Maybe it’s time to redefine success….
“You’re so money and you don’t even know it!”
Remember that line from the movie Swingers? :-). The context may be different, but it’s sooo true!!! You are sooooo money!!! (And you don’t even know it).
We all are!!! So why don’t we allow ourselves to recognize or fully acknowledge that?!
I think one reason is that we’re all so hard on ourselves, and we don’t give ourselves the credit that we freakin’ deserve! And that’s important!!!
You are AMAZING! You’ve achieved and accomplished so much! You’ve overcome sooo much! You take care of and give so much!!
Own that! Embrace that! Acknowledge and celebrate that!!!!
Another reason we don’t do that nearly enough is because of how “success” has been defined for us. Not by us.
We take the word “success” to mean what our culture and society at large decided it means for all of us. But, in reality, how you define success is totally unique and individual to YOU; and it’s totally based on what’s important to you!!! Not to anyone or everyone else! And I think we forget that.
And because of that, we end up feeling less-than, not enough, unfulfilled, unhappy, stressed, and sometimes even sick. Literally and physically sick.
Succeeding at the expense of our health and well-being is not succeeding.” – Arianna Huffington
Meaning, we each need to redefine our own “success” in a way that allows us to thrive; in a way that compliments rather than contradicts our joy, our passion, our beliefs, our values, our dreams, our purpose, our meaning, and our true fulfillment in life!!!
In a way that enhances and enriches and elevates us. In a way that speaks to, and brings out, your truth, and your best YOU!
That’s true success in my book!! Right?!!
And yet, despite the fact that we know that, and even believe it to be true, somehow we don’t act accordingly.
(Which reminds me of another great movie quote from The Departed: “We’re all dying. Act accordingly!” Which was delivered brilliantly, by the way, by Jack Nicholson).
But what do we do instead? We beat ourselves up for not having gotten to some generalized, end-point, finish line that’s based on someone else’s definition of what success should mean to you.
When you think about it, It’s totally ludicrous! It’s absurd!
And this whole notion of how we define “success” is totally related to what it really means to self-actualize, realize your full potential, and become your best self. It’s not about some finite end point, target, or any one goal. Rather, what self-actualization is really about is continuously evolving, growing, and becoming better. Each day, each year, each decade.
Actualizing your self is about pushing that potential, that innate greatness you have within you, a little (or a lot) further each and every day.
But because we don’t think about it in this way, the notion of realizing your dreams and becoming your best self ends up freezing us, and actually stopping us from doing just that!
We tell ourselves we’re not there yet, we’re not ready yet, or not good enough yet to reach that elusive, illusionary, end-goal target.
Instead, we need to remember:
(1) Just how money you really are!!!!
(2) To start now, wherever you are, and just take a next step.
A next step to evolving, growing, and becoming better than you were yesterday. That’s it. That’s self-actualization! That is, in and of itself, what it means to realize your potential. To consciously be on that ever-limitless trajectory of growth. Just better every day. That’s it.
Do one new thing you love today. Do more of what you love, today. Be more of who you love. Today.
That’s truly how you realize your dreams and become your best self! Today!!! 🙂 #SeizeYourPassion!
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I’d love to hear what you think! 🙂