What is the price of success? Be it online or any career? What is success anyway? I originally wrote this post after the tragic death of Australian born actor Heath Ledger last year, but the passing of Michael Jackson brought these questions to mind again recently and how they relate to the online world.

The reaction in Australia to Michael Jackson’s passing, as with Heath Ledger ’s death and Steve Irwin’s tragic end, has been amazing.

While MJ was well known for his eccentricities and had more than his fair share of controversy surrounding his life, Heath Ledger was young, seemed like a decent guy with his head screwed on straight, he was at the top of his trade, had a daughter he doted on, cash, possessions - he had everything to live for; he was incredibly successful… so say others. But I wonder if he felt the same.

Who are we to judge who is successful in this life? I think that’s more a personal conclusion that should be made. I’ve met people whom I’ve envied to some degree only to find their lives to be hollow, lonely and empty. They chased what they thought would make them happy, achieved it after great sacrifice and then found it didn’t make them happy at all. Imagine how that must feel … it would be the worst sort of failure. I sometimes wonder what I’d do in that situation if it occurred.

In the words of the great philosopher, James Hetfield (Metallica)

“Careful what you wish,
You may regret it
Careful what you wish
You may just get it”
(King Nothing)

… and please; *nobody* write to me and tell me James isn’t a philosopher ;).

Even the fabled wisdom of King Solomon, the richest man in the world at the time, scorned success in the proverb that said, “all is vanity and striving after the wind”.

I make special mention of this “success” thing as in the world of online business, there’s people we look up to; to aspire to emulate - some of them are likely marketers. These people tend to sell themselves to us as the epitome of success on the web. “Be like me and you could have all this” - a thriving business, cars, houses etc. etc. etc.

Remember that the world of marketing is much like the acting business. We present a facade we want people to see - it doesn’t represent the real person or how “successful” they may really feel. The online superstars, the gurus are all humans like you and I; with lots of thorny bits and often, closets full of skeletons rattling away. The overnight success stories are sometimes many years in the making with many sacrifices, mistakes and pain along the way.

When setting your online goals.. remember it can be a big commitment; think carefully about what would make you happy; what would make you feel like a success - don’t let anyone else tell you what that success should look like.