I’ve been in a funk these last few days. I turned 41 last week and I always have a difficult time around my birthday. When I was younger I thought I’d age gracefully but I find lately I am kicking and scream the whole way. I have a tendency to be too self-reflective at times especially concerning what I consider success. Everybody wants to be successful in life or am I the only one? I did not plan on writing about success in fact I wrote another blog last night but never posted it, maybe I’ll post it later.
But tonight, success was on my mind, I was sitting in prayer, talking to the Lord about my life and success came up. Success- it’s a tricky word because we often compare our success to somebody else’s success creating a competition of sorts. I hate that rut, am I the only one? Comparison always makes me feel bad, you know what I mean? I hate that it is ingrained in us.
Success is an achievement, accomplishment, or a victory leading to triumph. Those are personal things. They will vary per person.
We have a tendency to define what success should look like by somebody else’s success. I don’t want to be defined by another’s success and I don’t want to define what success looks like for me by comparing my life to somebody else’s life. I am left wondering where do I go from here? So, I have to sit with the Lord and ask Him to teach me what His definition of success for my life looks like because it’s personal. Success is personal. And because our lives are uniquely made for different purposes our success should be as such. Kind of a tongue tie, isn’t it?
I often hear God say to me don’t look to your right or to your left just keep your eyes straight ahead in the direction that I point you in. But too often I will look around and start to compare my achievements to what I see (because when I stare out into the distance at someone else’s life I begin to measure my success by their accomplishments and compare our success stories which often makes me feel like a big fat failure), then I feel bad, which puts me in a gloom until I pull myself out of it which takes reflection in my prayer time… I don’t know how your week has been going but I hope you are not comparing your success to your neighbors, co-workers, or friends. Life is too short to walk around comparing ourselves to others AND we are uniquely made for different purposes, God likes variety. I don’t want to resent somebody else’s success, or envy it, or compare it, I want to celebrate others’ success. I want to celebrate their victories and accomplishments not feel bad because of them. Rewiring of the brain takes a lot of effort but well worth it in the end.
Good Night Ladies…
PS. In fact, the word success only appears in the New Testament one time depending on the translation you use. I can’t recall Jesus teaching on success at all but on how to help those in need and how to love. That speaks volumes of what God considers success to be… service (as in helping) and love (mercy and compassion) when we can master those things then we will have achieved true success… food for thought… Let God re-define our definition of success.