The 30's Crisis and the Success Conumdrum

First off, happy belated New Year to one and all. I hope your holidays were good and that anything that wasn't good was not as bad as it could have been. Feel blessed my fellow readers. Now on to the topic.

When we are young we are taught that success is material. That to be successful we have to get the best grades, we have to do sports and other activities, this and that and ever which way in between. We are told that we must be successful because being successful means material gain, monetary gain. what we aren't told, and few of us learn it along the way due to circumstances, is that true success is none of this. THIS is just the icing on the cake. Now, if you are religious and take to heart that living by the word brings rewards then you can incorporate that into what success is.

Not all of us was born with a silver spoon in our mouths nor did we have everything we ever wanted handed to us on a gold or silver platter. Like myself, who knows of the family secrets and honestly I am happy that they aren't resolved other wise I would not have any room to blog on the topic, I was not born into a prosperous home. My parents worked hard for what they had. Even after divorce. They worked hard because they had kids. This is something every parent should do. And not to say because they want their kids to have the life they never had because that is a form of pride that I can't stand. No, they do it to show their kids that success, true success come in the rewards they receive in the lives they touch. I was born with some health issues that I don't find to be too much of hindrance now. Though I may not have much happiness in my life and not much success in what I want to achieve, I hope my parents know that the success they achieved by the time they were in their thirties is what they instilled into their children as they were growing up. My brother and I learned that success is not material nor monetary. Yes, they are good to have but they aren't the end result of success. We were taught to work hard, study, we didn't have to get straight A's as long as they knew we were trying, and to at least go to college and have healthy productive lives. This to me is success.

My brother is a minimalist. He works for the US Government in the forestry division. He is paid well in his job that he has had for over ten years. I am very proud of him. But he wasn't successful until recently. Because to complete his life he wanted not to be alone. Though he is going through a lot right now and we lean on each other for support, this is what success for him is. To have a productive job and a healthy fulfilling love. He could care or less about what possessions he has. He knows that me makes fair money but he doesn't flaunt it. He owns his own small home and two cars. he travels during the summer and has made a difference, though small, in the lives of those who suffered from Katrina. So it is only right that for him to feel successful, he needs someone to share this with. I am glad to say he is inspiring this type of success in others. he doesn't feel so angry anymore.

For me, my success is yet to come. I try to work hard, though I don't like my job and it isn't were I want to be. I am staying with it just to keep up the faith. For me, I want my success to be in the form that I can provide for my kids in the best way possible. To be the best me I can be. Through health and happiness. As we discussed before. In light of the way I hope to achieve this, I too, will make a fair amount of money. Though I should have started this long ago to curb the struggles I have dealt with. Then again I don't think I would have appreciated the success as much if I hadn't learned a few things before hand. To complete my success I want to be rid of what holds me back and pains me. Just as any whole-hearted women may feel, it is hard to let this go because we have the best intentions at hand and yet we let those intentions for what ever it is, hurt us. Success and happiness go hand-in-hand. I am working on my success. i wont care about the amount of money or the things I can buy because they are just things. If I have learned anything about the times I was without a home, if you can live without it once, you can again. If it doesn't feed you, cloth you, or keep a roof over your head, you may not need it. Because your success isn't measured by what you have. It is what makes your truly happy and what leaves with a person whose life you touch.