Singer (2009-10-09) #I measure my success by the positivity I contribute to the planet. That’s everything from being polite to being a good musician to play with, to writing music, to making sure my son is an educated, respectful human being (latest project; still ongoing…). 
Dan Wells (2009-10-09) #Being a married man with kids always comes with responsibility to see that things go well at home. That’s an obvious yardstick for happiness and success.  Also, there is no joy in life for a man without producing fruit from your labors, in whatever you do for a living.  But my life, in the end, is a success or failure, as I succeed or fail to glorify God. Christ died for me, so my life is not my own, but His. This takes all the pressure off of me to be a success on my own. I work hard, but I am free of the burden to be great. God is the one who’s great, and I just stand up for Him – anything great you see in me is really Him. 
Peter Bufano (2009-10-09) #money, and mood. 
Sinem Saniye (2009-10-09) #By how messy and/or clutter-filled my apt is! If things are organized and in their place, not only have I succeeded there, but am in a better place (and state-of-mind) to successfully achieve more of my goals in the future. 
Bryant Suggs (2009-10-09) #I measure myself by whatever I undertake, wheather it’s writing music, working on air craft,my car, Helping some with a car problem, helping someone out of a jam financially etc. God has given me seemingly unlimited talents and I’m happy to use any of them that pleases Him. Bryant Suggs 
Celeste (2009-10-09) #It is easy for me to set my standards so high that I can’t achieve them. I set myself up for emotional failure. It seems like we should just try to be happy with little successes and roll with the flow otherwise. 
Doug Saum (2009-10-09) #”Cast a cold eye On life, on death. Horseman pass by” w b yeats  The measuring game offers nothing of substance. dls 
Jody Whitesides (2009-10-09) #This relates to something I’ve been asked recently. I’ve been told that I’m inspiring, for several different things that I’m known to do. However, I don’t wake up in the morning saying, “how can I do something to inspire others?”  Instead I get up and think about what it is I want to accomplish and then set about doing that. I want to prove to myself that I can accomplish something. What that something is changes. Much like your “things”.  Fortunately I accomplish a lot of the things I set out to do.  One thing I’m still working on is living well until 150 minimum. I’m not even a third of the way there, but I believe it will happen. 
Joy Hughes (2009-10-09) #I don’t grade myself. Measuring subjective things gets in the way of direct experience. What makes you happy and fulfilled? — Derek 
Audrey Fix Schaefer (2009-10-09) #My measures: That I made people that are smart, exciting, funny, interesting, sweet, fully engaged in life and comfortable in their own skin.   And that I take huge, sometimes scary, risks in other areas to challenge myself and win. 
Mark Gresham (2009-10-09) #”Measurement measures measuring means.” –John Milton Cage, Sr. (inventor and father of composer John Cage)  ”πάντων χρημάτων μέτρον ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος, τῶν μὲν ὄντων ὡς ἔστιν, τῶν δὲ οὐκ ὄντων ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν.” (“Man is the measure of all things: of things which are, that they are, and of things which are not, that they are not.”) –Protagoras (sophistēs, 5th century BC)  This question is begged: Are there objective means of measurement, including self-measurement, or only subjective?  The modernist question: Can we only measure quantitatively, or is it possible that qualitative measure can be objectively made?  ”The eye cannot see itself. Did you ever see your own eye? In a mirror you may have done so, but that was only a reflection of it. And you may, in like manner, see the evidence of your faith, but you cannot look at the faith itself.” –Charles H. Spurgeon (American theologian, 19th century)  (Suggestion: Substitute “self” for “faith” in the quote above.)  ”The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” –Martin Luther King Jr.  ”In the end, it seems, the lasting measure of a man is not what society thinks of him but what his actions teach him that he is. We forge our own destinies, take our own measures, and cannot face hardships or seek the meaning of life without by degrees becoming whatever we expect to find.” –Anonymous  ”But rules cannot substitute for character.” –Alan Greenspan  ”Character, not circumstance, makes the person.” –Booker T. Washington  ”Our lives teach us who we are.” –Salman Rushdie  ”All paths lead to the same goal: to convey to others what we are.” –Pablo Neruda (Chilean poet and diplomat, 1904-1973) 
KEVINDWOOD (2009-10-09) #ahh that rich full feeling I get when the balance of things are just right.   Like when I have a wad of cash in my pocket? No- although that is an OK feeling.  Like when I have helped everyone I can and neglected myself- complete self sacrifice? No that makes me feel alone and hollow.  Like when I am up to speed musicly, I’ve done all my scales and rehearsing and can perform at the drop of a hat? That feeling of fullness that nothing else delivers? Maybe yes.  You never sure your on the right road until you take the wrong road, then you know for sure. 
Steven Cravis (2009-10-09) #I grade myself by how consistently I can be and do my own agenda,vs.not be and do someone else’s agenda. 
Michael Hardin (2009-10-09) #Derek,  I took your advice and started my own blog. Rather than answering your question in your comments section, where my readers may not see it, I posted an entry answering your question. I hope you will take the time to read it and comment. http://motherloader.tumblr.com  Thanks Cool! Good move. I like it! — Derek 
Don Harrison (2009-10-09) #In artist development and public relations, my client’s success is my success. Therefore, I grade myself on how beneficial my advice and/or PR work has helped an artist achieve their career goals or gained the media exposure they desired. 
Paul Stride (2009-10-09) #My measure is simply everyday that I wake because some day I won’t. A day is a gift that isn’t guaranteed/ 
Al Molina (2009-10-09) #My main focus is on the creative process- understanding it by focusing on the stages; 1. Germination, 2. assimilation and 3. completion. bringing a vision into being is satisfying what matters to me. When finished, I live with the result-evaluated the result. Do I like it? How close did I come to the vision? I can move on to the next creation or periodically tweek the current results.Living with what I have created doesn’t necessarily mean that I need to grade it or like it. It is what it is, the important thing is that I created what I wanted to create. 
Mark Gresham (2009-10-09) #(And one more, if I may, as it is a text I set to music five years ago:)  As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies dráw fláme;  As tumbled over rim in roundy wells  Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell’s  Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;  Each mortal thing does one thing and the same: Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;  Selves—goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,  Crying Whát I do is me: for that I came.   –Gerard Manley Hopkins 
KEVINDWOOD (2009-10-09) #I clicked on spell check and accidentally posted my comment- a little premature postulation- sorry.  Back to measuring oneself, please excuse the unintended pun, I’m getting a little to phallic.  Your mind and body will resonate when you follow your art, only then you can measure yourself. k.w. 
Mark Gresham (2009-10-09) #And finally, an actual answer to Derek’s question:  ”By my thumbprint.” 
Mark Gresham (2009-10-09) #And a postscript:  ”To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”  e e cummings 
Gordon Thomson (2009-10-09) #WHY! WHY !! WHY !!! why do we feel we have to grade ourselves or others just except who we are what we do and just do the best we can and be happy in the satisfaction of knowing we have done all we can to be the best we can be. comparisons are futile and very often counter productive MUSIC LIKE ART IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT !!!!! 
Jamie Pullman (2009-10-09) #I weigh both equally: (1)By how many people I help to get what they want for themselves out of life. (2)My success in giving and getting what I want for myself out of life. 
Padmanabhan (2009-10-09) #There is no progress as long as one is still in the rat race. To make any progress one should get out of it. If I am able to do that, I would consider myself to be in a position to start making progress and would think of a good way to measure it depending on how I decide to proceed. Until then, I think it is zero progress, and zero rate of progress.But that thought is scary to me. 
Sly Joe (2009-10-09) #Effectively Affecting.  Writing songs that effectively communicate feelings or ideas, and resonate with many people as a result. Moving them towards joy, dancing, singing, creating, loving, re-evaluating…   The more effectively I can communicate and inspire goodness, the better grade I receive.  Cheers,   !! > U 
Hideto Shimoyama (2009-10-09) #I am 40, I can not decide my direction in the future. I lost a lot of things but I obtained few. I think only about every day that. You suggest me one of thinking. Thank you. 
Bill Thurman (2009-10-09) #hi! some people like Donald Trump (just one example)have to have their names tattooed onto every building, hotel and park that they possibly cause or “have a hand in.” in much of the business world that is known as Pride of Ownership. quite frankly I don’t need that most of the time. only rarely. I actually get more of a pleasure in having helped someone in a small unheralded way whether it’s through music or many other things. I often grade myself on doing the right things for the right reasons and with the right people. I realize that this is not always possible in this world. however, when I knowingly do things for the wrong reasons with the wrong people (regardless of the amount of money I might make) I feel deflated, degraded and That’s Right, giving myself a poor grade. I highly avoid people who think they can make me waste my time, my energy and my spirit. at least that’s the way I’ll try to be from now on! :)  Bill Thurman 
Monique (2009-10-09) #I measure myself on one thing alone: How much joy did I bring into the world today? Was I light and gave energy and happiness to others or was I caught in my own delusions and took energy from others.  I pride myself in being a person of joy and light in the world. But it was a practice to come to this place. 
Christina Kline (2009-10-09) #A+, you asked the question, that’s how I grade myself. 
Gary Wood (2009-10-09) #Geez, I’m just trying to hold on for seven more years until I can retire. Never consciously rated myself, or had a system, and truth is, the idea of rating myself doesn’t appeal to me. Just trying to enjoy the ups and get through the downs, and make some music along the way. 
Dan “Frodo” Litwin (2009-10-09) #Was I honest and true? Was I clear in my message? Did I make a positive impact?  If my songs, writings and my other communications activities have done these things, I am happy. 
Steve Kusaba (2009-10-09) #Before I get to the point, I must comment on the glorious blueness of the ruler and background. You have a deep artist component in you, the pictures that are featured are treats in terms of their relationship to the subject matter as well as the beauty.
1. Ways in which bringing happiness to myself occurs as a function: Doing things that are health positive, avoiding memes, carrying out methods 2 and 3, keeping a mental stimulus going all waking hours, doing typical things to support day to day living.
  1. Doing things that bring pleasure to living things and this takes on many dimensions but is measurable.
    1. Most critical of all in relationship to 2 is bringing clarity to people, fighting memes and helping them with analysis that improves the quality of their lives. This is the most profound feature because writing has the ability to outlast my lifetime and also to be exponential in its affect to the positive over time. It may or may not work to scale.  But what a good potential!! 
