A child born thousands of years ago had an eternal impact on our history. He lived, grew, died, and lived again – lives still. My impact on history, I have no doubt, is going to be smaller than that. In fact it will be considerably smaller than that. But, I can have an impact none the less.
So the difficulty I’m having is how? I’m a busy girl. Places to go, people to see, presents to wrap, puppies to chase… There is work, activities, church, family, friends, some time for growth, study, me, time for creativity, time for prayer, time for studies. Where does that make an impact get slotted in?
There are only a few days left until Christmas and as my to do list seems to grow rather than shrink, I stand between feeling as if I am making progress and just treading water. Make an impact, that vague statement gets moved down my list to a lower and lower number just because it’s difficult to act on something that is vague and unscheduled.
So, between now and then, I’m challenging myself to make an impact each day and I’ll tell you about my successes (or failures). I’ll toss out the challenge to you as well. Maybe together, we can truly a large impact on our communities.
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
Friday, December 17, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Defined
Who gets to define what success is? I was in a conversation not too long ago and the topic turned to what is success. If I Google successful people, I come up with a wide variety of Thomas Edison bios, instructional material on How to Be a Success, and promos of How to be Successful Without a College Degree. Looking through the list, it is easy to see that the main qualification for success here is financial success or media success. But, is that really the end of the definition? Is that even a good definition?
Is the mom who bakes 200 cupcakes for PTO a success as she puts every effort possible forth into raising her child? Is the entrepreneur who follows a dream and does not ever meet wealth a success? Is the artist a success for creating the art or for finding a buyer? Do you have to move to a foreign land to be a success? Do you have to make a certain amount of money; is there a minimum and cap to that? I was reading a biography about John Adams and I think that he phrased it quite well “The laws of man may bind him in chains or may put him to death, but they can never make him wise, virtuous or happy.” The laws of man, though he was referring to actual legal systems, are also composed of the unwritten rules. The rules of what society deems what is to be “normal”, “acceptable”, and “successful”. Those laws, they are often separating, divisive, and confusingly defined. If someone fails, how much success does it take to make up for that, to balance it back out? Why does that change for some and the scale seem weighted?
So, I guess when it boils it down, what is distilled is I question what do I consider to be a success, for me to be a success. I think one reason why it is so hard for me to answer that is that there are multiple points trying to impress upon me their definition. Plus, my finish line seems to keep moving. I no more accomplish one thing and then feel like I need to jump to the next challenge. So with all of that rolling around in my head, it was a struggle to sleep, until I came upon a very short phrase that led me to turn off the light, snuggle into my blanket, and head to sleep. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. My drive to achieve is part of me, it’s a persistence that has proved to be a boon when I have spent ten hours on an econ exam, when I didn’t want to take the next step, when I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next. But, how sweet those words were, when after the trying and seeking and working and wearing out, “come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Now that’s a definition I can live with.
Is the mom who bakes 200 cupcakes for PTO a success as she puts every effort possible forth into raising her child? Is the entrepreneur who follows a dream and does not ever meet wealth a success? Is the artist a success for creating the art or for finding a buyer? Do you have to move to a foreign land to be a success? Do you have to make a certain amount of money; is there a minimum and cap to that? I was reading a biography about John Adams and I think that he phrased it quite well “The laws of man may bind him in chains or may put him to death, but they can never make him wise, virtuous or happy.” The laws of man, though he was referring to actual legal systems, are also composed of the unwritten rules. The rules of what society deems what is to be “normal”, “acceptable”, and “successful”. Those laws, they are often separating, divisive, and confusingly defined. If someone fails, how much success does it take to make up for that, to balance it back out? Why does that change for some and the scale seem weighted?
