Sunday, May 29, 2011

Success

SUCCESS GBE2 Week 2

 Elizabeth Grace sure does know how to challenge us with these weekly topics and we are only into the second week! Yikes! Success? I suppose if life were easy, the topic would be EPIC FAIL (God knows I know that well) and what not to do, or success through being the opposite of Trish, known to some as “Dances With Vodka”. I could write you all a novel and you would all be winners if you bought it and I don’t mean the Charlie Sheen kind. Shame I’m too lazy for all that though.

 HOWEVER, before you all unsubscribe or unfollow (pretty sure that isn’t a word, BITE ME, red squiggly line!) I am going to try to take a fun approach to this week’s topic and then I'm going to write something boring that you can skip over. Besides, I was lying about being an epic fail, my life isn’t too shabby and I’m happy.

I stepped on the scale
 Kicked it, threw it in the trash
Cake not burned. SUCCESS!



We are practically given a manual (especially once we reach adulthood and leave high school to approach the “real world”), on what defines success and how to achieve it. I don’t know about you but I was never good at reading instructions, thought manuals to be boring and last time I checked, I was a human being and not a machine. There are no straight definitions on success and following the instructions that someone else gives you could very well lead you to a successful life; it could lead you to THEIRS, but since we are all individuals and not robots (I think I’m speaking for everyone here??) and have various interests, wouldn’t it be better to stop and think about your own talents or what separates you from the majority and then figure out a way to make that flourish?

 I figure even if I’m doing my 9-5 but also doing what makes me happy… even if only for a few hours or less, on the side and sharing it, contributing it to the world, well then I’ve been successful. I’m not saying quit your boring job and become a starving artist, I’m definitely not saying go for broke, just don’t allow your abilities to go undernourished. If you can find a way to capitalize on what you love and are good at, monetarily, then great! Go for it! The important thing, however is that you are doing, in some way shape or form, what you are meant to do.

Happiness is one of THE most important things in life, it keeps us mentally and physically healthy, which in turn keeps us moving uphill. Success and happiness go hand in hand, so before you look at and try to follow a three time NBA Championship winner, or someone who won consecutive Academy Awards, realize that each of those people took their individual talents and put them to use, you have your own. Put your talents to use in the best way you see fit and you could very well be the next person that someone else tries to follow.

If I were to define success, it would be about making a positive impact on the world through your own individual talent, whether that be making others smile, knitting scarves and hats that will keep people warm on a cold day, painting a picture that will show someone what they wouldn’t see through their own eyes, or writing a story that will travel to the minds of those in need of a brief mental escape. We as human beings feed off of each other’s talents and the success that stems from them and that means that one is no more or less important than another and we ALL have something that we are successful in doing. If you think otherwise then you aren’t thinking hard enough.

41 comments:

  1. Yes, yes, yes , yes, YES! Bravo!

    This is EXACTLY it. Follow your heart, celebrate YOUR gifts, be whoever you are meant to be! That really IS success.

    "...just don’t allow your abilities to go undernourished." I LOVE that. :O)

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  2. Thank you! I also managed to get this done just prior to my laptop going into hibernation mode! SUCCESSSSSSSS!

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  3. This is wonderful. Success is what you make of it.

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  4. Happiness is a good marker of success. I think if you are happy...it means in some area of your life you are successful. Little success do add up! Great post!! Cheers, Jenn.

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  5. What a lovely way of seeing your life. I really enjoy your writing style and your outlook. Great Job!

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  6. I second what they said *pointing up*
    Trishalicious, you are an inspiration~ I love reading you work, and love that fact that you are my friend even more ; )
    Thank you for jumping in for week two *UMAH*

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  7. *your work* It's late, and I have drunk fingers

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  8. Oh my gosh, when I first read the topic of the week, my brain went straight to ..."If only the topic was Failing!" LOL, That's a little sad to admit, but I got a good laugh when you wrote the bit about "Epic Fail!" I totally agree with you, true success is about being happy :-)

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  9. Very nice blog! You kind of reminded me of what Oprah said during her last show when she told her viewers to listen to their calling!

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  10. I so love this you did an awesome job this blog is without a doubt a success ;) hugs

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  11. 'I stepped on the scale
    Kicked it, threw it in the trash
    Cake not burned. SUCCESS!' - That was me last week :DD Excellent post, and I really enjoyed reading through it (all of it, I promise!)

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  12. You all make me feel like a success! :-) Thank you!

    MW, I'm so glad you did read it all because there will be a quiz afterwards. ;-)

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  13. who wants to think "hard enough" LOL LOVE THIS! bravo and thanks for joining (they won't let me post at work..have to stay anonymous) CHEERS! Doc

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  14. I'm very "manual-tarded", to put it crudely lol

    Great write!

    -Kate
    www.jadelafemme.com

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  15. Whaddaya mean here goes nothing!!! you know better than that ( grin) you know youve got the goods girl.
    Thanks for sharing! Big hugs!

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  16. Exactly, Doc or should I say Anonymous? haha

    @kate- I'm so bad and get anxiety when I read them, that I will spend an hour or more trying to figure out how to work or build things without one. Most of the time, I try to avoid working or building things altogether, lol.

    @Laurie, you know me, I always think I can do better. Love you and hugging you back!