Diane (2009-10-09) #Very thought provoking Derek…..  I measure myself not by the worldly possessions I own but by how I have touched and inspired people… However small or large they may be…If you can touch someone and help them grow even just a small amount then you have placed some good into this world of ours….  If you can inspire someone to grow just that little bit more then life is great…  I don’t look at how many friends I have but how many true friends are in my life, How you can put them before yourself, how you can still give and give without questioning why?  Spending time with my family and friends makes me happy…. Watching them grow, learn, be comfortable within themselves and the world around them…. Helping them step outside their comfort zone and achieve something that they didn’t think possible…. Putting others first without any prejudice and regrets… Being total honest with yourself and others in your life …. Being truly happy with the world around you must come from yourself first… Before you can make an impact on anything around you,you have to be truly happy and comfortable with who you are before you can portray this to your family, friends and the rest of the world.  I pride myself on my morals and values…I try and stay true to that and what I believe in….I don’t push my beliefs on other people because that is what makes us the individuals that we are… If I can help someone weather it’s in a small way or large way then I am happy…. If I can help someone reach a personal goal then that makes me happy…. If I can put a smile on someone’s face then that makes me happy….  What it comes down to for me is that if I can stay true to myself whilst helping other people then life is great and I am truly happy… :-) 
Ray Quarles (2009-10-09) #How do I measure myself?  All I can think of is by the light in my grandson’s eyes… : ) 
Petra Westen (2009-10-09) #Thanks for the Tim Ferris comment/blog link.BTW. fear ( and anxiety) is my greatest enemy. it blocks my progress, setting goals, staying positive.. I grade myself for all the projects and things I ve done despite of it. Those are the times I win. I win more self love. I win more faith and learning. I win an invaluable life experience . i win something I can share and maybe help or inspire someone else as well. i win a sense of belonging. I win a lot of spiritual gain.  I think the F factor is (yaicks!!!) a life long lesson for me. I got still a lot to learn (…man the times it gets me down!) but if this is what God wants me to learn and overcome, well that will be my grading stick, and here I come! :) Petra 
Colleen Wainwright (2009-10-09) #I love Tim Ferriss’ take on it because it clarifies my thinking about my own metrics, of which I also have two central ones.  First, there’s work output, which for me is mostly writing and consulting these days. I’ve internalized a standard of quality which incorporates a slew of values I’ve acquired (and winnowed) over time: quantity, growth into new areas (I added a medium or two this year), innovation of thought and kindness (fine to be funny, but not at the expense of people). I’m also big on being additive: rather than just pointing out what’s wrong, I like to offer suggestions, ideas, solutions.   Secondly, there’s feedback. I monitor the feedback from readers, listeners, clients–pretty much all consumers of my content–for the utility they’re getting from it. It’s great to get warm fuzzies, but it’s more important for me to hear why things are working and what’s yet for me to do to prove useful, much as you’re asking for feedback here.  Terrific question–thanks for posing it! 
Susanna (2009-10-09) #i have to occasionally write lists of what I did “right” to counteract the severe judgement I have for myself when I fuck up. So I usually start out at neutral and then deduct “points” based on what I did wrong- spent too much money, said something stupid, etc. In order to feel ok with myself, I often need to spell out the things I did that I feel are good- helped someone else, accomplished a dreaded task, etc. I still can’t list my “accomplishments” the way potential employers like to see them.   This idea of grading myself by certain metrics is something I’ve worked hard to stop. It always used to be “if I only had a (spouse, billion $, fab home, better motorcycle, more of anything…) I’d be happy” But I think the key to happiness is to not measure “success,” instead, I just try to be grateful for what & who I do have in my life. 
Rik Palieri (2009-10-09) #I keep a book of dreams. Inside it is filled with my goals. For me it is exciting to write down when a new seed for a new goal first came to light and then watch it grow. Sometimes it only takes days or weeks but others it is months or even years. But reading over this book helps me believe that dreams do happen. 
Tom Malafarina (2009-10-09) #Creativity. I love to create, to make something out of nothing is the most amazing feeling one can experience. Whether it is a work of art, a story, some music, a home project, a toy for a child, a parable to help impart wisdom, whatever. I consider myself the sum of what I create. I understood many years ago that fortune and fame have nothing to do with my need to create. If I die someday pennyless and no one ever knows a thing about me I will be happy knowing that I spent my lifetime creating things I wanted to, and that I helped influence my children and grandchildren to be themselves and create as the spirt moves them. 
David A. Boyington (2009-10-09) #I measure myself in 2 areas, but they work together in a common goal: Spiritual & Entrepreneurial. I must continually grow in Spiritual Power, then, use it to protect the people, save the children. I must continually grow my Entrepreneurial experience in radio and the music business in my gift of creativity, then, use it to protect the people, save the children, as would a Knight of Christ that which I am. Peace. David A. Boyington 
Emanual (2009-10-09) #i dont think i grade myself for my positive actions, thats not to say i dont think they are judged – i mean like a virtue is its own reward – that way you can just plod on, stedily improving ones lot. with no ridged deffinitions of scale, surely every earnd moment of happiness can be enjoyed for its own worth (+ there is no upper limit). i do however grade myself on the dodgy/bad/negative things ive done and how theyve made me feel (like most folks ive quite a long list). if i am not, and im not causing other people to feel that way whilst yet im still endevouring – well, every day is a step (be they big or small) in the right direction 
Robert Holt (2009-10-09) #I grade myself by my peers and how well they respond to song I write and play on! I play Blues Harmonica at, harmonicajam.com we download backing tracks then play and sing with our Blues Harp,then up load it to be voted on by your peers.  I tend to be way harder on myself or to lenient to get good perspective of my music; so I know they will grade me much more fair then I can grade myself. 
Terry Dossey (2009-10-09) #I’m a scientist. In a nutshell, what I do is periodically add a small brick to the wall of human knowledge. Others come and build on to the wall, depending on my brick to be sound so that time doesn’t have to be wasted searching out the bad bricks and replacing them, as well as all that was placed on top of them. I grade myself by how many sound “bricks” I place in my career and how much use they are to humanity. 
Seth Davis (2009-10-09) #nothing wrong or trivial, folks, with examining what works for you, as when we’re happy we’re likely to be engaged in our good work (or just finished). so this question is not selfish-“how do i get happy happy happy mine mine mine all about me me me?”- it’s about the barometer for our good work…what do we do/where do we find ourselves that brings us the result called “happy” ? when i’m doing MY good work, living in my dharma, i am clear that i’m blessed, on the right path (if only for that day) and HELL BENT on doing more!  1 adding to my body of work 2 growing my audience 3 creating income from my art 4 helping someone to laugh or to get back on their path. thank you all. thank you, derek. seth 
BiG ChinGS (2009-10-09) #The Measure of a man????????? The question in itself iz stupid. 
Ralph McGee (2009-10-09) #I guess I judge it by how many e-mail Blogs I have Time to answer. Only Kidding, truly Blessed here , got 2 Gigs this weekend just got a check from CD baby Just mailed a new CD to CD baby. Trophys and Ribbons arent much comfort on your deathbed someone once said. 
Ben Pasley (2009-10-09) #I leave it to my Creator to grade me, for I try to treat people as I would want them to treat me. I do enjoy sharing the inspirational blessings of thoughts that I receive for I understand that even through they were given to me, they were given to be gave,  ”You see kindness and you take it wrong, taking it for weakness, shows you don’t know weak from strong. You’ve got a problem, that you’re too blind to see, but that’s your problem and the person you prove to be” 
Bonny Buckley (2009-10-09) #I think we are talking about the ‘doing’ since that is more easily measured than the ‘being.’ So in that sense, for me  Did I ride my bike enough or swim Did I laugh or make someone laugh or smile Did I eat the right amount of vegetables Did I do anything dangerously different from my norm  Did I play Did I learn (or did I take steps in the direction of my long term goal?) Did I enjoy the design of my life that I personally have heavily influenced? Whom did I connect with? Did I get dirty or talk with my dirty sisters about this dirty life?  Did I connect with someone in Mandarin who speaks no English? Big stretch: Did I connect with someone who is a non-native Mandarin speaker where we are both using Mandarin as a second language, such as a Shanghainese or Tibetan, or Uighur   since the only thing I can sometimes sort of control is myself. I don’t profess to manage all this every single day but most days, well, mostly yes. I guess this is leaning toward ‘am I living life to the absolute fullest or not?’ which is a bit more emphasis on the ‘being’ for me personally. I congratulate the many people here who have families and are dedicated to them. 
Sean Tiffany (2009-10-09) #I choose to grade myself on a simple “pass/fail” scale.  As long as I am alive, breathing, and creating I pass :) 
Sky Ronny Bunke (2009-10-09) #I go with Steve Fritz(3) and Christian Berntsen (4). Being true to one’s self and giving kindness. Hug, Sky. 
Beth (2009-10-09) #I measure the success of my path by the number of smiles I can bring and the love I see in the eyes around me. After all, love is the only thing that really matters. 
Buck Toff (2009-10-09) #I grade myself by how alive I feel.   When I feel very alive, I grade myself highly.  If I don’t feel very alive then I tend to not grade myself so highly.  This feeling of aliveness is not always related to my external environment or my own efforts to influence it.   Sounds simplistic but that’s basically it in a nutshell. 
Mizzy (2009-10-09) #i grade myself by whether I’m contributing to the spiritual growth of others. Whether its smiling at the clerk in the grocery store or through one of my songs, it’s all the same. 
Sean McCready (2009-10-09) #My measure of happiness is two things: 1. Is how much help am I being to my fellow beings (That doesn’t just include us humans)? 2. How much peace of mind do i have in my day to day life. Am i nurishing my soul? 
S.Dee Meese (2009-10-09) #Derek,,, i measure myself with how i affect and relate to people.If i affect them in a positive way,, i feel good if not i feel like i let them and myself down thats how i measure myself. S.Dee 
Katie McMahon (2009-10-09) #I grade myself as being successful if I’m too happy and busy doing what I like to be bothered in grading myself. That’s true success. 
Bernie Selditch (2009-10-09) #In school, you have a GPA, but you are graded on many subjects. In life, you also have a GPA, but I cannot relate to a “singular” grade theory . . . in other words, you may be excelling in business or a creative endeavor, and sucking wind in finding true love. It is the average of all of those grades that really sums up your self worth. For me personally, it would be a GPA based on my music, business, family, relationships, and health. 
Amandah Jantzen (2009-10-09) #My “gauge” is to leave every person, place, or thing I encounter in this life in a better state than when I encountered it, or better off as a result of having known/encountered me.   It could be as simple as picking up a piece of litter, or as deep as being the example that makes a student choose to pursue a degree or career in what he loves rather than what his parents think will make him a good living.  Included in that, is the daily encounter of the person I am becoming–to continually better myself and contribute to my life or well being in the same way I would do so for another.  If I’m doing these things more than not, I’m pretty happy, and if I’m not, it’s pretty easy to adjust my focus. 
Alexandra (2009-10-09) #By how easy it is for me to be curious. The more easily that door in me opens to whatever situation or person I am facing, the more peaceful, open, strong a state I’m in and then: the more useful I am.   During those [too many] moments when I have no curiosity in me, that’s an “F”.  I am totally ambivalent about this grading idea. Well done! 