So, I guess when it boils it down, what is distilled is I question what do I consider to be a success, for me to be a success. I think one reason why it is so hard for me to answer that is that there are multiple points trying to impress upon me their definition. Plus, my finish line seems to keep moving. I no more accomplish one thing and then feel like I need to jump to the next challenge. So with all of that rolling around in my head, it was a struggle to sleep, until I came upon a very short phrase that led me to turn off the light, snuggle into my blanket, and head to sleep. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. My drive to achieve is part of me, it’s a persistence that has proved to be a boon when I have spent ten hours on an econ exam, when I didn’t want to take the next step, when I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next. But, how sweet those words were, when after the trying and seeking and working and wearing out, “come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Now that’s a definition I can live with.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
The Sum of Parts
I have heard writers refer to being more than the “sum of the parts” for years. But, I haven’t really given much thought as to what that meant. Then, flipping through the Guidepost, I saw an article by Glenn Close. She wrote about mental illness in her family, and how her sister said that she was “not her disease, but was being treated for her disease.” I love that! That to me made the sum of parts all fall into place.
I am more than the sum of my parts. I am more than my hopes and fears, my insecurities and confidences, my successes and failures. I am more than what could be and what is. What a relief! I can find myself riding the tidal wave of current events and being pushed right up onto the beach so quickly that my head is in a tail spin. Everything is going along fine and then, woosh, the speed picks up and I can feel the wave to start wanting to pull me into a tumble again. When the parts get to be overwhelming, I want to stand up and yell, I am not a disease, a failure, a perception, a success! I am me and I am more than the sum of my parts!
I am more than the sum of my parts. I am more than my hopes and fears, my insecurities and confidences, my successes and failures. I am more than what could be and what is. What a relief! I can find myself riding the tidal wave of current events and being pushed right up onto the beach so quickly that my head is in a tail spin. Everything is going along fine and then, woosh, the speed picks up and I can feel the wave to start wanting to pull me into a tumble again. When the parts get to be overwhelming, I want to stand up and yell, I am not a disease, a failure, a perception, a success! I am me and I am more than the sum of my parts!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Celebration Choice
I caught a bit of the news the other day, and then remembered why I don’t generally watch the news. Wow, there is a lot of hurt and anger and general yuck out there! So, in the midst of this, it would be so incredibly easy to become lost in problem. So, with all of that, with all of the everyday difficulties we face, how do we celebrate?
I think it’s a choice. I think that we choose to celebrate the small things. We must choose to celebrate moments with friends, puppy dog wiggles, the smell of fresh herbs and spices, the feel of a good batter, and the sounds of baby birds. We must choose to celebrate small and large efforts and successes. We must choose to celebrate achievements, moments of overcoming struggles, and the steps we take to move forward. We must choose to celebrate.
I’m not a morning person and like my coffee. Once I wake up, I can take in the day, and try to have a mindset of celebrating the day. It’s not always a success. Earlier this week, I had a back ache and was just a grump. I tried really hard not to be grumpy, but simply wanted to go back to bed. What do I do in the midst of pain or struggles? Well, I did take care of myself – the massage and ice pack and hot bath combos were very helpful. I can celebrate that I am able to do that. So, it’s a choice to celebrate or something else. Choose to celebrate.
I think it’s a choice. I think that we choose to celebrate the small things. We must choose to celebrate moments with friends, puppy dog wiggles, the smell of fresh herbs and spices, the feel of a good batter, and the sounds of baby birds. We must choose to celebrate small and large efforts and successes. We must choose to celebrate achievements, moments of overcoming struggles, and the steps we take to move forward. We must choose to celebrate.
I’m not a morning person and like my coffee. Once I wake up, I can take in the day, and try to have a mindset of celebrating the day. It’s not always a success. Earlier this week, I had a back ache and was just a grump. I tried really hard not to be grumpy, but simply wanted to go back to bed. What do I do in the midst of pain or struggles? Well, I did take care of myself – the massage and ice pack and hot bath combos were very helpful. I can celebrate that I am able to do that. So, it’s a choice to celebrate or something else. Choose to celebrate.
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