Success? What is it?

One little word....success! Yes, this is my one little word over on the CK message board. What does this word mean to you? I know what it means to me. To me, success is stepping outside your comfort zone to experience something that you want to do. It doesn't matter whether you pass or fail.

Four years ago I thought I had failed when I lost a decent office job. I wasn't thrilled with the job, but it was a decent job, paid well and treated me good. I was content. When I lost this job I felt like I had failed. A year later I decided I was going to step outside my comfort zone. I went back to school. I found my passion for working with children and went with it. I knew I didn't want to be a teacher, but I want to work with children and families. I majored in Psychology Child Life and with a huge climb, I completed in three years and earned my bachelor of science degree. To me, and to many, that is considered success.

Climbing the ladder to success is a long climb. Will I ever get to the top? One only knows. But what is the true meaning of success? Is success what you reach when you get to the top or is it all the steps along the way?

Achieving a bachelor's degree while raising a family and working part-time certainly was a huge success! The biggest success for me that could top that would be to find my dream job in my career. However, if we focus on the big successes we tend to overlook the little things. It's the little steps that get us to the top.

I have a family, a home, and a job. It may only be a part-time retail job, but it helps. We're surviving. We wake up and every day is a new day with new hopes and dreams. While I struggle to find my dream job, this may very well be the biggest success anyone can accomplish. Keeping my family together during these rough waters is success. 

Success can be defined in so many ways. I may not be living the "dream", but I'm helping to make ends meet and that, to me, is success.

Always remember this, if you're not sure you've become successful...

Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.  ~David Frost