Skipping Rocks

What do you think of when you hear the word, "successful"?  Do you picture a famous actor or actress, a sports star, a model?  How about Mother Teresa or Ghandi?  You might think of Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg  What does it take to become a success?  And who can truly measure whether or not you've achieved it?  Success is not a number on the bathroom scale, although it may be for some.  Success is not the figures in your bank account, but they often come along for the ride. If we base our success on a temporary item, our success will always be fragile, one mistake away from being lost.   After all, what is money without happiness, and what is beauty without health?  You can have the applause of the world but still be lonely, and you can become the wealthiest person in your town and never do anything worthwhile.  So what is it that we should be striving for?  Why are we all working our days away in the rat race we call life?  What do we hope to get out of it at the end?  True success, that which we all desire, is being at peace and fulfilling your purpose.  True success is a commodity which can never be taken from you. 

  I am not saying there is anything wrong with being wealthy or pretty or skinny or popular, not in the least, in fact many times those are trademarks of successful people, but they are not the characteristics which make those people successful.  Zig Ziglar said, "You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."  You see, true success is being at peace with who we are and what we are, and it means making a positive impact in the world around us.  

  True success might be the stay at home mother who raises up a son who becomes a great world leader or teacher.  True success might be serving in the military to protect your country and your values.  For you, success might be working third shift so you can spend your days volunteering at a homeless shelter.  Not everyone was destined to be on stage, but everyone is designed to be great.  No one can say which part of the body is best, because without each part the body does not function the way it should.  Just because you aren't the heart or the brain doesn't mean you don't have value and purpose.  You were uniquely designed to fulfill a role which no one else can play.  Your success may look completely different than that of the people you see on T.V., in your neighborhood, at your church, your gym, or your job, and you know what?  That's ok.  Don't sell yourself short and fail to see the blessings in where you are.  If you can genuinely sit down at night and know in your heart you are doing the right thing for the right reason, then the rest is all just details, and if you are looking around at your life and realizing you were made to do so much more, then don't stop.  Embrace your purpose!  If that means taking a step back, or a giant step forward, or even making a move no one's ever heard of before, go for it!  Don't chase temporary things, chase true peace and purpose, and only then will you find that you are Successful.  True success does not mean you are content with where you are, but you have the confidence that you are doing the right thing for the right reasons and your life has meaning.  I firmly believe that every person has a purpose to fulfill in this life and that each person is capable of start offing a ripple which can change the world.  You never know how many people will be impacted by the splash of your one small pebble.  

~K.W.