Dennis Sleigh (2009-10-09) #I think Donald Trump might need more reassurance than most of us! Nothing succeeds like success and money is good but how much do you really need? Does money make us happy? As long as you are healthy and reasonably fit, nothing else is important. I almost died through bad medical treatment twice and recovered from strokes caused by this. I also lost over half a million pounds income from my businesses that I also lost from this situation and am permanently disabled. Having once been an act in the working men’s clubs, now I busk on the streets in London or anywhere I happen to be. I try to make people feel happy and have a good day. When I do this and they throw some change that’s how I rate myself. I also rate myself when I write songs and get to appear on TV by following your advice and throwing the hundred darts at the dartboard with my ‘George Bush Blues’ song. It still makes people laugh and that’s so important these days because we are all performers in the music industry. I have a sign on the front of my street guitar that says: Smile, Be Happy and a couple of people have done facebook sites about me, which was kind of them. Don’t worry about rating yourself too much but don’t forget to keep smiling!  Dennis Derby 
Richard (2009-10-09) #I am human. I am alive in mortal form.  My measure is how clearly I can learn to understand my ever constant and yet ever changing existence in this mortal plane. With God’s grace I do my best. 
Betsy Grant (2009-10-09) #I try not to. 
David Foster-Smith (2009-10-09) #If I think I have moved forward and not stood still then this maintenance of direction makes the grade. However to really measure then it is for others to opine? 
Brandon (2009-10-09) #I measure myself by how I’m using my time. I only have “self-pity” moments when I realize I wasted time. Though it’s a lesson learned which means it wasn’t really time wasted, but it still makes me feel like crap, and demands reform. 
ade ishs (2009-10-09) #I don’t grade myself. 
India (2009-10-09) #I grade my self by how free to be themselves others feel around me. If someone says “I can be myself around you so much, I feel free and good about myself,” I’m right where I want to be :)I also grade myself by how consistently I do self-care and how well I balance accomplishing with free and unstructured time. And lastly, I grade myself by how vivid and “present” my relationship my own personal god is. 
Bill Kahler (2009-10-09) #Just trying to do good work. . . . 
Jeff McLeod (2009-10-09) #I measure myself through growth in knowledge and experiences. In each area I have several goals. Toughest part for me is keeping those goals in the fore front of your mind and not letting “life” make you loose sight of them. 
Naldo keith (2009-10-09) #It gives the feel of success if I enjoyed doing it! Mostly creative things! That make Me I feel successful. Also when I do music that people appreciate! Also even if the music is different from the masses, but a hit song is a hit song. Success is being heard and liked for what you have done creatively!  Money is a tool for ones means of maintainence. So money is not the measure of success for me, happy is success, complete heart is the best success, love is success! I love music! 
candace samuelson (2009-10-09) #I grade myself by how happy I feel on any particular day. If I have created something, say, a song, or a poem, or have sketched or painted a picture,my happiness level goes up. Also, if I have helped any individual that crosses my path in some way, the level goes up. 
Mark Johnson (2009-10-09) #By the depth of compassion I feel this moment. 
David Hatfield (2009-10-10) #For me it’s all about how I treat myself and other people. Sometimes-win,-sometimes lose, but it’s all about trying to be a better person. 
Bill (William Henry) Evenhouse (2009-10-10) #I’ve never been good at generating money from music, but at the moment I measure or grade myself by the view I get on Youtube. Each day then becomes sort of a “mini” concert performed for individuals who come and go. So I am the “street” musician I never became. At present around 2000 people per day take time to view one or more of my 140 some videos up there. That totals a pretty good sized concert each day, and though no real money (well, a very little) is involved, there is a real sense of having communicated a piece of myself to at least the “Youtube World”. 
Bruce Maier (2009-10-10) #Derek; Like you I am fulfilled by where I place my creativity. Money pursuits alone don’t do it for me although money is a great thing to have plenty of. But when I have contributed, donated,created and loved, that’s how I measure or grade myself. 
Ed Lagace (2009-10-10) #Grading my worth? I grade the world I surround myself with. 
Jose (2009-10-10) #Hehe, I’m with you here:  how many useful things I create?  Am I capable of creating what nobody else had done?  I’m focus on making a voice recognition software that understand “any” voice without training. I want anyone being able to talk to a computer. 
Paul Pajo (2009-10-10) #You might try to a Multi-Dimensional Scaling survey on yourself – try to get compared to your peers see: http://paulpajo.com/2009/07/30/results-of-the-presidentiable-leadership-similarity-survey/

Kurt Cobain

Richard Franklin (2009-10-10) #I agree with Mara — how well I am doing with the various goals I have set. The goals I set inevitably have changed over time with changes in my attitudes, demands, opportunities, etc. What is important to me today was not necessarily important to me 10 or 20 years ago. 
Timothy Burris (2009-10-10) #Making music that moves people. François Couperin, speaking of his own reaction to music, put it simply, but oh, so well: “I frankly admit that I much prefer that which moves me to that which amazes me.” 
Andrea Gerak (2009-10-10) #Got inspired… thanks Derek for this question too :-)  I followed Michael (#95) and answered here. 
Andrea Gerak (2009-10-10) #oh, couldn’t insert the link: http://andrea-survival-guide.blogspot.com/2009/10/grading-yourself.html 
Vyasa Raimo (2009-10-10) #From limited things we shouldn´t expect unlimited results? Should we? Question into nature of things we should meditate upon…this is probably what Master Yoda woud say : ) 
Vickie Russell (2009-10-10) #I judge my success on how many lives have I touched with my humor, music, teaching, friendship, love, joy and truth. 
Susan Cantey (2009-10-10) #As a teacher, I grade individual papers against a preset rubric. The politically correct jargon is “assessment”. Ideally it serves as feedback to the student…a measure of how well they met the goal of mastering the particular material tested. Too often grades are used to compare students and classify some as “better” than others. I think that attempting to grade one’s entire life is inappropriate and could well lead to depression, since, if we are honest, we all fall short.   Perhaps we can grade small things like one of the songs we write…but against what rubric? Bob Dylan’s songs? or the stuff the other guys in our songwriters group write? If we are graded, it has to be someone with the appropriate rubric doing the grading.   Maybe God is grading us, but his rubric is probably quite different than anything we can come up with. I highly recommend “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren as a must read for Christians wanting to earn a “good” grade. 
Karsten Schwardt (2009-10-10) #I measure my success on how deep I’ve dug within myself to unearth my divinity and connectedness. This usually comes through some kind of creative process that involves accomplishing harmony and relationship between elements. Music is the best means I know to achieve this, but there are other means, such as moments in teaching, teamwork or leadership. 
Guy Gorman (2009-10-10) #Derek, I think you should add provoking useful thoughts as one of your measures. Think of all the beneficial self-reflection you have inspired of the years. I say you should become a professor, but you are already a teacher of sorts; the Web is your classroom.  For me a successful life is not so simple. It involves a balance. I ask myself a lot of questions such as: Am I happy? Am I helping others? Am I having fun? Am I creating things? Am I helping others to have fun? Am I making the world a better, more beautiful place? Am I taking advantage of all the wonderfulness this world has to offer? Am I living in Love? When I respond in the negative, I know I need to make some adjustments. 
JaVonne Armstrong (2009-10-10) #I never actually thought about rating myself, but I guess it’s by maintaining independence and my ability to meet financial obligations. On a soul level, it would be how I affect people’s lives as a social worker (the day job) and what folks say about my music(the dream job) I’m sure there’s more, but …

If breathing goes unnoticed and is effortless, then most likely my decisions and interactions are on the right track.  Does this make sense?

Thomas Zona (2009-10-10) #My dad, who was a commercial artist, had this saying that he would use.  “You’re only as good as your last job.”  For the longest time, I didn’t question it, but now I’ve come to a different conclusion.  Let’s say that your latest album really takes off. You’re invited to all the talk shows. You start touring all over the world. You’re making big money and you’re now famous!  You’re finally happy and totally satisfied!  Now fast forward 5, 10, 15, 20 years!  No one likes your stuff anymore. You’re ignored by EVERYBODY. You couldn’t get arrested let alone fill a concert hall. And you can’t afford the big house you bought!  Are you no longer… any good?  You are not what you do… you’re much more than that! 
Jake (2009-10-10) #Derek; I am a retired aerospace engineer and now play music at craft fairs. My motto is “If my music makes people feel good then I have done my job”.  I enjoy your e-mails and articles, keep up the good work!  Cheers, Jake 
Drew Jarrod (2009-10-10) #The question I’ve struggled with is, “Am I a human being or a human doing?” Do I get my self-esteem from what I do or who I am? It’s true that we all have to live with ourselves and we like ourselves more when we are living in line with what we want to be – if we see ourselves becoming who we have always aspired to be… but I think a lot of us have overlooked this first step in an effort to sidestep, or band-aid our hunger; our need to find fulfillment. When we don’t feel good about ourselves, we tend to try and cover that feeling up by filling our lives with drugs, money, possessions or other distractions so we don’t have to see that we are not who we really want to be. Our self-worth needs to come from somewhere else. From inside, from ourselves, from outside, from our parents or friends – but even those sources will fail us from time to time. Or we can get it from above – get our identity from God who never changes and always thinks we are great. What if someone has a good heart, but they can’t contribute to society? Are they worthless? Are you only good to us if you have something to offer? Or can you simply just exist and be good at all? I know God loves me and thinks I’m great, but I still forget or have a hard time believing it. And when I forget, that’s when I try and earn His or somebody’s respect by trying to live how I think they want me to live in order to garner their love of me. What’s our grade? Mother Teresa said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” Maybe we don’t even have to keep track. If we were secure in ourselves, I don’t think we’d need to. Maybe we should just do what we can and let the chips fall where they may. 
Eric Petersen (2009-10-10) #I’ve always graded myself… weird. When I was single I graded myself on the female company I kept, Married, I grade myself on fidelity and loyalty, As a composer, I grade myself on the freshness and spontaneous nature of the music, does it surprise the listener. I grade myself when I create a meal for those around me, Did everyone enjoy the flavor and texture ? I grade myself on the amount of learning I do each day, The books I read, The studying I do, Am I getting somewhere ? Am I getting everything out of this life ? Trump’s a ” Brand ” guy, He loves that stuff ! 
Jack Grassel (2009-10-10) #I measure my success in two ways:
1. Is my guitar playing better than it was yesterday?
  1. Have I done all I could today to make my wife as happy as possible? 
Amy Humphrey (2009-10-10) #Oh, wow, I never thought of grading myself or measuring anything. I guess I just go from moment to moment doing whatever it is I’m doing as well as I can. Getting to the end of my life with a tally sheet just isn’t my thing, I guess. 
