If you’re anything like me, you occasionally look at your life and go “What the heck happened? That person is younger than me and owns a house. Those people have 2.5 children and 2 dogs. That person has a six-figure job and a nice car and can buy pretty much whatever she wants. What have I done with my life?”
*cough* Ahem.
Dumb, right?
Every now and then someone says something to me that reminds me that I AM successful in many ways.
I was talking workouts with a close friend on Facebook yesterday. I had mentioned reverse planks the other day, and he said he was going to start doing those the next day (I’ve never even done one). So I brought up the 30-Day Yoga Challenge with Adriene and how Day 7 had us doing side planks. So he said he was going to do those, too. I yelled “COPYCAT!” teasingly and his response was “If you want to be successful, emulate successful people.”
Success is not something you can compare to others. It’s an incredibly personal thing. Each person has his or her own journey, his or her own path, and success can only be defined on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes it takes writing a list (I LOVE lists) of your own personal successes in order to actually see how successful you really are. Here’s my list of 5 personal successes from the last year, written off-the-cuff right now:
- I have done my kettlebell workouts 3 days a week for a solid 8 months, only missing one workout which was planned
- I was Motivator of the Day on SparkPeople.com in April and started my own Spark Team
- My credit score is over 800 (I have no money, but I think that counts for something, haha!)
- I have overcome my trepidation of doing things on my own and I have joined a walking group and I volunteer at an animal shelter
- And I’ve launched this blog, which you wonderful people are reading!
I think I’ve had a pretty successful year, don’t you? Now all I need is to win the lottery! 😉
So I’m giving you a homework assignment. In what non-conventional ways are you successful? Drop me five of your successes in the comments section!
A Measured Life 
Alright, let’s try this thing:
1. I learn something new every day. I am a pathological learner.
2. I have stopped running my life based on other peoples’ problems with theirs (mostly. It’s a work in progress.). I no longer take advice based on other peoples’ goals.
3. I create things, and the act of creating is an end, not a means.
4. I understand that happiness is something I have to find on my own. I don’t rely on other people to give me what they haven’t successfully given themselves.
5. I actually thought of enough things to put on this list, which is nothing short of miraculous.
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I’m super proud of you for coming up with 5! I think I’m also a pathological learner, too!
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Though, 2 and 4 are almost the same thing, and 5 is a cop out. Lol. Now that I’m studying music, NOT learning things is impossible. Lol
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To date my five things are
– I promoted at work
– I completed my master’s program
– I saved my down payment money for my home (hopefully I will be a homeowner real soon)
– I did a 5k which kicked my butt but I completed
– Completed 2 courses to become a weight loss coach 🙂
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Those are GREAT ones! 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
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1) Becoming a nurse – especially surviving the journey into becoming a nurse
2) Over coming a crippling several year battle with depression and if it rears its ugly head again, not being ashamed of it and knowing how to battle it back.
3) Having hobbies that I love and pretty good at doing them 🙂
4) I am my own worse critic and while still a work in progress, being able to take a step back and not “cry over spilled milk” when things don’t go exactly how I was expecting them to go.
5) Just being able to support my family and enjoy the little things in life.
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Yay! You are awesome! 🙂
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1. Survived double pneumonia, a month long stay in hospital, and 5 surgeries on my lungs.
2. Survived heart surgery, with 5 bypasses and an aortic valve replacement.
3. I am respected by my peers as an excellent teacher, and I still truly love teaching.
4. I am never at a loss for “stuff to do”, whether it be reading or crafting or something else.
5. I have family and friends who love me, and that is success itself.
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You’re a true survivor, Karen! And you’re right, #5 IS success in itself!
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I love this, you are super clever annnnnnd creative…and highly motivating! I seem to feel an affinity with your spirit…and judging by the comments people leave you, others do as well! Success can be hard fought, yet with the proper mindset, true grit, and the heart of a champion, AnYtHiNg is possible.
1. I am fifty-five years old, and part of the joy of living this long is garnering the wisdom to know that you can’t make a fifty something woman do something she doesn’t want to…I have learned the grace of tactfully saying “NO!”, or ” You are flippin’ kidding me”…as I detest utter nonsense and wasting time.
