success 101
Our current social culture promotes a particular high-achiever lifestyle that everyone is pushed to strive for in order to be considered successful. This is a life in which you are regarded as an authority in your career, health, fitness, and social involvement. This requires a constant state of “doing” for individual success and achievement. But when I think about this culture three big questions come to mind: What is true success and achievement? Why is it important to redefine success? What is our purpose in this great big universe?
What is true success and achievement?
In our modern society, success is defined by your ability to climb the social and financial ladder. You can do this through career promotions by obtaining prestigious degrees or creating and manipulating advantageous connections. You can also climb the ladder by fitting into certain body types or having a physically appealing partner. There is absolutely nothing wrong with desiring any of these, but in the grand scheme of things, they do not feel to be true markers of success.
Success, for me, feels like moving through life with true authenticity while listening to my intuition. This comes with a sense of peace that neither financial nor career-based achievements can sustain. True achievement feels like connecting with myself and connecting with another. Our connections end up being the priceless achievements we take with us throughout life. When I look at the most satisfied and joyful people, they are people who choose to accept their true nature. They are people who surround themselves with loving family and friends who accept that true nature and challenge them to continue growing into their best self.
Why is it important to redefine success?
Simply put, the pursuit of healing. We are very emotional and interconnected beings, and at the end of it all, we want to feel fulfilled and at peace. If we leave our sense of fulfillment up to external monetary and individualistic achievements, we will be left wanting something more. Although social and financial security undoubtedly give us the safety to pursue that “something more,” they are important when there is no expectation of fulfillment through them. Once you start to depend on such achievements for eternal happiness, you will miss out on the true collaborators of your joy: letting your inner child out to play, cultivating a loving home with your people, pursuing your passions and creativity, and contributing selflessly to others. If we as a community can move into a mindset of chasing internal joy and building up those who create more happiness and compassion in their world, we may start to heal as a people. Redefining success goes beyond finding true fulfillment. It can create an environment for collective healing, something that many of us are searching for.
What is our purpose in this great big universe?
I think our role in the universe is something simpler than achieving enlightenment or a mental state of nirvana. There is an undeniable beauty to such things, but there is also a level of connectedness we are missing in the pursuit of them. I believe we are meant to feel the depths of our emotions when our souls take on this human life. If we “detach” from our humanness, the purpose of incarnating is entirely lost. Yes, we want to join spiritually with our creator in a oneness, that I can’t fully grasp, one day. In searching for that connectedness with a higher power we can find clarity and peace. This is an important part of developing our soul spiritually and learning our lessons. However, If we are only meant to grow by ascending spiritually, this can be done in a spiritual realm. Why would we incarnate into this heavy, gritty earthly existence? I believe it’s because we are meant to find the beauty in this chaos, an experience that can’t be replicated in a mental or spiritual realm. We find our own paths forward through difficult situations and become creators of our own little worlds. This can best be learned through internal and external adversity. This mindset shift is allowing me to ground into my current reality and problem solve my way through to the reality I wish to create in the future. We can choose to leave things in the hands of our soul-self, but our human condition has so much to offer. My humanity, in all its clumsiness, is the seed with which my soul can create and nurture a garden. Growing more and more into your most beautiful self is what I believe to be our purpose here. This purpose of authenticity and creativity become our most fulfilling successes.
Disclaimer
The information included in this post is not medical or spiritual advice. It is intended as a conversation starter on the above topic. Please leave me your thoughts below. If you find this content applicable to your healing path, please consult further with your medical practitioners and spiritual guides.
