It’s my late father in law’s birthday today and it’s inspired me to write about success and what this truly means.
He was a wonderful man. He was kind, he was positive, he never said a bad word about anyone. He was hugely supportive of me. He never once dragged me down, or made me feel bad about myself. He was a unique soul who was kind, thoughtful and totally devoted to his wife and family.
There were times when he worked too much and that came across as distant or unkind – but it was always to please the family and look after them. He was driven by this motivation to be the provider. It was what he deemed success was – to work hard, to provide, to be the breadwinner. He was a lawyer.
Whilst I respect his path in life, I am thankful that today we can attempt (even if we die trying) to turn this notion of ‘success’ on its head and reinvent a new path.
This is me, on my roof, no make-up, basically wearing my PJS – but I feel a sense of success today. Hitting my 40s has provided me an opportunity to re-evaluate the notion of what success is. Whilst it’s been a brutal journey, it has led me to a more fulfilled place in my life.
The ‘mid- life’ milestone has hit me hard and I have felt all the symptoms they wrote about in the 60s. I am thankful for it though.
How has this impacted me? I left Australia last year in September, gave my family 2 weeks-notice and shipped them off to another country. At the time my children were excited about the opportunity and have since acclimatised incredibly well, although undeniably there have been difficult moments.
What was the point of the whole exercise?
To turn success on its head – and prove to myself there are many ways a person can be successful. If we look at the original definition of success it would not necessarily equate to material items. It would be defined more as joy in the everyday, being present in the moment and being happy with what you have in life. Being happy with your own choices, and not necessarily wondering what other people have and comparing yourself to them.
My father in law had that ability. So to me, even with the corporate job and long hours – he had actually made a success of it all.
It’s with that in mind – I continue to allow my kids this opportunity to gain life experience outside of what they have initially known, for however long it’s going to be. And look – it’s given me an opportunity to sit on my rooftop in the middle of winter, put on my hat and write 🙂 nothing unsuccessful about that.
