Blog #759: Walking Without the Clapping

Once Upon A Time…

I was totally
addicted to succeeding.

I wanted to be somebody
the world would know.

And clap for.

______

With all my guts…

I chased the big two relentlessly.

Money.

Fame.

______

And with that came a lot of other stressful baggage.

Do they think I’m good enough to get the gig?

Why didn’t the crowd give me an ovation?

Why did the post get so few “likes”?

Why didn’t I get more responses, more sales, more interviews, more…?

I needed the applause.

I needed to be somebody.

I had to be THIS.

I needed to be THAT.

To be rich.

Popular.

Known.

Important.

It was draining.

24-7.

For YEARS.

______

I chased…

Goals that teased a lot of money and a little popularity.

Goals the world shouted that I needed to chase.

I poured my heart into goals where I’d feel the reward.

In applause.

In dollars.

In self-worth.

Then…

I wanted the world to be happy with who I was becoming.

Now…

I want to be happy with who I AM.

I have outgrown the person I used to be.

______

Ahhh, of course…

I still send media pitches around the world.

I still seek to create opportunities everywhere.

Boldly.

But now…

Not for the clapping I get.

For the seeds I hope to plant.

______

Here’s a vulnerable secret I’ll share.

The ME today wouldn’t like to have a beer with the “me” of yesterday.

That guy…

Was always comparing.

Was always chasing.

Was always stressing.

Was never appreciating.

THAT guy…

His hunger, his ambition, his restlessness, his relentlessness, his ego…

They’re far, far different from who I am today.

Experience changed me.

Success and failure changed me.

Living changed me.

______

As I look at my life…

It seems to have passed in just minutes.

An email asked: “What’s success to you?”

I answered:

“A successful day for me today…

Watching the squirrel.

Sharing the kind word.

Breathing the minutes.

Smiling at the moment.

Planting the seed.

Watering me.”

The person emailed back:

“REALLY?”

Uh-huh.

______

I started this blog with the question that used to own me:

“What do THEY think of ME?”

Today, I want to leave you with a different question:

“What do YOU think of YOU?”

______

As I walk out of here today…

I toss a thought seed into the Universe.

If you’re stressing, worrying, and chasing life to the point of being drained…

I don’t have an answer for what YOU should do next…

BUT…

I’m sure that if you spend a couple of hours just breathing with yourself …

YOUR answer would find you.

______

The sand in our hourglass is falling.

Our Once Upon A Time doesn’t last forever.

Sooo…

How do I define success for me today?

It’s not about the dollars.

It’s not about the “like” emojis or ovations.

It’s not about becoming “a somebody” who people have heard of.

It’s found here:

“Would YOU like to have lunch with YOURSELF?”

That’s where.

That’s SUCCESS.

To me.

I dare you to ask it.

For you.

S.

(Audio version)