Success

Day 82. Success.

There are many opportunities in our lives to make something of ourselves. Success is not just defined by career choices, but with relationships. Some of the most successful people in business have some of the worse personal lives. And some of the happiest relationships come to those who have mediocre professional lives. I believe there is a medium ground, where you have a decent amount of both. I think that's why people "settle" and stop trying to make their lives better.

It’s not when you start that makes your success in the world, but when you quit. Richard Bach: Nothing By Chance.

Work life can be sometimes seem to be from the seventh level of Hell. Coworkers that are incompetent, supervisors that can't do the work of those they manage. Upper management so disconnected they wouldn't recognize you achievements if you waved them as a banner. That's a major reason people change jobs, they don't feel "noticed" by anyone. They have become a permanent fixture, like a toilet. They eventually stop trying, then they get bored, then they move on. That's not always the right decision, but sometimes seems the only clear option. Scores of people never do anything about their situation. They are perfectly happy to tread water comfortably, not making waves, but never riding atop any of them either.

Finding a way to move forward in relationships is even more difficult. One person stagnates, the other is hard-pressed to move anything further ahead. In the book "One," Richard talks about people being either balloons or anvils.Two balloons, they fly away, sometimes separately. Two anvils, they stay stuck on earth, but sometimes in the same room. One balloon paired with one anvil can do anything. I guess that's true as long as the anvil isn't so heavy it's actually an anchor. That's what we have to figure out: are we the balloon or the anvil? If we're the balloon, can we carry the weight of the anvil we've chosen?

We likely go most of our lives not even thinking about who we are. Or who we've surrounded ourselves with. Hopefully we figure that out before we're out of time and options. Maybe the harder choice comes after that, in who we've chosen to spend our lives with: are they people with which we can spend eternity? Or do we have to continue to learn and find those who allow us both to fly? Only then can life be considered a success. No one makes us settle for anything else. We make that choice too.

Lesson Eighty Two:  Do you feel your life this far has been a success? Have you looked at your life and seen you need to make changes? Do you have the courage to make them, or are you willing to settle for what you have and let your dreams fade? Think about what happiness you have, what happiness you deserve, and realize that you alone have the power to keep pushing forward and make the future your deserve happen.

648 to go...

ps: I'm an anvil.

pss: And a balloon.