Success? What is that?

Made in Canva by me.

When someone says the word “success,” it reminds me that I have not had much of it. I don’t remember them. I don’t really know what that means.

I only remember negative things. I haven’t had success with friends, my career, or the things people usually do. But I don’t need to. I want to be different. For me, success is in small things. Such as.

I learned a lot, and I’ve experienced things that some people haven’t. And I mean good things. For example, I know how they make movies. I’ve studied screenplay writing, and we filmed a movie scene from the scripts we wrote. There was no time for mine, but it was fun to film.

I succeeded in not falling into bad habits like drinking alcohol, smoking, and doing drugs. I haven’t seen a point in it.

I succeeded in learning English. I know more English than I did when I first learned it. I was in 3rd or 4th grade. It was then that we began to learn English in Finland.

I succeeded in traveling with my parents. So far, I’ve been in at least 13 or 14 countries. All in Europe. Now that they have passed away, I go alone. But traveling is expensive, so I’ve only been on cruises to Stockholm. After my dad passed away two years ago, I went to Stockholm overnight. It was the first time I’d traveled abroad alone. The last time I went was on my birthday, June 2. Some people never go anywhere, like my next-door neighbors. Poor kids who never see the world. Not even the city they live in.

I succeeded in finding an occupation that I was looking for. It took years, and when I finally did, I didn’t get a job. No clients to start a business. And no money is coming in.

I succeeded in going to live concerts. When I was younger, I never went to concerts. I didn’t want to go into crowds. But then in 2017, I went to see Robbie Williams. And after that, I got the bug to go to concerts. My dream is to go abroad to see a concert, but I don’t have the money. Duran Duran is in Stockholm in the Autumn, but that will remain a dream.

Small successes like that. But success that other people might think is. A good job, a family, or fame and fortune. If you have no respect for others, including those who are different. Think you’re above others because you have it better than they do; success doesn’t matter.

Even if you don’t have big successes, small ones should be enough.

The best concert I have ever seen

The best concert I have ever seen
Made in Canva. Photos: Mia (me)
Daily writing prompt
What is the best concert you have been to?

I never went to concerts when I was a teenager in the 1990s, but I’ve been to some as an adult. I don’t have a favorite concert because they’re so different from each other. Different music genres. The concerts have been in Finland. I can’t afford to go abroad.

The first concert I was ever in was in 2017, when I saw Robbie Williams in Finland. I’ve been to several concerts since then.

I’ve seen Robbie Williams, twice. Toto, twice. Duran Duran, twice. Bryan Adams, twice.

Once with Kylie Minogue and Pet Shop Boys. And the Finnish rock band, The Rasmus.

Last year I was at 5 concerts, but only 2 this year. Those were Finnish artists, and they were on a cruise ship.

If I had to choose one concert I’ve loved the best, then it must be Duran Duran. They are my favorite band. In both concerts in Finland, I was close to the stage. The first one was in 2022. It was outside, and the weather was rainy and chilly. But it didn’t matter because it had been a long wait, 40 years since they were here. The concert was on my birthday (June 2), so it was even better.

The 2nd was last year (2025). It was one day after my birthday. That one was inside. It was a bit unfortunate for me because I slipped in my hotel room and had to go to the emergency room. I thought I would miss the concert because I had to wait for so long to get treated. I managed to get to the concert, but I only saw half of it. I was so uncomfortable that I couldn’t fully concentrate on the show. I was in the pit, so I could move around. I forgot my discomfort for a while because their music and presence are a good cure.

All the concerts I’ve been to have been great. But the best ones are the ones where you can see the band or artist as close as possible. Not too close because you see best a little further away.

Sometimes the sound is so loud that you hardly hear what song is being played. But you go for the atmosphere and seeing your favorite in real life. You fold experiences into your memory, and you remember them for a long time. If not in your mind, at least in the photos you take.

I prefer concerts to festivals. I’ve never been to a festival because there is always some band or artist I can’t stand. I would rather spend money on music I like than on something I don’t. So long live concerts.

Laughable things I’ve heard in my life

funny lightbox with popular text slang lmao
Photo by Renee B on Pexels.com

You probably heard the expression, ‘kids say the darnest things.’ But the reason they say laughable things is that they haven’t lived long enough to know things. They don’t see life as adults. You don’t get defended, you just think, well, they’re just kids, and you let it go.

But when adults say or do laughable things behind your back or to your face, it’s not as nice. You get offended and maybe cry, and at the time, it’s not laughable. You feel as if that hurt feeling won’t go away. You might think there is something wrong with you when people say or do offensive things to you.

What’s great about becoming an adult is when you begin to think about how laughable other people’s behaviour against you was. Life experiences change you, and you see life differently. Things that happened when you were a kid and a teenager are irrelevant when you become an adult. People who were in your life then, like schoolmates, are just laughable now. If they hurt your feelings, then you laugh at it now because the people were laughable. The next time, the words or actions bounce off you.

I’ve heard many laughable things during my 48-year-old life. They weren’t laughable then, but now they are when thinking about it. I won’t understand why people can’t keep things to themselves. They probably felt better about themselves if they said it or whispered it to their friends. Toxic people don’t have a place in my life. In anyone’s life.

The first one I remember was when I was probably in 3rd grade, and one of the boys in my class told me I had dirty teeth. That’s hurt me, so I didn’t go to class because of it. I was a sensitive and shy kid. So, I hadn’t brushed them, but so what? No need to point it out.

In 1997, I studied business for a few months. There was this guy in my class who asked me if I had been in a horror movie. I asked why, and he said no reason. So he didn’t like my appearance. It wasn’t like he was an oil painting. I didn’t care about his stupid comment anyway. I should have asked if he’s been in one, but I didn’t think about it then. It really was laughable. Strange that some people criticize someone’s appearance when themselve don’t look anything special. They should keep it to themselves.

One case that wasn’t anything personal, but it was quite laughable when I think about it now. I studied web design in 2017. We had on-the-learning period where we had to find clients to design websites. I got contacted by a possible client. But they said they wanted an more experienced designer. Now, that doesn’t make any sense. I was a student, and I did it for free. If you want an experienced designer, you need to pay for one. No professional does it for free.

The latest laughable thing was when I got a comment in a fan fiction that I’m writing. I don’t remember exactly how it was since I deleted it. Something like I’m wasting my life, and others are living their lives. And yadda, yadda. Who’s wasting their life for real? People who waste their time on commenting on fan fiction, that’s who. Perhaps they don’t like real person fiction or how the story goes. It doesn’t matter. I want to have real comments about the story, and not people complaining about other things. The comment wasn’t only a few lines. The person used a lot of energy on their comment, so they must have a lot of time on their hands. I won’t stop writing because someone says something negative. Writing fan fiction is my way of relaxing and learn writing in English. If everyone who writes stopped at negative feedback, no one would write anything, and the world would be a boring place.

Certain people have negative energy, and they don’t want anyone to try anything. You can’t do this, or you can’t do this. Nice attitude there. Luckily, people still do different things no matter what others say. You might not like what people do or how they look, but you should still have respect for others. There is too much negativity in the world anyway, so spread some positivity instead.