It’s time to do an inventory of your life today and realize you are a success. Have you ever been in the middle of performing a mundane task and thought to yourself “I am success”? Probably not. Who would think that they are a physical manifestation of “success” as they are sweeping up cookie crumbs from a child’s messy, snack-induced shenanigan. Who would feel like a living success in their house clothes, no makeup, stuck in the house and just going through the motions? I would (now), and you should too.
It is so easy to get frustrated with life after dealing with children, chores, daily commutes in traffic, deadlines or difficult people. Things begin piling up the moment you open your eyes to meet the new day. It is even easier to let this frustration produce stress in our bodies, affecting our health, causing us to eat junk food, drink, smoke, or engage in toxic conversations and entertainment, all in the name of decompressing and coping. Daily frustrations pile on top of one another and form a mountain, blocking our sight of the joy that is just over the top. We are blinded by the logistical stress involved in daily living, making us believe that we are struggling, unsuccessful and cause us to question our own worth.
The current tempo of todays world is go-go-go, do-do-do, and even if we are brave enough to indulge in that satisfying feeling of sitting down, being lost in stillness, enjoying a cup of tea alone, or just taking a nap, guilt soon follows for spending valuable time on such a selfish and lazy activity.
I am a stay at home Mother. My blog numbers are practically nonexistent according to google because I am new to SEO, my shoulder has been sore for several weeks after I tried to get cute in the gym after watching an instagram video, and I am tired of doing laundry. I sit down a lot. I do nothing. I sit, think, sometimes write and even procrastinate. All of these spell out loser to the “normal” definition of success, right?
WRONG. Well, actually, it is right. I am “unsuccessful” according to that definition. But I don’t subscribe to things that don’t suit me and that I know were constructed to only keep my head down and mouth shut.
If I choose to look at the good (change my filter to that sunny one that takes away all the blemishes), I would see something different. I would see:
I made my Husband laugh A LOT with my “gif-game”
I helped my son learn to hold his breath underwater and front flip
I self published my third ebook and not only did it receive a good review from someone that is NOT a blood relative, I sold more than ten copies 🙂
My blog is not only keeping me busy, but encouraging other women out there who enjoy my content. No matter how small, to touch a life is a true honor. Besides, expansion is inevitable.
I finally downloaded YOAST, am learning SEO and Google finally noticed me
These are accomplishments. No matter how big or small, they are what they are: results from my work, my awareness, my purpose.
Some people don’t know how I appear to smile all of the time, even when I may be crying on the inside. It is not because I am in a state of constant denial. It is because I am in a state of constant awareness. Success is accomplishing an aim or a purpose, and no matter how small, I understand that putting one step in front of the other is success. As a Mother, if my children made it through the day happy and fed, I am allowed to identify that as a success and be proud of myself. I am allowed to take a few minutes out for me to gather my thoughts because mental health maintained is a constant success that I strive for everyday. I am comfortable with still having moments of sadness and grief over my dead parents, and just the fact that I know this emotion will pass (and come back), the awareness of it’s temporary state is a success. The fact that I have published posts, I am accomplishing putting my visions of being a writer into action. I am living success.
Do not limit your definition of success. What that does is limit you. You are limitless.
I am conscious of the polarities that exist within my circumstances. Keeping this in mind, I can always remind myself that even when things are really bad, they are still temporary (just like everything is in life, including life itself). This way of thinking, makes suffering go away and bravery to take life head on enter. Remembering that my time is precious allows me to feel comfortable in my still moments and enjoy my cup of herbal tea, alone. If I would rather work on my writing and my mental health instead of attending every social even I am invited to, that is okay. I meditate and don’t care how coo-coo I look.
You deserve this freedom. Take it easy on yourself. Now I am not saying to spend your savings on the latest Kardashian crap, no. Realize your accomplishments, no matter how small. Accept that even though you may not know your “true purpose” in life, you at least know that you are supposed to be breathing, eating well and filling your life with pleasure. Take an inventory of the small, piece them together and you will see that you are accomplishing a huge chunk of something.
800 words later to say: you are success! If for no other reason, you read it to the end of this rant.
