Define your own Success

Dictionary.com defines the word success as the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors, the accomplishment of one's goals. This is a very broad definition; it does not specify what are the endeavors or accomplishment that people have to accomplish in order to attain success. This can lead one to believe that the definition of what is success is different for different individuals, so why then do we tend to measure ourselves up against the success of others?

If you really had to sit down and think about what does success mean to you, what do you think would come to mind? I know when I was a little girl I wanted to grow up and achieve as much as I possibly can in my own way on my own time, yes at some point in time while growing up I had different ideas of what it is I wanted to be, but the journey of life has led me to a path I would have never dreamed of, yet it’s a part that I love. What strikes out about the path that I have decided to travel upon is that very few understand it, very few understand what I am studying, what I wish to accomplish with it and the practical side of my work and study life. Yet, despite this I stuck to what I love and kept going on, with faith that the doors I knock on will open up one day, even if I would need to start banging.

That’s what we need to remember though, people will always be out there judging you, doubting you, putting you down, but if your path of success is clear to you, you will keep moving forward despite the obstacles, the negativity, the quicksand drawing you back, if you know for certain where you want to be, have the faith, do the work, be sure you will get there in time.  A special friend of mine once said our environment does not define who we are, we define who we are.

If we had to look at others, envy what they have and have accomplished, we will only be dragging our own accomplishments through the mud. Every life is different, everyone has a different story to tell, so don’t let your book be filled with other people’s tales, make it your own, aspire, create, achieve...

So don’t be afraid to write your own story, even if it is different from what people expect from you, it is exactly what you wanted. At the end of the day you will be the one living the dreams you defined for yourself, so make sure you define success to suit yourself first.  

Wishing everyone happiness and success in both worlds J

THE JOURNEY

There is a magical journey called life, a journey that takes you from a childish innocence to a rebellious teenager to a naive young adult. But that defining moment in your life, that turning point that opens your eyes and make you realise the harsh reality of the world we live in, that moment that changes you from a young adult to a fully fledged adult, that moment of acceptance that you don’t in fact know it all, that your elders do in fact have more wisdom and that you, you are just a human and your personal journey towards wisdom will be a long and strenuous one.

Ever think about this journey, about how we are converted from trusting, pure loving children into greedy, suspicious, over indulgent ‘adults’? When exactly do things change? When do we realise that people are not pure good or pure evil, when do we realise that not all humans are trust worthy and very few people are genuine? Who told us to look at what others have? To look at who is more beautiful, richer, and more successful? To want what was not meant for us... Why can’t we as human beings realise that what God has given us is sufficient for us, that He has given us what our strengths can handle, exactly what we need. And yet somehow that is not enough for most of us...

As a woman in my mid twenties (yes very young and a lot more to discover) I am extremely sad when I look at this world, when I see all the hatred, the envy, the malice, the greed, the complete discontentment of the average human being. I am however blessed to be in an environment with the rarest genuine, pure hearted people. I see adults well into their forties behaving like children, you would think that after forty years on this earth one would be able to stop playing the blame game, stop saying he did, she did and finally accept that I did, I was wrong, let me forgive myself, let me accept the people who want to forgive me and let me move on...

How long into our adult life should we carry this feelings of ‘not good enough’ or ‘I am too good’?  How long will we look at others before looking into ourselves? How long before we forgive ourselves, love ourselves and grow comfortable with ourselves? Is this when true wisdom will come? Seeing the world as it is today I have a feeling that we might be having very few people of true wisdom in the years to come, because age does not guarantee wisdom. Not if the narcissistic nature the media infiltrates into our lives persist.

 The famous quote from Spider-man, “With great power comes great responsibility,” can be adapted to this article as, “With greater age comes greater responsibility.” Let us all try and be more responsible for ourselves first, before trusting ourselves to be responsible for another human being. Our journey should begin with an open mind and an open heart; if everyone strived towards being genuine we would live in a much happier world. Let go of pettiness, and embrace all that is pure.

Just a few thoughts from my head  J

Growing up in this big bad world

Growing up in a world so full of grave disappointments can be cumbersome, so we tend to hold on to any part of our youth, be it a movie we watched when we were young, or books we read or precious memories. This makes us feel safer. Brings us back to a time when we were innocent, when life was not intimidating, where experiences were new and opportunity was knocking at every door.

Life tends to bash us down sometimes, we take beatings from every corner, and the smallest of mistakes become the gravest of consequences. Yet there was a time when we were young, and mistakes were easily forgiven, life was so much simpler. Which brings about the question, isn't a simpler life the better part? A life where there is no competition in goals and ability, where everyone lives with values of unity and family bond, where money is just a means to an end and not the central focus. A simple life. No greed, no judgment, no societal pressure. A place where you allowed to make mistakes and grow from them.

So what does growing up really mean? Is it letting go of childish whims? Or learning that the world is made of glass and can shatter around you at any moment? Or having the strength to watch those you once thought were your heroes fall from grace? Or is it the ability to love with a heart so big that you can forgive anything and anyone, that you can laugh at your pain and smile through your sorrow in the end remembering that this world is just temporally, it’s all just a test…

Grown up is a funny terminology, how often do we find children who are grown up in character and adults who act like children. Who deems who a grown up? Are we grown up because we've reached a certain age? Or do we grow up when our mind matures around the sordid world we live in? And in the end who gets to decide this?

In this big bad world its okay to enjoy being a child at heart, watching childhood cartoons and movies, reading books you did when you were young (which for me includes Pride and Prejudice). Holding on to these memories reminds one that once upon a time you were okay, and so was the world around you, once upon a time you had hope, and maybe, just maybe you can find it in you, trough the memories of once upon a time to find that hope and renew that strength for the here and now. Because life sometimes throws you around, each of us have our own way of bringing ourselves back up.