Success is What You Do-Daily Meditation 1.31.23

Today’s quotation:

Success is what you do with your ability and how you use your talent.  It doesn’t necessarily mean any one thing.-George Allen

Today’s Meditation:

I think that we’ve been done a great disservice by our society, which tells us that success is due to money, power, status, or country club memberships.  Success has nothing to do with that–unless you believe it does.  Success is a much different picture for most of us, but we often don’t recognize it because we believe success has to be in the public eye.  We need other people to acknowledge our success and call it such, and that’s very sad.

When I decided to be a teacher, I knew from the beginning that I would never measure success by the amount of money in my bank account.  Nor would I be able to measure it by power and prestige unless I decided to try to be a principal or a superintendent–but then I would no longer be a teacher.  I would have to find my own ways to measure success, and they would have to have something to do with my student’s learning and the feelings of accomplishment I have.  And in a field like teaching, everyone’s idea of success is different, which makes things even more difficult!

You have talents.  Do you use them?  Can you use them in your job, or do you have to use them away from work?  Either way, using your talents can lead you to success, even if no one else ever recognizes your success.  Use your talents, be they obvious ones, such as art or music or athletics, or be they more hidden, like being a good listener, being good at math, or giving good advice when needed.  Don’t depend on societal definitions of success to determine whether or not you’re successful–I know that society as a whole will never tell me that I’m a good teacher. Still, I’ve given all I can to my teaching and feel successful.

Your combination of abilities is unique to you, and the picture you paint when you use them is one of a genuinely unique lifetime.  Paint it well, and use the gifts you’ve been given to help others, be it on the job, as a volunteer, or in your personal life.  Many will appreciate all you give, and you will be wonderfully successful, whether others recognize that success.

Questions to consider when thinking about Success is what you do:

How do you define success?

What kinds of things that others see as success do you not see as such?

How can you determine your most vital abilities, gifts, and talents?  How can you put them to use?

For further thought on success is what you do:

I believe that a successful life springs from the deep intuition of the heart–finding a passion, a calling that not only fulfills our dreams but also leads us to serve family, friends, and the community.  Once that calling is clear, true success lies in living with kindness and respect as constant companions in all undertakings.-Gloria Loring

If you missed yesterday’s Daily Meditation, it is right here.