Bob Dylan once wrote, "A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." Do you agree with this definition of success?
Before tackling the question of whether this statement is an accurate definition of success, I think it's important to first explore who Bob Dylan was and the events that led him to speak these words. Bob Dylan was a world renowned musician in the 1960s and 70s, who was considered to be one of our culture’s most influential and groundbreaking artists (Kooper, 2023). In 1966, he was involved in a devastating motorcycle accident that almost took his life. Around the time prior to the accident, he had released seven records in a period of four years, and despite the fact that he unquestionably was having the time of his life, there is no doubt that he was feeling burned out and uninspired. Months following the accident, in an interview when asked about his plans and the record he owed his label per his contract, he responded “What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night and in between he does what he wants to. What I want to do is make music.".
By bringing these events to light, it allows us to see the greater context behind this quote, and understanding that Bob Dylan was a musician, and he loved to make music. To him success wasn’t about how much money he earned, but rather about being able to pursue his passion. This encapsulates the personal feeling of success. For a person to know what his true passion is, whether it's an activity or a job or creating some form of art, being able to wake up everyday and practice that passion definitely qualifies as being successful, not by societal standards but on a personal scale. Your own feeling of accomplishment and fulfillment in life, stems from that very principle.
Bob Dylan once wrote, "A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." Do you agree with this definition of success?
Furthermore, I think it's important to discuss the perspective of interpreting the quote to its literate definition. Humans, people, and society have everyday desires and swaying tendencies. Things we’d rather not do like an assignment we have to complete, an exam we have to study for or even more mundane tasks like washing the dishes, that instead we’d like to replace with going out, binge eating while rewatching your favourite show and postponing your work for another day. However, these small everyday choices add up and you’re a success or a failure based on those decisions that you think don’t matter. Success as in goals, dreams, ambitions aren’t achieved overnight, but rather are made up of smaller steps that eventually add up to you becoming the great thing you envision yourself to be and want to see. Hence, in reference to the quote, waking up every morning and setting a list of small tasks to complete before you sleep definitely counts as a success, as it's a guarantee that you will arrive to where you want to be, in due time.
Additionally, there is value and benefit to living an intentional life, having the courage and will to pursue your passion and make pivotal decisions about your life, like dropping or distancing yourself from anything that you feel no longer serves what you’re trying to accomplish. This can be viewed as a selfish way of living where your only focus is yourself and never consider your impact on others. Living an intentional life does not mean becoming egocentric and indifferent to people, but rather should be a balance between your interest and that of people around you. I think profound success is achieved when whatever we undertake in our life and want to do contributes positively to society.
In conclusion, I believe getting up everyday and doing ‘what you want to do’ isn’t going to get you to any real position of success. Depending on how you’d like to interpret Bob Dylan's words, you can choose to achieve personal success as in gratification from the things you do day
Bob Dylan once wrote, "A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." Do you agree with this definition of success?
to day or opt to seek success in your life. Either way, being successful in every aspect of the word requires discipline, commitment and sheer will to achieve the things you truly yearn for in your life. There are going to be times when you are burned out, stressed, unmotivated and wanting to give up, but nothing worth fighting for in life comes easy. Often when people chase their dreams, they discover that success isn’t in reaching the destination but in the journey itself.
Works Cited
Daniel, Anne Margaret. “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.” Hotpress, 23 May 2021, www.hotpress.com/culture/the-freewheelin-bob-dylan-22853690.
Kooper, Al. "Bob Dylan". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 May. 2023,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Dylan-American-musician. Accessed 18 May 2023.
Taysom, Joe. “The Motorcycle Accident That Changed Bob Dylan’s Life Forever.” Far Out Magazine, 11 Sept. 2020,
faroutmagazine.co.uk/bob-dylan-lifechanging-moment-motorcycle-crash/.
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