Success is dying knowing you did your best every single day.
I have these words taped to the front of my planner which means I read them 3 to 5 times every single day. Every time I read it, it resonates deeply with me. Death is so final which is the reason that it is just so strikingly hard to deal with. We have so much living to do. Every. Day. There is some comfort, though, knowing that when it is time to move on from this world, if I spent every day in complete success then there will be an immense amount of peace.
Let’s go over success, shall we? Though this is unique for everyone, one of the items on my personal goal list of successes is being victorious in motherhood, meaning, my children are well rounded, happy, healthy, loving, thriving people that are living their own successful lives. Every. Day.
Being a successful spouse. To love and be loved and for both of us to feel that love resoundingly. Every. Day.
To be successful at work. To know that I made a difference in my community and in my career and have implemented my knowledge in my field to the top-most standard and have, hopefully, impacted a few people along the way to do the same. Every. Single. Day.
To be a successful writer. To have put forth commitment and effort into each word that I write and to painstakingly string it along into something worthy of leaving behind when I am gone. Every. Single. Day.
You will have noticed that I left out a splattering of other very important aspects such as all the small things that make me, well, me. This means sunrise yoga every Thursday morning and church on Sunday or being successful at being an aunt, sister, daughter, friend.
How do we succeed in all these aspects!? How meticulously do we have to map out the minutes of our day to achieve success in all these important areas of our lives? What am I going to have to fail at in order to find success elsewhere? These are questions that I battle within myself constantly.
But then a funny thing happens. At the end of the day, I realize that because I have COMMITTED myself to all the above things and more, I do my best and am successful without over thinking it. And I sleep well knowing that my children are healthy, safe, fed, and homework is complete. My husband still reaches for my hand while we cook dinner and the one or two sentences I was able to squeak out of my mind and onto the page are laying neatly on my desk. The things that I have not committed myself to such as taking out the trash or climbing Machu Picchu will happen, but will have to wait until later when it is time for me to turn my commitment over to them. I have done my best. Those every day successes turn into successful weeks, which becomes a successful month, year, etc. In return, kids grow up strong, marriages solidify, jobs create income and books are written and published. Successfully.
Commit to what you want to succeed in every day, do your absolute best, and you will lead a successful life. Tell me friend, what will you succeed at today?
Love this!