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  17. Oh, puuuhhhleeeaaaeeee come over and throw my scale in the trash!!!!! PUHLEEZE! It has a negative hold on me, that dreaded thing! That paragraph alone is sheer genius! LOLOLOL!!!

    Loved it. Great read!

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  18. Would be nice if we could all make money from our talents. Success!

    Theresa
    writingcreatively.org

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  19. Trish, my friend, I'm just about twice your age, been to war, worked for over 40 years, raised three kids as well as helping raise three Grandkids and you truly amaze me with the wisdom and caring in your heart and mind.

    Excellent write my friend. I am blessed that you call me "friend"!

    Love you!

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  20. "If I were to define success, it would be about making a positive impact on the world through your own individual talent"
    Love this! So many times we are trying to be successful at someone elses talent. Knowing your passion and strengths and using them is the key. Great job!

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  21. Cake not burned! Success! Love it!

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  22. Spedmom,don't worry, I will take care of the scale problem. Just be somewhere with alibis around 8pm tomorrow. ;-)
    Theresa, making money off of our talents would be good but I think the greatest reward is just using them and sharing them.
    Gary, that is one of the best compliments ever! I have a long ways to go but I've come this far by paying attention.
    Justonevoice, thank you so much! So glad you stopped by!
    Julie, that is one of my greatest success stories. ha ha Anytime dessert is not burned, well that's a good night for me.

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  23. I smiled my way through your whole post1 Loved it!! By jove, I believe you hit the nail on the head! I too have made a friend with Epic Fail, however, it is how you move on from Epic Fail that is a great indicator to the success level. Well done!

    Kathy
    http://www.thetruckerswife.com/

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  24. Great write! I think the true measure of success is to be able to look at yourself through your own lenses and feel good about who/what you are. If I was dependent on a manual, I would fail EVERY time because I never read them. :)

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  25. I like it. Success is whatever you perceive it to be.

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  26. Your last paragraph...it's like you took a whole thought out of my brain and typed it yourself. I loved your take on success. Mine was a little different, but maybe next week I'll be more on board with everyone else. ;) Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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  27. I really enjoyed reading about your perspective. I also think happiness is the main ingredient.

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  28. It's been interesting to read all of the different interpretations of success. Thanks for sharing.

    Joyce
    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/2011/05/acrostic-success_31.html

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  29. I love your approach! You are always so spontaneous and happy. You are awesome!

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  30. Kathy, I'm glad I could make you smile. I hope to do that a lot more in weeks to come with these GBE posts.
    Sunshine!!!! I remember you from myspace! So nice to see you around again.
    Maggie, no need to be like everyone else. I think the more different your ideas are and the more different the approach is, the better. You have to remember that there are a lot of people in this group and it would get repetitive and tiring to read the same ideas over and over again. You're doing fine!
    Thank you, Mrs Wilk!
    Joyce, we definitely have a lot of great thinkers and writers in this group. It's been wonderful!
    Vanessa, thank you! I really do try to keep my bad days few and far between. I hope I come across to everyone the same way that I have to you.

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  31. LoL your haiku surely caught my attention! LoL Complete success.

    ~chickee

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  32. ha ha! Haikus are so much fun! Thank you, Chickee!

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  33. This is beautiful! Right on. Love the haiku.

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  34. Thank you, Langley! I'm a big fan of poetry and Haikus are always a joy to create.

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  35. That quick poem you wrote is too funny....straight and to the point. It probably describes what a lot of men and women were thinking today, this week and ever since January when they made a resolution to lose weight, gain weight, fit into a pair of jeans or a skirt, etc. so it could be used as a slogan for something :)

    I like what you wrote about the choice to follow instructions for success that were laid out by someone else causes us to live their lives and not ours. That is classic!

    You know, I am one of those people who thought "I'm going to be the next Speilberg and win an Academy Award by age 22"!.....boy did I learn, lol. These days, I wish that I could be 25 again, let alone 22!

    I agree that happiness and success go hand in hand but I wish that this was displayed more often because many times, we realize how there are many wealthy or successful people who are very unhappy. I think about this every time I watch the news or read something about a successful businessman or artist or student, etc. who committed suicide such as that Restaurant owner who was on Kitchen Nightmares. Hopefully, everyone can eventually find that place in life where they are both happy and successful and if they find that they have one and need the other, work on ways to try and ensure their own happiness or success without staying in line with other people's wishes and hopes and dreams :)



    The Madlab Post

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  36. Thank you, Nicole! I want to frame your comment! I absolutely love when something I write makes it to the heart and soul of someone else. You know, I think most of the dreams people are most happy at achieving, are the dreams they never knew they wanted. All it takes is keeping your eyes open while your living.
    Hmmmm maybe I can send that Haiku to one of those yogurt commercials, goodness knows they really need a better slogan and ad writer.

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  37. Exactly. Besides, the traditional definitions of success aren't enough for many people because it's very surface only, one size fits all. Success to me has always meant I will have many experiences in life--I want to experience as many people, places, activities, emotions, you name it, as possible.

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  38. I'm so with you on wanting to experience as much as life has to offer, Eccentricity!

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  39. "Happiness is one of THE most important things in life...[and]... success and happiness go hand in hand."

    Yes, that is the reason I linked to your blog. We have, in my humble opinion, placed value on the wrong things, e.g., money, status, and position, but those things do not lead to happiness. And if you're not happy, how in the heck can you feel successful?

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  40. Jay, you are so right! Thank you again, for the link!

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