On Success

We spend our lives chasing that elixir, that ecstasy, that sense of fulfilment - that one day we will be established, we will be certain and we will hold prestige, admiration and power. It is that sense of 'one day' that harbours such a weight in all we do. We measure ourselves against one another in community, in congregation, in dialogue, in dream and sleep - we exchange cultural capital and place value on what we earn, what we think, how we look, dress, speak and what we do.

Social cues and language indicate our place, our story and our worth. We ask each other who we are, what we are, where we are and forget to ask how we are - how are we really? The balance between where we wish to be and where we are in this moment meet in a place of tension, collision and partial presence.

Success is what we make of it. There are homogeneous and universal ideas - such as health, happiness and wealth - but there are more subtle and detailed ways we can feel content and successful in our day to day, such as keeping our space tidy, our minds active, our actions curious and resilient, our bodies fit and strong, our passions alive, our relationships nurtured, our curiosity and playfulness allowed to be expressed.

Success lives inside of us. It belongs to a context but that context is yours to define and shape. The status quo is simply a map, a blueprint from which we can make the rules. Some may want better, faster, smoother - but decide for yourself what success really means. Is it truly in the external or in the quality of our daily experiences and live time?

Try to separate what you really want in your life, from that of others. Limit your use of social media and step into your own universe. Be it illustration, music, crafting or cooking a beautiful meal for your partner and loved ones. Feel free in how you view success. Do not let the lens of others dampen, stamp out, contain or divert your attention, your sense of grounding and your sense of what matters most.

Spend time with your values and draw out a system of intentions. If there is something you truly want to draw in, cultivate or nurture - decide on it and pour your energy into creating and giving that thing life. That could be closeness with your child, intimacy with a relative, boundaries with a colleague. Success is for you to select and choose. It is whatever your definition of it is. It is important to isolate, carve out your own value and extract yourself from a wider description of success (such as wealth, children, property etc) - then lend some detail to what success really feels like moment to moment. Allow it to set, settle and manifest in your ever changing living breathing experience of being you, being here and being in this world.