On Success

I’ve been out of the office, so to speak. Wednesday and Thursday I had to return to school for a workshop and a nice dose of reality. Today is the last full day where I can work from home without having another job. I’m going to have two jobs for only one more school year, so help me. I think I can do it. Lie. I know I can do it.

During the last day of training, I had a conversation with teachers from my department where we talked about success. We had just finished reading an article extolling the virtues of failure. The article mentioned how we need to look outside of what we normally constitute as success. Success, according to the article and I guess society, is a college degree, a good job, home ownership, a family of your own and the like. I saw where the writer was going. We are too afraid to fail so we take the normal pathways to success instead of risking that “pathless wood” to get out true happiness. It might be that I’m obsessed with Harry Potter, but J.K. Rowling did a better job of talking about failure in her commencement speech to Harvard graduates. Seriously, watch it.

Anyway, we sat there talking about his article and about success when someone asked me if I felt successful. And I said, yes. For all that I’m still trying to attain, I feel successful beyond measure. Now, success and failure is all relative, right? My success, my failure may not mean the same to someone else. But no matter how many times you ask me that same question, “Do you feel successful?”, I’ll still have the same answer: Heck, yes. I am married to the love of my life, who makes me feel like I could take on the world. I have a family who supports me in all I do.I have some ability, whether it’s to teach kids or take their picture. What else do I need? I think it’s important that I continue to remind myself of this. Everything that I have ever wanted for myself, I have acheived. Have a failed miserably? You know it. But, I think, success in these cases has been the simple ability to pick myself up, dust off the grime and go balls to the wall again and again.

I often write about my struggles trying to start a business or that overwhelmed bubble I seem to live in. I have to stop, however, to note that I am by and large a happy person who loves her life. I don’t measure myself by a 5-year plan. I don’t picture how I’m going to be when I’m old (hopefully rockin’ it with Mike and my grandkids) I try to focus on what’s happening now. Sometimes that thought process has more to do with the fact that I’m drowning and can’t really look beyond what I’m doing at the moment. More than that though, I try to be happy with my lot, with the blessings that I’m given every day. I always ask myself,  if the world ended tomorrow, would I be satisfied? You’d better believe it.

Nearing the end of my Endless Summer Project. Days 57-61 below:

Endless Summer Day 57 – 8.9.10 – My office, Miami, FL - Busy Bee

Endless Summer Day 58 – 8.10.10 – Miami, FL - Blah Day

Endless Summer Day 59 – 8.11.10 – Miami, FL - The Just Because Roses

Endless Summer Day 60 (!) – 8.12.10 – Miami, FL –  Rockin’ the Pink Moccasins

Endless Summer Day 61 – 8.13.10 – Miami, FL -

“Good morning life
Good morning sun how are your skies above
Gee it’s great to be alive and in love”

I’ve got more cute couples and families to blog. Maybe one day, I’ll catch up.

Love, e