Gerald Cling (2009-10-10) #I grade myself by how honest I am being with myself, because if I am lying to myself what hope have I got.If I am being honest with myself then the rest usually falls into place.I also like the Japanese philosophy given to them by an American, make everything that I do a little bit better than yesterday so long as I do this I am growing and learning and that is what I am here for. 
Tracy Marie (2009-10-10) #I measure my success by how happy I am feeling… 
Jack Grassel (2009-10-10) #3. Was I nice and helpful to everyone I met today?  I give myself a 100% but am trying. 
Jack Grassel (2009-10-10) #I measure my success in many ways:
1. Is my guitar playing better today than yesterday?
  1. Have I done all I can to help my wife to be happy?
    1. Have I been nice to every person I met today? Everything else is secondary. 
Pete Fegredo (2009-10-10) #I can see you are a deep thinker Derek.You’ve put everyone of us on the spot.If i can reach out to people through my songs, my deeds and impart with a little wisdom to my daughter that would last generations.I would’ve achieved some measure and be happy with that.L W DE LAWERENCE say’s “The meaning of life is to express more life but, more life can only be expressed by the fulfillment of desire’s” Pete 
Chris (2009-10-10) #This is a great question for any walk of life. For me, I would say it has always been (subconsciously, until now..) ‘How productive I can be without compromising my morals.’ This has kept me off the beaten path, and I can sleep at night knowing I am the person I strive to be. 
Christopher Prim (2009-10-10) #I give myself high marks for writing new songs, poems, and stories. If I don’t have enough energy to create altogether new forms, spending time online and connecting with people is fun. If all I can do is stare at a tube, youtube is better than TV. At least I’m scheduling my own programming. If I watch TV, I try to at least surf channels discriminately. There’s no truth in advertising, by the way. Not even an attempt!  Averaged out, I give myself more B’s and C’s than A’s or D’s or F’s. I like excellence, but mediocrity’s okay, too. Perfectionism is a disease. 
Gen Berthault (2009-10-10) #By how connected I feel to everything going on in the world. I feel myself a failure if I am too isolated from LIFE. Grade my life or myself? It comes to the same thing. I like to to feel myself a cog in a wheel of my own choosing. Hmmm. 
Silvanus Slaughter (2009-10-10) #I am true to myself – my inner voice – and my vision as a composer-performer, and maker of images. I want to inspire the valuation and cultivation of integrity in others in a culture rife with whoredom, triviality and shallowness that, for too long now, celebrates its own worthlessness and is well rewarded for it.  Of course, my ego is always taunting me with the income matter, the news of what is or is not popular or has-been, and what is ‘soaring’. One integrates that noise, too, but it can also be the “devil”, so to speak. 
Vishwanath (2009-10-10) #It’s been ever changing actually.  Professionally:  During my school and college, it used to be how many new things I learn and how many times I could solve a problem that my other friends in the class couldn’t.  When I joined work, it was how many times I’d get a pat on my back from my boss and again how many problems of my colleagues did I solve.  A few years later, now it’s about how much professional wisdom I can gather from people all around me.  Personally:  When I was a kid, it was always how many times my parents and family would be proud of me.  In school/college, it was how many times my friends thought I was cool and how many one liner jokes I cracked.  Then it was how many times I made my girl-friend feel specail.  Now, it is how much quality time I spend with my family.  As you can see Derek, my way to measure myself has moved from my eco-system (teachers, parents, boss) to my inner self.  And before the cycle ends, I want to measure myself by the number of people I’ve educated in any manner. As I believe education is a mandate for a peaceful Earth. 
Eric Copeland (2009-10-10) #As a creative person, my goal is continuing to strive to keep creating. To revel in my creativity every day. To teach others to revel in their own creativity and strive to be the best they can.  Therefore, the measure is seeing that I indeed created amazing things, and that it is good, and that I helped others on this road as well.  As a Christian, of course, the measure is how I affected the world for Christ, either personally or through work that I have done myself or with others.  As a parent, the measure is how my kids turn out to be cool, creative, free adults with good heads on their shoulders.  EC 
sophie borgeaud (2009-10-10) #Dear Derek Thank you ,  Since I met you on cdbaby, I follow all your publications.  When I trust me enough and I really make it as you do, positively, I notice a big improvement in my energy and life, because I am 100% sure of my path and work good on it…  I wanted to be a singer an actress since always but I was able to make it possible few years ago… I am deeply Happy since then, with regular up and downs…shorter the better, each time…the privilege of experience…  You match the point each time you mail…  May all beings be happy…     Sophie Borgeaud / France 
Lindsay Weidmann (2009-10-10) #Good question. Lately I’ve been feeling idol and frustrated by not achieving goals I’ve set… actually, even more basic than that, I’ve been struggling to set goals at all! I have been experiencing a lack of focus and a lot of fear around my music career. I’ve been at a standstill. I haven’t been writing or practicing for several months, I have been booking low-pay, familiar gigs. And I’ve been getting rather tired of continuing to stay in this mindset… feeling alone, scared, frustrated, and stagnant. So, how I do I grade myself right now? Did I pick up my guitar today? Did I write down some lyrics that came to me while driving in the car? Did I e-mail that manager my friend referred me to? Am I taking the action… nothing changes unless you are willing to DO something different. Feel shitty and pessimistic and scared and angry? Well, what action are you taking to shift your head and your energy? Actually, I think that is my answer to this question for today. How do I grade myself? How did I respond to my thoughts and feelings? Did I indulge them? Or did I have compassion and pick up my guitar anyway? 
David Griffith (2009-10-10) #How do I grade myself? First I have to have a measure. What measure do I use to grade myself?  “Finders keepers – losers weepers.” echoes from my childhood as does my dad’s fairly clear response.  “If it wasn’t yours before you found it, it isn’t yours now.”  It was a rudimentary introduction to ethics.  If I found a large amount of ‘unmarked bills’ in an envelope with no means of finding an owner then this would be, perhaps, my only exception to that rule and the reason I’d make that exception is because there is no way of finding the rightful owner. As I’m used to being honest, I might still feel uncomfortable enough to hand it in but that’s because our society is not so corrupt that the local police wouldn’t follow procedure which, essentially, allows me to keep it if no-one claimed it within a few months.  You might call me ‘a mug’. I don’t give a stuff.  If my words can’t be trusted and if my actions contradict my words then I’m meaningless – or worse – for the rest of humanity. Most of the people who inspire me I’ll never meet. The Gandhi’s, the Mandela’s aren’t born as Kings but are the natural nobility of mankind.  “The Devil made me do it.” is a lazy cop-out. I take responsibility for myself, my words and actions. If the Devil exists then His greatest trick was not to have us believe that he doesn’t exist. It was to pass responsibility and thus our freedom to some Satanic entity. Ho hum – stuff Satan – the Ultimate Loser.  So complete honesty – with myself – is the fabric upon which I place a measure with which to grade myself. Quite frankly, it’s not something I need to think about unless I feel uneasy. I’m old enough to know that – whatever the field of action – there’ll be someone more scrumptious, more witty, more anything than I am so this is a useless measure.  I’m ‘ugly’ enough to ‘be invisible’. This allows time in which character can be developed. I’m thankful for that.  Not a brilliant lover although we have our moments. Never a t.v. sitcom dad but a very good one and ‘not to be changed for anyone’ according to the grown up child. Not a world changing songwriter but middle-aged people and children brighten up with my music.  The point I’m getting to is that grading ourselves is extremely difficult. There’s something about being useful which resonates with me and I don’t mean ‘helping others’ because I don’t know what else to do. That would be reaction rather than following a deep creative impulse.   It’s raining gently and early in the morning. My body is sore from dawn to dusk activity just, literally, getting my house in order. It’s Sunday and my grandson is arriving for a few days.  I’m content without being self satisfied. I am content to be a link from generation to generation stretching back through the Celts of my antiquity and going forward into someone else’s future.  If I can ‘Stretch out a hand’ in both directions who could ask for more.  This is perhaps what we’re all doing.  This deserves a ‘good grade’….. hooray!!! We all get an ‘A’ … right at this moment. 
Lauren Osornio (2009-10-10) #I don’t. Grading is all about ego and that doesn’t make me happy. I just am, that’s all. 
El aka Gene (2009-10-10) #’how do i grade myself?’ does ‘degrading’ count? if so, than by my calculation, i’m about as arrogant, ignorant, and immature as any other human life form is capable of being. my daily peak, physiological and artistic operating efficiency is, as usual, less than optimal.  in this forum, as far as i can tell, derek offers you, me, all of us the right to espress ourselves on an infinite variety of topics relevant to musicians and artists at large. since most of us appear to be musicians of some ilk, i’ll answer to how i grade my artistic accomplishments in what i consider to be the area of greatest importance to all of us i.e. surviving global warming. i’ll give myself an ‘atta-boy’ for effort. i guess it all depends on what each of us considers laudable. I’m guessing most bloggers here are familiar with michael jackson’s work.  he made millions with it and was rarely far from the public eye.  based on the amount of publicity he received, we might have to give him a passing grade as a major shaper of american pop culture. albert schwitzer or einstein would hardly have rated a nod in such  an important category. but enough about michael. i like to think of my work and my time spent here on this plane as significant in some way and “yes”, i’m proud of it. given the gift of musical creativity, i filled a measureable percentage of the cup representing one’s destiny, and, at the very least, recognized the gravity of the environmental situation we find ourselves in. now, i wonder what more as a musician and/or event organizer i might be doing to help. can i, will i do more than sony records and michael to save the planet? only time will tell, i suppose.  while some may continue to press forward with the long-held industry belief there is no problem so great it cannot be anesthetized with another  silly love song or immature ode to self gratification, some  hopeless idealist somewhere remains sceptical. looking at the larger global picture, shallow perceptions glorifying ‘self’ don’t really belong on a map of the real world with real people being decimated by psunamis, do they? the world which we depend upon for the very air we breathe. it is a tenuous life we share on this frail, damaged planet. admittedly, thriving as  a commercial artist no longer preoccupies my thoughts or my creative output. what concerns me most of all is “do we have the collective will and spirit of cooperation to survive as a species”. I’ve decided to give myself fairly high  marks in this regard because i do care enough about you and our progeny to pursue a songwriting muse which respects and values nature and all life on this planet. my material acquisitions and artistic notoriety are of little consequence on this little known scale measuring ‘who did what’ to help preserve the livable viability of our precious earth.  as a songwriter of conscience, this time to me, is a call to arms. 
Eric John Kaiser (2009-10-10) #I grade myself at how many people become happy listening to my music live or on CD…I think it’s about giving… 
Larry Suess (2009-10-10) #As a pschologist and a musician I strive for positive impact in my counseling and my songwriting and performance. The two measures I use are understanding and and a new perspective. If I can give that to others I’m there. 
