Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Success

Success means something different to everyone. Take a moment and think about what success means to you. Now think of where you got that image of success from. 

Society leads us to believe that in order to be successful we need to have a good paying a job, a nice home, a nice car and enough money to travel each year. On top of that we have to have the perfect body and the perfect family. (Or at least have the perfect body.)
(Think of all the tv shows out there that have a working hot wife, and a fat lazy husband.)

The world teaches us to believe that we need to go to college right out of high school, and if you don't.. you are a failure. The world teaches us that your job is your life. 
The question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" is a terrible question to ask a child. It's even more terrible when the child gets scorned for saying they want to be a mommy, an artist, a musician or any other "impractical, poor paying job".

The best thing in life is that you can literally do whatever YOU want to do. You don't have to listen to society and the media. College and work doesn't define you.  It's up to you to define yourself to the world. If you don't want a mainstream job, don't get one. Figure something else out. 

Once way or another it is going to be difficult. 

You need to learn to stand on your own two feet, and take care of yourself. It's time to sift through all the crap you've been taught about how to behave, how to look, how much to weigh, what to drive, where to work, what to wear, how and where you should live and what you should do for a living. 



Believe it or not,
You are in control.
You are in control of your own life.
You are the reason why you are happy or sad.
So don't wait for happiness. 
Go out and find it.
Right now.

 






It's time to learn how to truly give back to the universe. It's time to start creating and contributing to the world... but in your very own way.

Don't let others make you believe you are a failure just because you don't measure up to their definition of success.

This is your life, and your only shot to be happy.

13 comments:

  1. It is a hard lesson to learn, but I would say it is truly worth every tear!

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  2. Love this post! That's my biggest problem with society right now, and something that my hubs is struggling with grasping right now. Just because he is capable of becoming a corporate badass and making tons of $$, does that mean that he should? What if he wants to make enough to support his family just enough so that he still sees them every night?

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  3. For sure Katie! Some people get overly obsessed with making lots of money, that they forget how much they really NEED... I'm sure he will figure it out... good luck to you!
    xoxo

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  4. Thanks! It's very encouraging to be reminded that I don't *have* to do what society tells me to do, especially because I am doing that now and hating it. It's hard to feel like I can do what I want (i.e. not go to college) because people keep telling me it's what I should do. It's nice to hear the other side ;)

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  5. Very well said!
    My sister is going to college as an art major,
    I want to go into wildlife science.

    My parents always joke with us saying that they wished at least one of us would have chosen something that could give them money, but what's important is being happy. :)

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  6. Loved this post. It's funny because my whole life I thought I wanted to be a "working mom". I wanted to have kids but I felt that in order to maintain my independence, I needed to continue working, be a history teacher at a high school. And now that I have a baby, I realize that all I want is to be a stay at home Mom, and that the only students I want to teach are my kids and the subjects I want to teach are love, curiosity, imagination, and values. As corney as it sounds, it feels like that is what I am made to do. That it's my calling in life. I don't need to prove anything to the world. I just want to be happy.

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  7. I totally agree with you that only you can define YOU. People always ask me if I have a job, or what I want to do. But I tell them, I want to be an artist...and they question me. I ignore it, but it still leaves an awful taste in my mouth. I think it's okay to be happy doing what you love. (: I'm glad you posted this. It made my night.

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  8. I loved this post! It made me sit back for minute and just look at my life from the outside. Everything you mentioned is something that someone once told do. You're right though, this is MY life and I know I will be successful with whatever I want to do, so I should make the most of the time that I have. Great post, it really made my day better

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  9. What a good post! This is all so true, and something that I am trying to remind myself of every single day. I made the decision not to attend college, and boy, it is difficult to make people understand why not. The world puts so much on the whole college thing. I want to pursue my creativity and the things that I love. I want to be a wife and mommy, and last time I checked, you don't need a degree for those. :) Thanks for the post, Rachel. :)

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  10. Hey Rachael,
    I just recently started following your blog and I am so glad that I came across it. Your posts are all so inspiring - this one especially.
    I couldn't agree with you more about this entire subject. You are so much happier when you do what *you* want and not what everyone says that you *should* do.
    Everyone is different for a reason - so why not be who you were meant to be and show your soul!

    ~ Jordan
    http://asnippetofthings.blogspot.com/

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  11. I love this. When I first started college, I chose a major that I wasn't even interested in because it was the "smart" decision. Luckily, I realized my mistake in time and I'm now studying something I'm passionate about :)

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  12. Took the words right out of my mouth. I was thinking about this the other day as I was watching Scrubs, and noticed how elitist the writers of that show seem to be. There are several episodes on how JD's brother is "just" a bartender and needs to get his life together, for example. It really bothered me because not everyone can have a high-paying job with a corner office and a secretary. (frankly, that sounds dreadful. I don't ever want an office job ever again.)
    I agree with Brooke, too. The perfect life to me is growing a garden, homeschooling my kids, and being active in my community. Too bad that's looked down upon nowadays.

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