Complex Numbers

Can't Spell Success without Sucs

Okay. Fine. Sometimes, clickbait works on me. It draws me in, fuels my outrage, makes me want to read more so I can rant about it..

    Richard Branson says money isn't a good way to measure success: Focus on this 1 word instead, it's 'all that really matters'  

Which is exactly the kind of thing I would say if I were a billionaire and the poors kept grumbling about dragging me and my head to a guillotine. It's like when they try to convince us that "money can't buy happiness" while they're flying in their private jets, smiling and sipping a gin and tonic made with low-paid laborer tears.

But let's hear this rich guy's take on it, anyway.

Richard Branson doesn't want to be defined by his money.

Well, you could give it all away and see how you're defined then. (Preferably, to me.)

"Maybe in America, 'billionaire' is a sign of success, but that rankles me," says Branson. "I think that your reputation is what you create."

Didn't his company declare bankruptcy recently? Oh, yeah, one of them did, last year.   Such success.

The company is largely responsible for his estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, according to Forbes — but he chafes at the idea he created it to make money.

Bet he wouldn't have done it if he didn't think it'd be profitable, though.

In fairness, $2.5 billion is small potatoes compared to people like Bezos or Musk, both of whom I mention because they're his direct competitors in the spaceflight field.

Of course, success is never guaranteed. If you do follow your passions, you'll still need factors like talent and perseverance on your side to avoid falling flat, experts say.

Mostly, though, you need luck.

And the real reason I decided to snark on this article? (In truth, I have nothing against Branson.) It's that the article ends with a promotion for one of its publisher's offerings, and the ad begins with the bolded phrase: Want to make extra money outside of your day job?

Still not sure if that constitutes irony or not, but I got a good laugh out of it.

Regardless, sure, success can only be defined by the individual. But having lots of money, no matter what problems it might bring with it, is always better than wondering how you're going to make rent next month.