• A life of purpose – Having goals and defined values to work towards and guide life.
• A life of being true to myself – Knowing who I am, not who I was conditioned to be, and holding my boundaries to maintain myself with kindness, curiosity and compassion.
• A life of giving – Being kind and compassionate.  It is giving to others in big ways and small ways with no expectation of a return within my boundaries.
• A life of making the world a better place – Leaving the world better for walking through it with connection to others. It is taking steps forward in protecting the environment, the future, confronting toxicity and spreading kindness and joy.
• A life of growth – Understanding at any moment I am doing my best and that there is always a better version of myself to learn about and strive towards.
• A life of flexibility – Understanding life is always changing and that my goal, values and view will change as I grow and experience life.
• A life of challenge and perseverance – Accepting life’s challenges, and continuing to push forward with my purpose and values in the face of those challenges. It is also understanding that persevering does not mean constantly. Sometimes a break is a must.
• A life of asking for help and in return helping others – Recognizing we all need help in life, asking for that help and returning it to others when they need it Recognizing all the big and small ways I help another and another helps me.

As I read the list above, it is so different from what I was conditioned to envision years ago. And so I look at it and it feels so idealistic. There is no solid measure in any of the tenants. There is no make this much money and you are successful. There is no get your child into this college and you are successful. There is no own this car or that house and you are successful. There is no meet this goal and you are successful.

There is success in the smallest step. There is success in failure and trying again. There is success in opening a door for someone. There is success in knowing yourself. Success is all around us and as I think about it, my life is already successful. Almost everyone’s life is already successful. We only have to realize it.

That doesn’t mean I don’t continue to have goals and growth. It doesn’t mean I am finished or I won’t still have challenges and impact on the world. It means by the definition above, I can die today, and my life would be considered in my eyes as successful.

• A life of purpose – I have goals and values in my life. And while I am working to define them more concretely, they are there.
• A life of being true to myself – I am working on being true to myself, defining and holding boundaries and on understanding my conditioning. I am working on holding myself in kindness, curiosity and compassion. Perfection is not required.
• A life of giving – I give of myself to others. I am learning to do this within my boundaries. From volunteering with and for community organizations, to being kind and polite with a “Thank You” or holding the door, I give everyday.
• A life of making the world a better place – I garden with an eye on environmental sustainability. I am raising my children to be more conscious than I am and to help others. I smile and I laugh and I work to spread joy.
• A life of growth – I am on a constant journey of education and personal growth. I am working to know myself, my children and others.
• A life of flexibility – I work to adjust my view and roll with life as I grow and change.
• A life of challenge and perseverance – I know life is hard. I keep going, moving towards my goals and values. I accept that sometimes I need a break and then I keep going.
• A life of asking for help and in return helping others – I ask for help and help others.

I am not perfect. And I have to constantly fight against my conditioning that says I need to be perfect. The parts of me that tell me I am not successful because I am not perfect. But perfect is not on the list. and while I don’t do all of this all of the time. I have walked my life, and I am successful. By my definition of a successful life, my children are successful. My parents, my husband and most people I know are successful. Wow, I am successful. I wonder how that is going to change my view as I continue to walk through life.