Steve DeMott (2009-10-10) #If I’m grading myself I’ve already failed. Just accept and keep moving forward. Our brains do too much to sabotage us as it is, why fuel the fire?  Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt. 
Wendy Collings (2009-10-10) #I’m with those who can’t connect with the idea of grading or measuring one’s self. What makes sense to me is feeling that my life is on track … it’s not easy to describe that feeling to someone else, but I know as soon as it starts to feel wrong.  It’s made up of a mixture of things in balance: connection with others balanced with time alone; being useful balanced with playing; learning new things balanced with time to think on what I’ve learned; being self-aware without being self-centred; enjoying all kinds of pleasures without extravagance or indulgence – these are some of the key things. Achievements are nice but don’t touch me very deeply unless they fit with that internal balance. 
Adam Cole (2009-10-10) #By asking the question in terms of grading, one automatically confines ones’ thinking to life in terms of grades, rather than a continuum (multi-dimensional at that). It’s quite possible to do very well with this limit, but in certain situations it’s an inappropriate measure and can be extremely confusing. At times I feel like a failure, and other times I consider myself a roaring success. The fact is that nothing has changed except my outlook. 
Barb Mazz (2009-10-10) #What have I learned? How have I stretched beyond my comfort zone? How have I shown love to others? Can I laugh easily – or am I preoccupied? 
J.J. Vicars (2009-10-10) #How I spend my limited time on this Earth. 
Jason Greywolf Leigh (2009-10-10) #I grade myself as always being an advocate for not only my bless’ed Veterans Issues, yet also for my fellow songwriters and fellow artists by bringing out the factual truths that we were duped by CDBaby in their ‘digital distribution Agreement,’ where we songwriters, Bands and publishers who own the copyrights of our songs, are ONLY being paid $0.009 (9 100s of 1%) of a $.99 cent download of only ONE of our songs, which means there has to be 91 more downloads BEFORE we would receive 1 penny–while CDBaby, iTunes, and all of the rest of the Digital Distributors made their $.50 cents, or is it a 60/40 split between the two? Nevertheless, CDBaby and iTunes and the rest have made ‘fortunes’ off of OUR music and have become millionaires as a result of OUR blood, sweat and tears! And these same ripoff artists now travel the world, vainly writing Blogs of their exploits with OUR money, or, exercising their bragging rights, if you will, at our lowly expense in an attempt to redeem themselves in an effort to clear their conscious to many of us who, what? Feel dramatizations of their Blogs in sympathy? No, I grade myself for trying to make a difference, not only in my music, but in the Rights that I try to bring forth to the masses. I strive for GOOD through HONESTY. 
El aka Gene (2009-10-10) #well said, cesar 
Ken Randall (2009-10-11) #Wow good question I know I should think about an answere all night to come up with the best to give true justice to this question however off the top of my mind. If I can look back at the end of the day and know I have had something gained for the day in some form of achievement. From helping and giving joy to all including oneself. Certainly not my name visualy on a building or a new Ferai in the drive. Now my name on a peice of paper with a sighned contract in a building out of sight of others for that super job I would would go for that. Something learned and there is much of that to be gained. Love the answer to no 21 Derek God thats a big smile for my day… 
Brendan O’Brien (2009-10-11) #Is it even possible to express the running measure of ones ever changing life as a single distilled metric? To capture its essence and use it as a compass bearing to tell if one is on the right track or not…with the landscape and its circumstantial infleuences constantly shifting…with a myriad of interconnected systems driving the direction of life…! How do I grade myself?? As a parent? As a sibling? As an employee? As a boss? As a patient? As a diciple? As an animal? As a human being? As a student?  To grade ones progress is to ignore ones struggle, to acknowledge ones Struggle is to become aware…to ignore, one must first identify…thus grading becomes a tool to awareness! To grade is good. I must endeavour to grade my feeling of awakeness and thus become more aware!  Thanks for the question. Brendan 
Matt Wells (2009-10-11) #I grade myself by how many goals I have achieved. To date numerous ones. I wrote my one great book, released my masterpiece album, found true love, and got a PHD. 
Jerry McCann (2009-10-11) #I tell my students, you’re not qualified to judge yourself. What others think of me is none of my business. That leaves only one entity. I leave the judgement to him. Hopefully, I did the best I could and he’ll notice. 
Tuti (2009-10-11) #I think we grade ourselves by the measure of how much of our conscious intentions were already manifested into our everyday reality. 
Evee (2009-10-11) #Long time ago, my pop told me if you can do 50 nice things a day for other people then you have made yourself a good day. I kinda follow that. Even little things like letting someone in when driving, opening a door, smiling at the toll guy..you get it. It’s the little things..they add up:) that and staying thankful all the time, especially for people like you Derek who care! 
Bobby Thomas (2009-10-11) #I think I’ve figured out that I am driven by challenge. Can I do a ride I am proud of riding my bicycle up Mont Venteux? (Haven’t conquered it yet.) Can I conquer my fear on a fast descent? (Sometimes – when I do its magic.) Can I fix something that is broken? (I just repaired a broken part of the fuel injection system in my car. Didn’t replace it — fashioned a workaround with a small piece of hose.) Can I do random things that few people ever get to do? (Lucked into being in a Broadway play.) Can I win a big case? (Have several times.) Can I make a record that I am proud of? (Done a few.) You get the idea. 
Peter Bayreuther (2009-10-11) #how good I feel when doing my music and being with my loved ones 
Tom Slack (2009-10-11) #I grade myself by how much time and effort I put into creative activity. It’s easy to say you like doing creative things, not so easy to make the commitment to spend as much free time as possible toward that end (instead of, say, hanging out at the bar). But the payback is the sense of fulfillment you get by either being proud of your creations or learning something really interesting that you can share with others. 
Don Blevins (2009-10-11) #I measure myself by how others measure me, which is an excellent way to see myself from the eyes of others. 
Kim Marcoux (2009-10-11) #I grade myself thinking of the many adults and children that I have helped, taught, loved. But mostly by the applause I receive on stage during a performance! I make a lot of peple and myself happy….. 
Kelsey Rauber (2009-10-11) #I think I grade myself on three things:
1. How well have I achieved the goals I have set out for myself?
  1. Am I treating others the way I want to be treated? Am I helping to improve other peoples lives?
    1. What do my friends and family think of me. Have I spoken to them recently, do they know how important they are to me? 
Dee Janey (2009-10-11) #Funny —I don’t grade myself but run, skip, tiptoe and walk through experiences as if courses served on the table of life. Some are insatiable, distasting, light, mediocre, etc. I turn outward to reach and touch, come inward to think then plant choices in my mind’s compartments. Grading seems a self exam, a constant test, a checkpoint and journal-for whom? I like to feel good intent carries us through, hopefully leaving a multitude of successful human interaction the reward. 
Cyril Darensbourg (2009-10-11) #Making change in the way people treat each other 
Widetrack (2009-10-11) #This question has really caused me to do some soul-searching. Being at a point in my life where I’m feeling that the pressure’s on to capitalize on my “prime”, my thought is that I’ve been living a bit “lopsided”. I’m focusing on my music more than ever… perhaps at the cost of other things that are dear to me. The drive to succeed is a difficult thing to harness. There seems to be a fine line between what one perceives to be a mediocre existence and living a balanced life.   I will definitely be putting more thought into your question, but for now I suppose that staying on the right side of this fine line, (living a balanced life), while still feeling artistically driven will henceforth be how I endeavor to grade myself. 
Randy Handley (2009-10-11) #I do not need to judge or grade myself.I have a wife. 
Jason Bowden (2009-10-12) #Hey Derek,  Tough one, I started out thinking noble things, but couldn’t get the money factor out of my mind. As much as I’d like to say I don’t grade myself on it, I do. But there’s a couple of good metrics as well:
1. Are my family and friends provided for?
  1. What have I learned, do I know more than yesterday?
    1. Money. What am I working toward?  Number 1 is major, but natural for most of us. 2 and 3 are about setting goals and striving toward them. 
Kevin Chiu (2009-10-12) #This post really made me think about what I’m doing in life. I’ll need to think a bit more…  Up until now, I think I’ve been grading myself on how many times I can blow someone’s mind with an awesome technology that I made or a big of scientific magic. But, how does that matter over time? Hmm…  Thinking. 
peter (2009-10-12) #How much of the day am I being loving? And that is regardless of who I am dealing with and what is going on. 
CafeNirvana (2009-10-12) #I guess the way I grade myself would be according to how happy and fulfilled I feel (over a period of time), and to some extent, how happy my loved ones feel. I don’t compare myself to others, and I don’t live up to others’ expectations or their views of happiness, greatness or power. One man’s pleasure is another’s poison and all that. 
Tom Salta (2009-10-12) #My measure is simple; to make sure, that in some aspect of my life, I’m a little better today than I was yesterday.  This might take the form of me learning a new software feature or technique in my music composing. Or learning another social media tool or discovering a useful website. Or sometimes, it’s changing a bad habit or doing something new with my family or improving the way I handle my increasingly busy life… I’ve learning there’s never a shortage of things I can improve about myself. :) 
Adriana (2009-10-12) #I guess I measure myself on how many places, and how many people from different cultures I got to know and I got the chance to understand.  But also I like to establish a new milestone in terms of grading myself, and that’s Implementing great projects for my town, making it a reference for Creative Industries Area in Romania.  I’ll let you guys know what’s the status of this new project. 
Brian Theoret (2009-10-12) #Here is what I came up with: http://nitsnotes.blogspot.com/2009/10/when-asked-how-do-you-grade-yourself.html  Thanks for these great and thoughtful posts Derek!! 
Ivana (2009-10-12) #My primary measure of success is how balanced my life is at the moment. If there is something missing, it takes away from happiness level, so I look for ways to add the missing pieces to the puzzle of life. Sometimes it’s more exercise, sometimes more social interaction, sometimes achievements at work, etc. It all depends what is currently missing from the perfect balance, and if there is nothing missing, there is happiness. 
Bob Wagner (2009-10-12) #By how many smiles, and tears of joy I can create in those that are sad. How many lives I can set free from despair and by how many moments I create to love my family. 
Todd (2009-10-12) #Grade myself by the frequency of memorable moments I’ve created with my children. Children give great feedback. After teaching my 5-year-old to throw a football (Nerf All Weather) yesterday he said, “We should do sports more, Daddy.” In other words, -Here’s one way to be a good dad to me.- 
Gronk (2009-10-12) #Derek I think you just helped me to fix something that’s been broken in my life.  I don’t grade myself. 
Mario (2009-10-12) #Great post Derek!   And Tim is wise.. Better to split the decision in two! I think that, for myself, it’s about how successful I am on the objectives I put myself (money, love, skill, etc-wise) and on how much do I help to make a better world (by inspiring people, working at NGO, entrepreneur projects, etc) 
Sachit (2009-10-12) #Identify the 3-4 things I want to improve on. Then track if I worked on them everyday using this form http://whitehatblackbox.com/2009/08/refocus-extended-version/ . Also, asking myself everyday if today was better than yesterday. 
