The MONTHLY Motivator - November 2011

Successful living

It’s not about how much money you have. It’s not about how many people you know. It’s not even about how many great experiences you have. Truly successful living is all about the quality of the moment you’re in. It’s about living each day with richness, with purpose, with joy, and with authenticity. Successful living is not something that can be easily measured by any outside factors. Yes, you can be quantifiably successful in business, in finance, in sports, and in all sorts of pursuits that are very measurable. Successful living, however, is determined by you, and by how you feel in the moment you’re in, rather than by outside factors. Successful living comes from how authentically fulfilled you are, and by how much you resonate with the beauty of life.

Who are you? What are you? You’re not some cog in a machine. You are completely unique. Obviously, you are similar to other people, and share many things in common with other people. And yet, you are your own person. There’s not anyone else in the whole universe who shares your unique perspective. That is an outstanding opportunity as well as an awesome responsibility.

Living successfully is being constantly mindful of that responsibility and of that opportunity. Living successfully is being thankful for the opportunity and being diligent about the responsibility. Living successfully happens moment by moment. It’s not something you can do in a big burst of energy for five or six months and then spend the next two years resting on your accomplishments. Living successfully is done one moment at a time. That in itself presents you with an outstanding opportunity. Because you can live successfully right now. No matter what has come before, no matter what your supposed, imagined prospects for the future may be, no matter what conditions you find yourself in, you can, right now, live successfully. You can practice successful living.

So what are some of the keys to successful living?

First, successful living is authentic living. It’s being true to truth, the truth of who you are. It’s not having to pretend to be someone or something that you’re not. It’s not feeling pressured to like certain things just because a lot of other people like them. It is speaking your mind, and being truthful about what you think, not in an argumentative way, but in a completely open and honest way. You can be absolutely certain that there’s no one else in this world who will agree completely everything you have to say. And that’s great. Because we are all unique individuals and we benefit from such a widespread diversity of opinions, and from a diversity of perspectives. We benefit greatly by considering the perspectives of others, and weaving those considerations into the fabric of our own lives and into the fabric of our community.

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--Ralph Marston

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