To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
2 comments:
Hmmm.... I think this is nice, but I would say that success is also that of becoming the fullness of who you were meant to be. God made each one of us, and He made us pursposefully. Thus, there is a satisfaction that can only come from returning to the hands of our Creator--seeing that the One who made the world knows better than I. Emerson alludes to good things, wholesome pursuits--no doubt. But I believe true success--not measured by the inconsistent standards of the world that label you a "good person" or not-- comes only when we are tuned in to Jesus Christ. I'm not speaking from a soapbox here, just from my heart. He crushes fear and is the strength that I lack. I would be a shaking mess if it wasn't for His grip on my life. He enables me to grow beyond myself and to succeed when the world says I fail. This is Living. This is Purpose--to WORSHIP the beauty of this world, its Maker, and His people.
How are you Jon? Tell me about that girl/woman/female thing that is no more.
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