Wesley Verhoeve (2009-10-12) #I am an artist manager, record producer and run two indie record companies.  I grade myself on:
1. How many people’s life I can, directly or indirectly, touch in a positive way.
  1. Stability/security in my own life.
    1. Maintaining my integrity and being true to myself.
      1. The amount of lasting and top quality music I directly or indirectly get to put into the world.
        
        Maintaining a child-like wonder vibe. 
Nassim Assefi (2009-10-12) #This is a variation of what others have said, but I will say it in slightly different words. My life successmetric involves living up to my personal mission of creatively helping to reverse inequalities in this world (in terms of health, education, rights/freedoms, economic possibilities, etc) while living a joyful, balanced, and present life (which for me includes being a loving and generous friend and family member, taking care of myself and raising socially conscious children).  Thanks for catalyzing this important discussion, Derek.  Nassim nassimassefi.com doctor-novelist-humanitarian aid worker-fledgling filmmaker 
Raquel Elle Bell (2009-10-12) #At this moment my measurement is how many 100%’s I have on my daily task list. 
cathryn marshall (2009-10-12) #how many people I help change their lives for the better. How many people I educate. The love that I convey and share with my friends and family. Thanks, great post! 
Devan (2009-10-12) #My measure is how many people I can make smile… 
SaNa (2009-10-12) #What makes me know I am successful is the “aha” look on the face of my students when they are able to put what they’ve learned in their own words – with concrete examples. 
Chris Palmer (2009-10-12) #First, thank you for making me think. Sadly my answer is initially that I don’t rate myself very often and I am sad about that because I do think that being conscientious about how you live your life is important; but, I realize now I haven’t been. It’s a poor and sobering realization.  When I am conscientious, I measure myself by the following things:   (1) Whether I am doing things that are giving and unselfish–essentially treating others decently and charitably where appropriate. Not like Mother Theresa or Ghandi; but more than just selfishly consuming the gifts of the world without regard for others.  (2) Kind of a subset of (1) is whether I am helping my kids/family the best I can with food/shelter/education/love/compassion/time.  (3)Am I growing creatively and spiritually (and I don’t mean adopting all the tenets of a certain religion).  (4) Finally, and related to the rest: what does my life stand for compared to what I want it to stand for above. 
Mark Stewart (2009-10-12) #Any day above ground is a good day..that said I simply try to make progress…one step forward and maintain the rest..a good day is 2 steps forward… a great day 3+ Set a goal and achieve it awesome! Some times my best days are the ones where I just avoid a setback. Always set goals, don’t worry if I miss a goal just means it’s time to set a new one. thanks Derek! 
JP Morgan Jr (2009-10-12) #I grade myself in three areas:
1. Growth – Progress on overcoming self development challenges.
  1. Experience – Continuity in having diverse life experiences.
    1. Giving – How much am I giving back emotionally or other to friends, family and the world. 
Vincent Chiu (2009-10-12) #I often imagine looking back at my life after its all said and done.   And if I go for my heart’s true desires without holding back out of fear, I consider that an A++ job. I’ll have used the gift of life properly.   (And specifically, my “heart’s true desire” typically means creating and sharing love.)  Incidentally, I’m an entrepreneur also. Being financially successful is a goal because its necessary for survival. But compassion is actually a more desired goal. 
Mike (2009-10-12) #I have a checklist I keep in my notebook that I carry every day. It has ten things I strive to do every day:  Read, Write, Work, Relax, Love, Befriend, Eat Well, Exercise, Simplify, Benefit.  I get maybe 60 to 70% a week (failing miserably on eat well, exercise, and benfit).  That’s how I rate myself. Very cool. That’s a great way to do it. — Derek 
bobbi robbins (2009-10-12) #i asked myself a question alot like this a few days back… what will my legacy be when i leave this world… or in other words what  ”measured” effect will i have had in this life…  i decided it will be the space and time that was filled up with words of love, encouragement, smiles and hope that my life produced… this is how i measure up. 
tim rowell (2009-10-12) #I grade myself on how well I take care of my family. Then I grade how well I take care of my music school-teachers and students. Lately I feel like I’m failing them both. 
Jay GEnske (2009-10-12) #I think it is when I sing a song and look at someone in the crowds face and know I touched their heart and soul in a way no one else ever has done. Or, when I look in the face of a person to whom I am reading a poem to and see tears in their eyes knowing my poem touched their soul so deeply that it is something they will always remember. It is not about moeny, power or possessions; it is about a connection of our souls through my artwork, poetry, and music. 
Troy Gardner (2009-10-13) #I have several metrics as a part of QOLC (Quality of Life Calculation)  COG.OPS: The degree of cognitive loading and opportunity costs. Success is decreasing cognitive loading (typically by working at higher abstraction), with more opportunities at decreassing opportunity costs.  The degree of freedom in who, what, where, when and how much I do and don’t do.   Like working for myself has given me the freedom to freerunning in sleep which has given me the ability to pursue inspiration far longer than if I were stuck in a conventinal job.  It also means I have spent only a few hours commuting this year mostly from my bed to my desk.  SRT: Survival, Reliciation, Thriving. The impact on any particular action on those areas.  Thriving for me is Creativity + Community the degree that my innovations have remarkable merit and create a positive change helping others with their QOLC. A peer exchange of novel ideas with often world tilting aspects (e..g TED talks) 
Enoch (2009-10-13) #I measurement is base on pleasing the Afrikan Ancestors with Great music that one day someone can listen to and say “wow are you speaking to me”  My second measure is knowing that i am doing my very best in whatever i create (music,childeren,business) and do in this life.  My Final Measurement is always changes but the blueprint remains the same as i get older and grow in the music and life. 
Rab Townsend (2009-10-13) #Clearly I’ve chosen the wrong measure for myself, because I’ve been feeling pretty unsuccessful. 
Matthew Thomas (2009-10-13) #Im a 26yr old Real estate investor..im worth about 10 times what I was when I was 21..I could care less about the money I love being able to acquire property and make it better than the way I found it…I continue to do so and its great being in a position to help people along the way. “when you borrow something from someone..return it in better shape than when it was given to you” -my dad 
Colie Brice (2009-10-13) #To me being true to yourself and maintaining the courage of your convictions – particularly when the going gets tough is a worthwhile measure of success.  Time well spent with people you love doing activities that bring you true joy is an excellent measure of success.  Money earned through meaningful pursuits is more enjoyable than money just obtained.  These are the thoughts about this subject that come immediately to mind pour moi.. 
Miles (2009-10-13) #I measure my level of success partly by the level of happiness I feel reflected back to me from the people around me. The brighter the reflection, the better I’m doing. Happy, thoughtful people make the world a beautiful place! 
Mike Danilin (2009-10-13) #My happiest moments are the moments of inspiration – when I can step aside as an observer and watch the new creations coming to life with my humble help 🙂 If I can make such creative periods last, I grade myself highly (because that is a sort of indicator that I live in sync with the world, other indicators being very productive and effective in general, in pretty much all aspects of life, not only in songwriting). So, being in perfect sync with reality – here and now – at all times is the ultimate goal, I guess :) 
artemis simple (2009-10-13) #This question implies self-judgement or self-evaluation which is the current fashion for setting and achieving goals, is this type of self-assessment not really antithetical to the notion of ‘happiness’? Of course one can come up with any definition and strive to fulfil the criteria but at its most simple [without being too simple] happiness is the ability to let things happen and not be disconcerted or overwhelmed by them. ‘Taking life as it comes’.   I suppose that’s the ‘standard’ I live by – but I don’t judge myself for not living up to it. 
Aleee (2009-10-13) #By whom I influence/help/can give too turns me totally on to be useful productive Aleee 
Julia Massey (2009-10-13) #i think we grade ourselves on the level of love we experience everyday, and how well we create it through our constantly changing lives. 
jmacrosen (2009-10-13) #At Yom Kipper this year we sat at the table and thoughtfully listened to the Kol Nidre . After the composition ended an elderly Holocaust survivor told her story . It was short and absolutely free of self pity but full of the wonder of life and a commitment of purpose.  She being 96 , has lived a life of loss and gain- from this i learned that grading myself is only possible by living in the moment and taking responsibilty for what i didn’t do as well as what i have done. 
Alicia Dara (2009-10-13) #Hi, Derek. How awesome is this line of comments? I’ll add mine to the mix:  As an artist, I grade myself on how well I’ve connected with the audience on any given night. I can feel it in the noises they make between songs, and I can see it in their faces when I come down off the stage.  As an artisan, I grade myself on how much my experienced-based trouble-shooting has tempered the volcanic force of my crative flow. Every single time I sit down to write a song I try to get right into the moment while simultaneously drawing from all the lessons I’ve learned from previous songs. It’s taken years to get this balance right but it’s finally paying off.   As a business person I grade myself on how much I’m saving. This is how I’ve always been, long before the recession. Saving is tops.  As a friend I grade myself on how long my friendships have endured. I’m loyal. But I choose carefully, because I’m not blindly loyal.  As a lover I grade myself on how well we both responded to whatever music was playing in the background. It should enhance the emotional depth of the overall experience. Know what I mean?  ’Nuff said. 
Ann Anderson (2009-10-13) #I measure myself by how well I cleave to my values and my conscience (perhaps the same),even when a situation seems to oppose them. 
John Mabey (2009-10-13) #I guess a measure for me is keeping track on how well I am imroving with the things I do and say in life. Be that as a musician -songwriting and playing, as a father and husband -being a role model for my son,. Constantly improving my mind and thoughts through study and learning, Improving my relationships with friends and family by making each visit/contact joyful and memorable, by being a better person. Also fitness is a keen measure and signposts my joutney through the years – sort of staying fit and healthy staves off father time in a weird and cosmic way, cheers :) 
Ashley Gatta (2009-10-13) #After reading through this, I realized that I am guilty of the same thing Josh Damigo said…grading myself based on concert attendance and CD/Merch Sales! Not good. Especially on those nights where no one shows up or I don’t sell a thing. When I really think about it, I realize I should be grading myself based on whether or not I’m bringing glory to God through my music and the way I live my life. If I’m walking in obedience to His commands and loving others then things are on point for me. 
Oya Yansa (2009-10-13) #I don’t know 
Oya Yansa (2009-10-13) #…and “if I did” I might say that for today I will measure myself by how I feel about my life so far….full…empty…open…closed? And by the end of my measurement I hope to know that no measurement is the ultimate measurement, the ‘best’ measurement is none. And tomarrow I will measure again. So, I guess I measure myself by if I can remember that there is no measurement at all. ”I am happy even before I have a reason” 
Len Jennings (2009-10-13) #I think my favorite quote of all time is “Success is the progressive realization of a worthwhile dream.” Not sure who coined it though. Because of that saying though, for me it’s not enough to just help others. I want to help them do something worthwhile. Also, if I don’t think I can help them all the way through – then it’s best I stay out of it. 