2. I do NOT participate in social media! I don’t tweet, pin, or comment my way thru life…I invest my time with the people I am with…and when others are with me they go off the grid. I know, my perspective is vastly different than most, yet I worry about the interpersonal relationships that fall apart as a result of always being connected. I may be one of the few people on the planet who has NEVER taken a selfie!
3. Eight years ago I “got” two new knees…three months apart. No thanks to the family gene pool that hastened their demise…arthritis is wicked stuff. Learning to live with the knees wasn’t much fun…yet it was when I turned fifty that I truly began my quest to find a healthier version of me. I have lost nearly fifty pounds and oodles of inches as I have learned about fitness and nutrition. I remain a work in progress…my quest is healthily ever after!
4. I believe that leaders lead…and they lead by example! (Is it glaringly obvious that in my past life I was a teacher?) One of the most important things I have tried to teach my children, grandchildren, and students of all ages is…to treat others as you wish to be treated…there is a reason it is called the GOLDEN rule! Also, I don’t do perfect and I don’t do LAZY…it rolls together and seems to work! Ha…
5. After thirty-five years, I am madly in love with my husband! Anyone in a committed relationship knows the work this has taken, yet it is soooOooOo worth it. We have grown up together, grown our family, and grown our friendship! Such a blessing….
Annnnd, I ramble…all the best to you! Can’t wait to read your next blog!
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We seem to be getting older as these comments progress . . . . I am almost 70 and my perspective
is getting a wider lens. I’m impressed by so many of comments, what each person has been through
and learned from, and coming out in peace at the other end.
To Shelby: I was already caught by your comment in a previous post about not joining just for the
sake of joining, not faking anything but being honest with yourself and everyone around you. I also
loved that being happy was learning something new. So right! And at 70 I feel a rush of excitement
and joy by even the seemingly silly things I learn each day. How could I have missed knowing
something for all of this time? How much knowledge can I squeeze in during my last few years?
To Lynn: Wow. You’re a nurse. You get to help someone emphatically every single day. (Remember that thought when you’re bogged down with the paperwork and other pressures of
the job that clog up the real reason for your work.) You got through depression which none of us
can quite imagine unless we’ve had it. (I lost my 27 year old son to depression and I feel extremely
grateful that both my husband and I got to at least be “nurses” and have the privilege of trying
to help him.) You are supporting your family. You are contributing. So no matter how weary you
might feel after your long days, you must feel wonderful as you crawl into bed for the night. P.S.
Thank you for being a nurse. I’ve had need of them and think most of you are a cut above the
rest of of us mortals.
To Karen: Your strength blows me away. What could be more important than one of our most
vital organs . . . . the lungs. We literally breathe every second. What mountains you have climbed.
And despite all the hardships and scares you must have had, your creativity is still intact. What a
spirit you have. I wish you good health for the rest of your life. But your spirit is healthier than
most people’s. Keep on.
To Deb: While I have some years on you, you have me beat with the knees. Both knees replaced!
No small thing. Nor was losing all of that weight. I’ve only had one knee replaced, but three
operations on that one due to scar tissue. It’s more of a challenge to move as you become exhausted
more quickly when things aren’t aligned just right. So you have the spirit that Karen has too. As to
life mates, you’re right again. Sometimes divorce must happen in order for each person to find
better fits. But if you’re lucky enough to have a good fit from the start, committing to a relationship
has a very special reward indeed. My husband died 5 years ago . . . . and if you think you love
him now . . . . just wait. Dead people grow very perfect! And all of that just leads to more gratitude
and even deeper love. (Note to “Mr. Deb” – I do wish you many, many more earthly years, of
course. 😉
And now, since I may be beating Deb in the rambling category, I must close. You are all on the
right path and impress me very much. Much happiness!
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You have accomplished some awesome stuff! I don’t think I could come up with 5 things I’ve been successful at but it’s something to ponder I guess! lol
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5 things:
I too started a blog after talking about it for a year.
I have trained successfully for a half marathon (meaning I didn’t give up midway through training….I have yet to survive the race)
I continue to be in a healthy happy relationship
I started saving for a house
I started saving for a future fund (for whatever it may be used for)
And I can relate to great credit with little money (don’t be deceived by all that saving up there)!
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