A few thoughts on success
So I watched a TED talk by John Wooden filmed in 2001, in it he talks about success, his true definition of success and what it means to really win. He makes a profound statement in his talk where he says, "Reputation is what you are perceived to be. Character is what you truly are." Watching him talk and thinking on what he was saying made me wonder about success, reputation and what I would define true success to be in my own life. It dawned upon me that I would consider my life a success if I were to have the following:
- Wisdom - I think of all the things I want in life, this would almost be at the top of the list, I desire to be wise. I take great pleasure in speaking to older people, sharing in their knowledge and wisdom, the untapped resources of life experience, the stories that are written upon the lines in their faces. While society values youth and beauty, and while I myself struggle with the thought of losing both of these I think there is great treasure to be found in age and I hope one day to be the kind of old lady that encourages the youth to sit at her feet and regales them with stories and proverbs of wisdom.
- Peace & Contentment - For me this is a particularly tricky one, I am coming to realise that peace, happiness and contentment are all an inside job, that while your circumstances may help, true happiness and contentment can only be found when you look within and it is once you have done so that you can find peace and happiness in almost every situation, easier said than done. There is a scripture verse that sums this up really nicely for me, Phillipians 4:11-13 "11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength." In saying this, by no means indicates having reached this place in my life, far from it, but I look forward to the day when I am close to it.
- A Legacy - If I were to die today, next week or in 50 years time I would want to know that I had in some way left a positive mark on this world. In his talk Wooden refers to a quote, "The journey is better than the end," so I guess it would be my desire to through my journey in life positively impact and touch the lives of those around me, of those I come into contact with. I am no Mother Theresa, far from it and I have no desire to live a life based purely on "works" and striving to be something I am not, but I do hope to come to a place where compassion and kindness come naturally and that I leave a piece of myself behind that will be treasured and thought of with fondness. Perhaps it will be in what I accomplish in my career, perhaps it will be through something creative, perhaps just through my relationships, but either way I hope to leave a legacy worth leaving.
- Love - To love fully, no holds barred - this is something I hope for. To know that I have loved deeply and been loved, to be willing to open up, bare my soul and share my life fully with another. To have the cliched old people still holding hands walking together scenario, this is what I really desire. I have no idea what the recipe for such a great love is, and how to be the "ideal" partner, but I hope in time that I will have the courage to be vulnerable enough to bare my soul and join it to another.
They say that if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything, so I hope this talk inspires you to figure out what true success means for you and then to pursue that...