Nelsen (2009-10-13) #I grade myself on how many people I can bring “Up Tone” with my music whether it’s recorded or live. 
Bryan Harwell (2009-10-13) #I grade myself on how well I’m doing physically and mentally. If I’m feeling good about what I’m doing, I’m usually physically and mentally well. Consequently, when things are going wrong, it takes its toll on my mind and body. 
Greg Vail (2009-10-13) #I know one day I will be standing before God and His measure will be the only measure that matters at that moment. To find the reason we exist and to live that purpose with passion – that is the stick I will be standing against.  I believe it is a shape issue. Discovering our life shape and living within our purpose brings the joy that continues when happiness fails. I just borrow my measuring stick and find peace knowing the guy that applies it is quite gracious. 
Will Sneyd (2009-10-14) #One measure is how I complete things: If I finish tasks and can put them away I feel great. 
Brooksie Wells (2009-10-14) #In recovery, we learn together that not drinking or drugging is the most important measure of success one day at a time..it makes other things possible..that simplicity turns all other successes into small miracles..It keeps me right sized and able to appreciate each day and balance spiritual with financial gain..I’m a very lucky musician 
Dr.X/Solomon (2009-10-14) #Wow “D”, U are a very blessed person, I mean U have so many friends mannnn, that is a blessing !!!!  I say that ’cause, I was taught by my Grandfather that friends are like DIAMONDS, If U should have ONE true FRIEND in life your whole life it’s a Blessing !!!  Consequently, I have people who call me friend, yet I still don’t use the term lightly !!! I have Associates, Family, Partners………. I kinda leave it like that, simply because I’m a little too PROGRESSIVELY OCCUPIED to be v the kinda socialite most people would like for me to be !!!  I judge myself by the amount of SPIRITUAL & MENTAL growth I’ve achieved, or are achieving,on a daily, My perception of things from a WHOLE LISTIC stand point !!!  My Physical, Mental & Spiritual collective balancing, a UNITY OF MATTER & SPIRIT kinda of thang, usually it shows in my Co. bank statements if I’m on point !!!  In other words, an effortless rapport with the UNIVERSE, where everything has a FLOW like my songs might have , it’s all NAT…UR…ALE,This way everything I do in a day gives me ENERGY as oppose to depleting  my ENERGY, every chore is an effortless flow of LOVE !! I LIKE THAT.  Peace !!! 
Dan (2009-10-14) #I grade myself every day, Mostly on how many times did I make my kids laugh and is everyone in harmony. When everyone’s feeling good I can comfortably focus on my creativity.  Sometimes I even grade myself on how I grade my self, was I objective enough? Am I being honest with myself? 
George Kahn (2009-10-14) #A daily grade for how many of these things I do: -Meditate -Journal -Exercise or walk in nature -play piano -create a “bankable result” at the office 
George V. Nostrand (2009-10-14) #Hi Derek – I measure my success on my ability to follow through with the goals I set and promises I make. I’ve learned that some goals take more time than others and occassionally promises do need to be broken. I see the ability to both dream and do to the best of your ability as the ultimate measure of success. thanks for the great question. George 
Karen & Steve Hunter (2009-10-14) #Steve and I try to be as critical as possible about the music we are making now. First we grade it here in our studio; Against what we have done in the past, against what music we hear on the net but mostly from the reactions we get from the few honest people we trust, some just music fans and some with years of experience. As far as grading life in general, I do that by how I feel when I get up every morning, how much do I look forward to each day. 
Riley Weber (2009-10-14) #I think it is important to honestly grade ourselves. This way, we can see what we are doing well and what needs fixing.   As independent musicians, I think it is especially important to grade ourselves so we can continually improve our music and get better at what we do. 
Jamie Purnell (2009-10-14) #I agree with some of the above posters, and you, Derek. I grade myself by whether my creative output is “useful”. As a teacher and a musician, crafting and performing a lesson/song that does its job effectively and/or is emotionally affecting to the audience is what guides my work. I once got an e-mail from someone who had listened to one of my songs after witnessing a horrible traffic accident. She reported that the tune helped stablize her emotions in that moment. That’s a success in my book! Happily, positive effects from our work likely occur fairly often. Sadly, we often don’t learn about them. That guy in the second row with the impassive face may actually be having a near religious experience. You just don’t know. After a while, you learn to simply have faith that this is happening all the time. To be totally honest, I have a less altruistic, more egotistical side that speaks up from time to time and wishes that writers/artists who I admire for their authenticity (as opposed to money-hungry busniess types) would pay me complements and even cover my songs. I received a few complements/covers over the years, and they really meant a lot to me. These artists don’t have to be famous either — just authentic (though I have no qualms about cashing a juicy royalty check!).  -J 
Vernon Bisho (2009-10-14) #I measure myself with a tape measure, or sometimes with the stripes on the gas station door they use to remember how tall the guy that robbed them was. I am about 6’1″ or so. 
Vernon Bisho (2009-10-14) #Oh wait, I just read the metaphor blog. Sorry, too literal. 
Frances Drost (2009-10-14) #My mission is ‘to write and perform music that changes the way we think and live’.   Today I got a phone call from a woman who recently bought my CD (actually, she was at the first venue where I took donations instead of selling them and did VERY well…but that’s from a previous e-mail you sent Derek)….  Anyway – she is struggling with low self-esteem and poor relationships because of that but she shared that every night she’s been listening to my music when she goes to bed and it’s helping her self-esteem….  I feel like I got an A+ AND accomplished my mission. 
Arnold (2009-10-14) #I measure fulfillment in my life by how often I have made an honest and effective effort to connect with my experience. Whether it is good or bad does not matter because either can have lessons and opportunities to connect to reality in a meaningful way. Although I would like to measure my self worth or success by things like CD’s and gigs, which I truly do enjoy, I’m not sure that really works in the long run because the next day I could feel completely jealous and horrible for not having another gig! So I prefer to rest in what I consider to be ancestor of all goodness, happiness, meaning and creativity: Making a sincere effort to relate to what is going on in my life. The more sincere the effort, the more long lasting the results. With really good work on one experience I could become so well connected that the rest of the day is very effortless and full of fruitful activity that is SPONTANEOUS — my favorite form of creativity! And better yet, when I follow up on spontaneous work right away, then it tends to have a much better chance at surviving and becoming a part of my process. It’s sad to loose creative moments, to forget to write those improvisations down or act on the next step, like writing a friend an email about trying something out or meeting up. I measure success by how much balance I have in my life. Is my creativity stable? Am I miserable and hung over the next day? Or is my creativity feeding the other areas of my life and visa versa? 
casutti (2009-10-14) #If I die today and my last words are NOT “i wish i had (insert action here)”. 
Phil Klein (2009-10-14) #how many richly memorable, unforgettable moments/events/stories/insights do i generate for myself and others per month/day/year. 
Taz Taylor (2009-10-15) #My perspective actually changed very recently. I have always graded myself by how well I feel I am playing, but also by how many other people care about how well I am playing. I recently let go of that 2nd part and am truly happy with my own journey now !

How healthy I feel on a day-to-day basis in dimensions of EMPS – emotional, physical, physical, spiritual.
- How many cool things I create that are:
  - useful to others
    - I feel really passionate about
      - make me move towards freedom: financial, creative

Scott Franklin (2009-10-16) #By how often I perform and how it affects people. 
Mitch Steel (2009-10-17) #The question here seems to be what is ‘success’? The illusive term and concept that everyone, EVERYONE wants -yet very few achieve. Parenthetically, those who determine what it is (the definition) tend to achieve it. Yes, for Trump that is his definition (i’d guess and lo and behold) he has something to aim for… Success to me is “Creating Your Ideal Future.” The person who wants to be a teacher and makes progress towards realizing that dream is a success. What’s the formula? 3 C’s. Finally, I tend to tell students that if they aren’t heading somewhere then they are going nowhere. Goals equal Direction. Define your IDeal future and become ‘successful’. good post. thanks. www.succcess.org 
Jennifer Vazquez (2009-10-26) #If you would have asked me last year it would have been much different…  Right now, at this stage of growth in my life I rate myself on:  ”…how calmly and quickly I can get back on my feet and regain clarity each time a new challenge comes my way. And these days it’s pretty much every day!” 
Andrew (2009-11-14) #Perhaps just the movement of my life.  If I am constantly moving forward, with God, with music, with relationships, that is success and how I measure myself. 
Matt (2009-11-17) #My grade is pass or fail:  Pass: I am learning new things.  Fail: I’m not. 
jd (2009-11-20) #Now why would we want to grade ourselves? So we can see if we measure up? What happens if we don’t? Do we then get to feel bad about not measuring up? This is such a judgmental culture and it simply leads to low self-esteem. So instead of judging yourself from the outside…simply appreciate what you are doing now. Let go of the achieving and measuring. It’s simply not helpful in the long haul. 
Chlo (2009-11-24) #derek, i do all i can not to grade myself and measured talent by what art we could create not sales we might generate, now to mix the two towards success that is the goal  i avoid any future where I grade others it’s all decided by context so it’s all very relative a thing 
Melissa Axel (2009-12-09) #From what I can tell, I try to avoid grading myself altogether! I think it was the early “school is crap” realization. ;-) 
Becky (2009-12-14) #I’ll be honest: I’m stupidly hard on myself. Every little task I complete (whether it be regular household chores, taking calls at work, having a night with my husband) I grade myself. If I don’t think the task went smoothly or if there was something I know I could have done better in retrospect it’s an automatic Fail. I don’t give myself the option of an A or B or C etc… only Pass or Fail. The craziest part about it is that I can see that’s what I’m doing to myself and it eats at my self-esteem but as of yet I’ve been unable to find a way to change this habit. (Fail.) 
Shochin (2010-01-31) #I guess the way I would grade myself would be the way the educational system would want me to be graded, on the number of GCSEs A levels, bachalor and master degrees I have and the level achieved in each one. 
Inspired Robin (2010-02-14) #I would say by how I feel about myself. If I set a goal and didn’t reach it, well, I know I could still be earning a good grade because life happens, and external things change. But if on the inside I feel I did the right things in the right way I feel good about myself.  Maybe it’s akin to a catch all like “happiness” but I don’t have to be happy to get a good grade all the time. 
Mike (2010-03-10) #Very thought-provoking post Derek! I’ll have ponder this some more, but for starters: there’s this look I sometimes see on a person’s face while having a conversation, or a student at the end of lesson. That look seems to be a mix of reflection, inspiration, and amusement. Like when I give someone a helpful tip, or a joke they want to remember to retell.  I think one of my personal measurements is the quantity of those looks I can generate around me in a given week. I’ll try and come up with a second one to hedge my bets like Tim Ferriss. 
