What is a successful life?
So often times I hear people say that one of their goals is to have a successful life. It has made me sit and ponder-what is success-what is a successful life?
It appears to me that people measure success in a variety of ways. Many people measure success in a way that I find odd. They focus on the material things they have and don't have-the newest car,nicest house,finest clothes,jewelry and television sets.
I think what material possessions we have or don't have in life is not at all important in the scheme of life, although others try to make us feel that it is.It matters not where we buy our clothes-at the mall or at a used clothes store. Money may momentarily ease a persons pain, but true lasting love can't be bought with clothes, food, houses and cars. What matters is if our family and others have clothes to wear, food to eat,and a roof over their heads, and happiness-not what they look like or what they own. Eminence is not important either. What we own and our status are not measures of success. Love is the most important treasure we can possess, the ability to give of ourselves, to touch others with love and compassion, to give of our time, our talents, and our possessions. Humbleness is important. Trust is important , it is the core of all healthy relationships. Faith, family and friends are important. Diligence, honesty and dreams are important. Stopping to help those in need along our way is important. The ability to forgive when it goes against what we want to do,the ability to feel, to care, to love, laugh, sing, giggle, cry, be playful, joyful and happy is important. The ability to put others before ourselves,the ability to lay down one's life (and not just physically) for those we love and care about, the ability to realize that happiness comes from within us, not our environment, not those around us, but inside of us, that our Creator gave us the power and ability to create happiness within.
To me, the ability to lovingly share with another what is in your heart, in your mind, what is important to you, what takes priortity in your life is a measure of success-the ability to communicate effectively. The ability to listen attentively to another while they express themselves and feelings without getting all worked up, because they too, have a right to have the feelings that they have. Being gracious to others, augmenting their lives, being thoughtful, compassionate, gentle, charitable, forgiving and loving,patient with others, encouraging others and giving support as they continue to learn and grow,encouraging others to closely examine ever evolving and growing belief systems, the direction they are heading in life, and what they want to accomplish in it before it is over.
Success is being a good friend who whether they believed something or not that I believed, if they thought it was healthy for me, would encourage and support me, and if they thought it was harmful, would point that out, but who in the end would allow me to choose to continue it or not. If I can go through life giving love and respect to all people no matter their race, religion, shape, size, ethnicity, or faults, for all people deserve love, peace, joy and happiness in their lives,and everyone has some good quality about them I will stand and proudly say I have had a successful life.
If I can focus on the goodness in others and encourage them to be the best person they can possibly be I will have had a successful life. If I have freely given love and respect to others, helped those I could along the way, then I will have had a very succesful life indeed.Success is not measured by what we have, success is measured by how we treat others. It's not all about things-it's all about people and how we treat them.
