The Face of Success
written by
Jeannette Zink
(originally written August 6, 2015)
Updated January 4,2017
My kindred spirits … I
originally wrote the following essay in August, 2015. I thought it might be
interesting to revisit my thoughts as the new year 2017 gently dances in to our
life. The Face of Success continues
to evolve for me as I learn from the gifts that are intended for my lifetime
story. The following is what I have been blessed to learn thus far…
I have decided to give success a face of expression. I have also decided that the question to be
addressed is not -- Where do I expect to
be in 5 years? It does not matter where I am on the landscape of this earthly
plane. What does matter is the defining
of success
for wherever I may find myself -- how does it look, what are its
feelings, does it have meaning bigger than the parts, will it bring good to the
universe … Yes, the more relevant question to be explored is -- What will success look like for me in 5
years?
The reflection I hope to see in the mirror of my tomorrow’s
future will have the features of a well-defined foundation for living a life of
success. This evolving life that is all
mine will have the necessary tools and descriptive vocabulary to measure the net
worth of my contributions and the expected benefits to the intended recipients…
this will be my worldly view of success.
So, where I choose to be, who I choose to befriend, and how I get from A to Z on my lifetime journey will be
evaluated against the weight of relevance to these thoughtfully examined success
values.
How to go about this rather lofty task of finding meaning
for an abstract concept of success is
the first challenge… lists are good, but what kind of lists. Perhaps I should first define what success does
not look like, maybe then I will find my way to what it does look
like … let’s try that approach, and see where it takes us.
Success does not
look like…
Big time job title
Big time box top in an organizational structure
Knowing the right people in “high places”
Awards, big bonuses, top of the pay scale and career ladder accomplishments
Winning in the game of office politics
High performance ratings
Successes far outweigh failures
Home, cars, clothes, and impressive residential address
Educational degree(s) and powerhouse resume
Worshipping other than the messages resting in your soul
Saying YES for the many times you really intended NO
Following a path that is not your intended purpose
Giving up on your dreams and the spirit of hope
Casting doubt on love when given unconditionally
Reluctant to just BELIEVE
So, what does success
look like, by my definition…
Do I love more, hurt less
Do I accept the me that is only me
Do I try new things without the fear of failure
Do I find the joy in just doing because it brings me
satisfaction
Do I laugh more; cry less
Do I have the love and respect of a family who accepts me with
all my flaws
Do I show and say love to those I cherish
Do I give without the expectation of receiving anything in
return
Do I accept being loved without conditions
Do I accept not being the best at whatever the perceived competition
Do I accept not being the center of attention
Do I accept my fragile and aging mind and body
Do I accept a helping hand graciously when needed
Do I graciously give a helping hand when needed
Do I accept that not everyone will love and accept who I am
Do I acknowledge and accept my mistakes
Do I believe and accept that God loves the imperfect me
Do I love me
Do I give back more than I take
Do I trust more than distrust
Do I value exploring the questions more than just finding an
answer
Do I laugh and giggle more than frown
Do I accept the pure beauty of holding hands with my
2-year-old brilliant great-niece
Do I say YES more than NO to the above…
If YES, then maybe this is the Face of my SUCCESS and the life I am intended on my lifetime journey!
My kindred spirits, may your exploration in defining your SUCCESS be the gift that will
sustain you more than golden coins and lead you on a path to your enduring truth.
You
may enjoy following my blogs:
No comments:
Post a Comment