How do YOU measure success?
Posted on March 8, 2010 with 0 comments
As my very good friend and inspiration Debbie Oliver (www.ameriface.org) always says, "How do YOU measure success?"
Success to many is fame, money, cars... and that is usually to those who don't have. There is a mentality that life will get better, problems will go away "if only I have lots of money", or "if I get famous". And for many, those moments are the beginning of more problems.
It's been a time of introspection for me. I love the success I've enjoyed, and it's not about playing with so-and-so or what's-her-face. It's about helping my daughter realize her worth, passing a hard math test that she swore she'd fail, taking the training wheels off of her bike for the first time, watching her enjoy something that used to terrify her for reasons unknown. Baking cookies because we had a "great week". This to me is success, even when I struggle to pay the bills.
What brings this all up, you may wonder? Life. We sometimes work so hard toward others goals, what other people think you should do, because you are who you are, you possess some talent or look or luck. Or because you want to prove that you are worth something. Everyone should take a few steps backward so the big picture can focus. We live too close to that picture that all we see are pixelated bits of our emotions. Happiness up close looks much like exhaustion, or anger, or sadness. Stepping away lets you see what you are doing with your life and what you're really feeling. I am all about smiling and laughing and making life happy. But I am also about being honest with myself and making sure that it's not an act. Not every moment of our lives is perfect, but we can ultimately drive toward what makes getting up in the morning a moment to open our eyes and say "holy crap, I'm so happy to be alive and to have this opportunity to __________ (fill in the blank)." I don't care if your blank is about playing music, writing a novel, milking cows on your organic farm, walking your child to school, or sewing buttons back on a shirt.
In this world, money is fairly essential to survival. Some folks can float and live on a prayer and good will/luck. Bare essentials and comfort come at a price. Much entertainment also comes at a price. But how much happiness do you need to buy, and if it's a lot, then how much happiness are you creating within?
We had a wonderful weekend, at a price, but much of the happiness in our entertainment was self-made. Staying in a hotel with a pool is not free, but jumping from the pool to the hot tub, splashing and laughing, those are elements you can't buy. Going out to dinner is something you need to open your wallet for, but good friends and conversation are not on the menu. And hugs and kisses, well, it seems they come from the heart but somehow you seem to gain more love, not spend it and lose it.
xo,
NP
Success to many is fame, money, cars... and that is usually to those who don't have. There is a mentality that life will get better, problems will go away "if only I have lots of money", or "if I get famous". And for many, those moments are the beginning of more problems.
It's been a time of introspection for me. I love the success I've enjoyed, and it's not about playing with so-and-so or what's-her-face. It's about helping my daughter realize her worth, passing a hard math test that she swore she'd fail, taking the training wheels off of her bike for the first time, watching her enjoy something that used to terrify her for reasons unknown. Baking cookies because we had a "great week". This to me is success, even when I struggle to pay the bills.
What brings this all up, you may wonder? Life. We sometimes work so hard toward others goals, what other people think you should do, because you are who you are, you possess some talent or look or luck. Or because you want to prove that you are worth something. Everyone should take a few steps backward so the big picture can focus. We live too close to that picture that all we see are pixelated bits of our emotions. Happiness up close looks much like exhaustion, or anger, or sadness. Stepping away lets you see what you are doing with your life and what you're really feeling. I am all about smiling and laughing and making life happy. But I am also about being honest with myself and making sure that it's not an act. Not every moment of our lives is perfect, but we can ultimately drive toward what makes getting up in the morning a moment to open our eyes and say "holy crap, I'm so happy to be alive and to have this opportunity to __________ (fill in the blank)." I don't care if your blank is about playing music, writing a novel, milking cows on your organic farm, walking your child to school, or sewing buttons back on a shirt.
In this world, money is fairly essential to survival. Some folks can float and live on a prayer and good will/luck. Bare essentials and comfort come at a price. Much entertainment also comes at a price. But how much happiness do you need to buy, and if it's a lot, then how much happiness are you creating within?
We had a wonderful weekend, at a price, but much of the happiness in our entertainment was self-made. Staying in a hotel with a pool is not free, but jumping from the pool to the hot tub, splashing and laughing, those are elements you can't buy. Going out to dinner is something you need to open your wallet for, but good friends and conversation are not on the menu. And hugs and kisses, well, it seems they come from the heart but somehow you seem to gain more love, not spend it and lose it.
xo,
NP