What’s your definition of success?
Today I watched Episode 21, “The New Neighbors.” It aired on March 3, 1952. New neighbors move in, and Lucy wants to snoop. Ricky says no, but she does it anyway and overhears their “plot” to murder her and Ricky, causing complete chaos. Chaos does ensue because the new neighbors were only rehearsing a play…
I wondered, why are humans so curious about others? Why do we want to snoop? Lucy is almost compelled to do it. Is it because we want to judge others to see where we stand? Why do we need to know if we are better than others? What if we could just feel safe in our own space and not worry about having to compete? Is it simply human nature to compete with one another?
So many questions, but I would like to think there is a possibility of finding contentment and peace with what and who we are. I’ve come to a place in my life where I no longer care about “keeping up.” I feel that I have created a definition of success for myself that fits: time and financial freedom. I want to do what I want with my time and have enough money to lead the life I want.
You get to decide what kind of lifestyle works with your definition of success. Live in a small house, a big house, or an apartment. Whatever works for you.
Having your own definition of success is powerful because you are creating your own metrics instead of accepting what society tells you success should look like. I’m tired of being influenced to believe that I need a large house and a lot of stuff I don’t need.
After I had my first baby, I went back to work way too quickly. I told myself that I would not go back so quickly after having my second. I also told myself that I would be there to watch my kids grow up. And I was. We changed our lifestyle so that we could be there for our kids. We had to make choices and sacrifices.
And that’s okay because I wouldn’t change anything in the world for that.
