Success

Today I watched the movie FAME. It was just okay. I can't say that I would recommend it or watch it again. However there is a quote from the movie that made me think about what success is and I wanted to share that with you.

"There are some things success is not. It's not fame. It's not money or power.
Success is; waking up in the morning so excited about what you have to do that you literally fly out the door.
It's getting to work with people you love.
Success is connecting with the world and making people feel.
It's finding a way to bind together people who have nothing in common but a dream.
It's falling asleep at night knowing you did the best job you could.
Success is joy and freedom and friendship. And success is love." ~ Jenny from FAME

I have had a hard time lately with feeling good about the things I have done because I feel I have done so little. This is due to an inflamed sciatic nerve brought on by pregnancy. As a mom it takes a toll when you are not able to do the things you think you should be doing for yourself and your family. I know this is true not just as a mother but also as a woman and simply as a person who desires the ability to feel independent and contribute to life.

When we are no longer able to contribute the way we used to we start to question our value and worth. We measure our success by what was rather than by what is. We then use our success to measure our worth. And all of this is flawed and will lead to incorrect assumptions if we are using the wrong measurements in the first place.

Success is not the car we drive, the clothes we wear, and as much as it pains me to say this; it is not the degree of cleanliness of our home. Ouch.

Success as a mother is not the things I give my children, how many activities I help them participate in, or the amount of work I do in the home. Success as a mother is how much love I have for them and showing that love in the way that I am capable of. That may mean someone else in the family does my chores and others go undone while I am only able to sit and sing them a song or read a book as I hold them. In doing this I am successful; because I have loved and shared that love in a way that they can feel it.

Sometimes success is the things we didn't do. I didn't lose patience and yell. I didn't think unkind thoughts about a person who did things I don't like. But whatever success is, it is not a measurement of our worth. Our worth is infinite and is unaltered by the successes we have. Success is a measure of reaching our goals; the kind of person we want to be, the achievements we want for ourselves, etc. Our worth is infinite which means limitless, endless, and impossible to measure or calculate. No matter what you add to it your worth will always be infinite, limitless.

Too often we let our success or rather our perceived lack of success determine our worth and how to feel about ourselves. Today I want you to join me in changing this. Today I want you to see yourself worth separate from your success. I want you to look at success in a new way so you can appreciate all that you are actually accomplishing. So feel the worth of who you are as infinite and undiminished by what may come and celebrate your successes by where you are now rather than by standards of where you were or wish you were. Be honest about where you are so you can start appreciating all you do rather than punishing yourself. This will not only bring more happiness to you but to all those who are blessed to know you. Because we all enjoy being around a happy person, especially when that person is ourselves.