Success

I've recently been thinking about the word "success". I've never really thought about it much in my life, that's probably a benefit from being an outsider to a culture. I tried to fit in with what was considered "successful" in school and ended up happier when I followed my own interests and instincts.

Sometime, probably when Meat and I were spending our time being crazy hippies and having fun, people we knew who used to be equally Irresponsible turned themselves towards "success". Not Success as in: meeting challenges and overcoming them. Rather, Success which many seem to translate as: Pursuing lots of money and social esteem. Likely with the whole house, cars and trappings as well. But when I run across these people or see their pictures, most of them don't look like success has made them happy. They look rushed, stressed and...um, miserable. Over time, the people that believed that success equals a good job, lots of money in the bank and a family holiday every year kind of dropped out of our social circle. I admit that sometimes my feelings were hurt, as if we didn't quite meet their standards. After all, I didn't mind them being different from me, I just saw it as having diverse interests. I wasn't any less educated or intelligent because I chose to pursue life from the home outwards rather than the workplace inwards. Why should they be unable to bridge the gaps? But I could see that the ways we approached life once kids came along was quite different. By necessity, they needed more approval from their chosen societies to make their lives Successful. I just needed to play with my kids and have fun. Yes, it happened in society...at the library, the farmer's market, local shops, exploring nearby towns and our little corner. But yes, I can see how different our worlds were and are.

And now we're all in our forties and when I run into a contemporary or see them on a social media site, I'm often shocked. I want to ask them: Are you successful? Did you reach your goals? Did you get what you wanted? But most of all I want to ask them: Are you happy? Do you know how to be happy anymore? Or did you change your definition of "happy" and "success" to meet someone else's standards.

I wanted to get Meat's take on this: "Success if making a goal and following through with it. Sometimes it's difficult but I feel successful when I finish what I set out to do." Of course, Wembler that I am, I had to consider the question from every angle...but isn't it successful to even have tried to achieve something, even if you do fail? Isn't it success to get out of your comfort zone and try something new?
We agreed that it is big enough to include that too.

I think for me, success is making decisions you are happy to live with. Not decisions you can live with. But making decisions that make you happy to be alive every day. Sure, life is going to have bumps and times that feel unbearable. Hopefully the decisions you make won't contribute to that load. As for my own world, I feel very successful being with my family, growing and preparing our food, learning more, more and MORE, sharing my home and love with rescue animals and doing what I can to make the Big World a more clean, peaceful and joyful place.

I wish you joy and success in your life!