A Wonderful Definition of Success…And Shaping My Own

“To laugh often and much;

to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty;

to find the best in others;

to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love this quote by this writer.  Too often people get caught up with their own measures of success that they forget how to touch other people’s lives and encouraging and enriching others while struggling to make it on one’s own.  I think that I’ll write my own thoughts on what success is for me.  Perhaps there will be more to this definition as the years go by, but its essence will be constant:

“To have used the gifts and talents one has been blessed with; to have encouraged and inspired others to draw closer to Jesus; to have loved, lost, and still loved despite every pain; to have taught and helped shaped a child’s heart; to have served without reservation and restraint; to have enjoyed laughter and the company of family and friends to the fullest; to have pursued dreams without fear and regret; and to have made peace with oneself and with his Creator.”

What are your thoughts on being successful?