Joseph Baron-Pravda (2010-04-05) #When I’m able to see in people’s faces the ‘answer’ to the rhetorical query: “Why does the ‘status quo’ have a Latin name?”  I can see your face, knowing that your mind both asks and answers correctly; peace, IN! 
Lady (2010-06-14) #Wow, how do i measure myself? Hm..  I guess as a christian, it would be to the degree of achievement in being Christlike and how well i’v stayed by his words through actions. 
Janel (2010-08-02) #I read the answers here for some time before I realized, I think, what my measurements are. And I think I’ve got two. The first is how much I can truly see from an outside perspective. It’s almost a passion of mine to avoid the general point of view. The second thing I think I measure myself by is communication. How well I do at getting my thoughts into someone else’s mind. And more importantly, how accurately I can do it. 
Tina Foli (2010-08-22) #helping others any way i can to achieve their set goals makes me happy 
derek nyberg (2011-01-12) #If your values change, do your previous grades count? 
David William (2011-04-01) #Funny that I sort of answered this today in emailing you… but I guess I’ve been grading myself based on if I’ll make my future self proud of who I am in this moment.  I did really like #284 though. Hmmm… new things to consider. I like it. 
Connie Oestreich (2011-05-28) #Oh Derek, you’ve got me doing it again! Stopping to think about something that I really haven’t spent a whole lot of time thinking about… but which I probably should have.   This was an important question because of all the wonderful things I’ve brought to this world, all the smiles I’ve put on people’s faces and all the laughter and warmth I’ve brought to their heart if I really stop to think about how I grade myself, I grade myself by that which I struggle the most. For me that has always been my weight. So, this simple little question of yours has not only opened my eyes to what I think is sort of a sad reality, it has also given me an opportunity to CHANGE that! That is what I love!!! I will immediately be finding new things to grade myself by… and in doing so, I think I will find a bit more confidence, and who knows maybe that will help me in that weight department.  Thanks for giving me another ah ha moment and helping me realize my grading system was all screwed up. ;) 
Jonathan Thomas (2011-10-01) #I have always believed that life is about “quality over quantity”. It is the important memories that matter more than just the number of days God gives us. 
Jonathan Thomas (2011-10-01) #I also believe that life truly gains meaning when we better understand God’s purpose for us and the gifts/talents we have. 
Alison (2012-09-28) #In my personal life I grade myself based on how many people look happier when they see me. In my professional life I grade myself based on how many challenging projects I successfully complete. Extra points for quickness. 
Kym S. (2012-09-28) #Even though in my mind I know it is wrong and pointless, I grade myself in comparison to others I admire. If I come up short, I have learned to put it into a more realistic context. For example, my dad was a brigadier general. So I usually automatically think, “I’ll never be that successful.” When I hear myself say that, then I will think, “But at my age he was a Major. I make more money than the average Major. Plus I own 2 homes. He only owned one.” Again, I know my comparison of myself to others is wrong but unfortunately that is how my mind works. I’m getting better though. This is a very thought provoking piece and I will spend some time thinking about this today! :) 
Charles (2012-09-28) #I grade myself on being able to make others happy playing old style country and Piedmont blues. When I see people smiling as they listen to and learn about the music I feel a sense of accomplishment that I have introduced something new and good into their lives. 
Brittney (2012-09-28) #I’d like to say something profound and ideallistic about how I measure myself but to be truthful, I measure myself by how others view me with a baseline of moral standards. I know what I want, and what I don’t want in my life, and I measure myself by how my choices affect other people and their opinions of me. Whether this is good or bad, I really have no idea. 
Graeme Blake (2012-09-28) #I grade myself based on how much time I’m able to work only on things I care about, rather than for money. 
Naeem (2012-10-20) #Truly speaking when I google it that “How to grade myself?” I feels like completely jerk when I read though comments I feel safe now it’s not only me just curious about that but Indeed is necessity to know. All I know is I’m way too lazy to do thing and rely on later on and then that LATER never come so what I’ve decided I’ll do whatever it takes to make better. :) 
Tanya Monteiro (2013-06-03) #Wow, this one struck a cord or perhaps you regularly inspire close on 400 comments?  I can’t answer for myself (yet) but this post did remind me of a quote I keep close, “Being loved is sexy, and not just by my wife, but by my kids and friends when I feel their appreciation, I am confident and by default, sexy” Great question, thank you!

To be useful for others, and make others happy. And in this journey, make others happier by improving myself.

Dr. Farooq Bandali (2013-06-03) #How effectively I practice and share the message of God-consciousness with the world. 
Dr. Farooq Bandali (2013-06-03) #How effectively I practice and share the message of God-consciousness with the world. 
Si Baker-goodwin (2013-06-03) #Hey, Derek– just got here from a link in your most recent post –  How I measure has depended on where I have been in my life. What I thought mattered at 15, 25, 45… have been different except for maybe one or two things.  Chief among them is: The violence/unkindness stops here. I can’t change you, or the world, but I can change how I react to others, and I choose not to add to the misery, at least not consciously.  Now, at this point, it’s how to accept and offer clean, unencumbered, un-strings-attached love. Pure and simple.   As always, love your writing. 
Corey (2013-06-04) #I rate myself on how well I’m accomplishing my goals, how open and close my circle of friends is, keeping up with the bills, and how well respected I am 
Ray Watson (2013-06-25) #I measure my success by how many hearts I’ve turned 
tj (2013-06-29) #how proud or ashamed/embarrassed of my words and actions i feel at the end of the day 
Mary Tan LM (2013-07-10) #I am a Christian So my measure: 3Es Did I exalt Jesus in everything I do? Did I edify those God brought along my path? Did I evangelize and win others to Christ? 
Rachel (2013-10-30) #Hi Derek! and associates! Missed you. Happiness First of all,it is puzzeling because it involves being perfectly satisfied in one way, and completely dissatified in another. Happiness comes from knowing that we are loved, that our life here on earth, matters. That if we are centered in God, our life, every day, has value, in this life and the one to come. Riches, great riches. Not just a hoping, but a knowing. Inside we know. In Hebrews there is a statement …”there is a resting for the people of God” . Most church people do not understand this, they try to be so good, do all these rituals..it is all based in themselves and their striving to be better. “Self abasement is to no avail…” It’s just effort , without value that lasts. Placing myself under God. Saying “not my will buy Yours” takes trust. If I walk this road of faith, I see God work. My trust grows. It is relational, not ritual. I know when I meet some one real. I know inside. Where God leads me…there I go. This is the exchanged life, self steps down and bows to God. The self life, however, always wants to take it’s place back again, to not trust God..”What is He doing?? Is He screwing everything up for me??” So there is conflict inside the soul, until I , like the potter centers his clay, surrender my life once again, and rest. God will do the work. Destiny will unfold. I trust Him to make it so. I watch and wait.Meanwhile, I am diligent in what I am doing, not wasting time. Today, however, you can try to seek out truth in many churches, and it is no longer there. There is thinking that has changed. Self, lives, not God. It says “in the last days there will be a great falling away” this is in the churches. Many no longer teach truth. But people have to want to see. To ask, by faith, for truth. It’s there. It’s timeless. We just have to really want to know it . “Seek and you will find.” Happiness is being aligned univesally with God and loving others deeply. Everything else will fall into it’s designed place.:-) The story’s not over.:-) 
Marla (2013-12-12) #So…What makes me happy? I think of things in my life as a continuum. What makes me happy is usually in the moment. I am happiest when I am living in the moment, and have the presence of mind to acknowledge the moment. Looking back, what made me happy as a 8th grader was singing in the school chorus, hanging with my friends, watching the St Louis Redsocks Spring training about 4 miles from my house, and experimenting with smoking pot. DO those same things still make me happy? Some yes, some no. My perceptions of what is valuable have changed for this time in my life.   I have at times, although I am hesitant to admit it, enjoyed having an episode of depression. I was able to produce some of my “best” artwork during that time. Was it the depression, or delving into those “dark feelings” that made me feel happy? Depends on my perceptive, doesn’t it?  Do I always need to look at the product of the moment? Do I even need to worry about that?   During a class at college, we were being told the story of the Buddhist monk who was being chased by a tiger. We was running, and as he approached a cliff, he saw a beautiful rose. The tiger was quickly going and was sure to kill him, and the cliff was one step away. He chooses to taken in the beautiful flower, noting it’s “perfect petals, the dew drop on one of it’s petals, and the reflection of the tiger in the dewdrop. What was his next action?  For me, at this moment, my perception is that any and all of the choices could have been the source of his happiness. What exactly is the way we look at happiness? Is it what makes us feel comfort, love, value (and to someone else, ourselves, or another ideal?), the “End Result”, the excitement or calm in the moment, the progression towards a goal, the list could go on and on.   I believe, at this moment, that happiness is something that is a choice. It is an independent choice from what the circumstances surrounding us are, what others are perceiving about us or the choices we are making, and what we decide to feel. Happiness is a perception that we can choose, at any point, about any moment in our lives.  
PK.Murphy (2014-05-25) #I stand Pat on all my social natural Law beliefs for what is right and wrong with are society ? 
Carmen (2016-08-24) #I judge my life by the quality of the adventures I’ve had. I’m not talking about climbing a big mountain, I’m talking about getting to know a member of a death cult and how they think. Or, as a white person who got lost, getting a tour of a ghetto while talking about religion and philosophy with someone who was an influential resident there. Or talking to someone high up in the Scientologist organization for an hour or two.(Not joining any of these of course) Having religious experiences that blew my mind (without drugs mind you). I seek people who I can learn from. I find that you can learn from anyone, but sometimes the price is too high. I have to avoid attention seekers. They are exhausting. 
Sean Crawford (2017-12-15) #In business people measure for the purpose of, as Derek says at the end, focus and results. But in real life, though, you have to be careful what you focus on, because. you might get it…  It occurs to me that the problem with grading oneself on matters hard to measure, however important, is you can forget how far you’ve come. Because mostly we live in the present and our memory is not so good. One remedy, both humble and glorious, is to really think and remember.  For myself, truly, in terms of self confidence, and being productive with my art, and being less despairing from what others think I should do… I have come a long ways.  … By the way, in so far as “others” being my own relatives, it helped to end any imparting of good news with the phrase, “and I know you believe me.” This made it harder for them to lie, and easier for me to believe in their good side. 
Sean Crawford (2018-09-25) #When do I avoid this question? When I am going through a dull time of overcast skies and of not making any progress in any area.  That’s when I forget to ask, forget what makes me happy and forget what life could be like. Then days later the sun comes out, because something gets unjammed, as I start to make progress in first one, then several areas.