Let Your Own Words Guide You

At one time or another in life, we find ourselves working hard to get closer to the light. The light may be success, or love, or a goal we have set for ourselves. We work hard and focus all our energy on reaching that goal, having the dream job, or finding our one true love. We work hard and long to get there, and when we reach the light we feel that we have arrived.

I believe hard work pays off. It might not happen when we want, or how we want, or the way we wanted, but it will happen. I don’t think that is the challenge. Eventually we all reach the place in life and become the person our choices created. The challenge is wanting what you have once you have it.

I talk to people every week that are facing doubt, dismay or personal crisis because they are not sure they want the life they have created. They work ridiculous hours to further their career, only to find that they don’t know themselves or their family anymore. There are those who have arrived – office with a window, expense account, title, organizational power – and they feel empty or exhausted. They regret the sacrifices they have made or no longer want to be the person they have become. And there are those who have been with their loved one for a while and no longer know why they are together.

I talk to people who are content and satisfied with themselves and their lives. Sure there are things they want to change or improve, yet they are happy with the life they live if nothing ever changes. They know themselves and what price they are willing to pay to be content. They have defined for themselves a definition of success and they make decisions in life, in their careers, in their families to support that definition. Too many of us get distracted or swayed by the last ‘thing’ or leader who puts an idea into our head, and we head a different direction than our own definition of success would lead us to follow. We forget what we want and we forget what is truly important to us; the media, friends, family, any other sources of information are then able to push and pull us any direction, even away from our own contentment.

Have you ever sat down in a quiet place and written down what you want out of your life? What is important to you? Who is important to you? What are you willing to do to get what you want? And what are you NOT willing to do? How do you define success or contentment? Is it written down anywhere? Do you read your definition of success on a regular basis? Do you make decisions with your idea of success as your guide? Or do you feel like a moth drawn towards the light and if the light moves or changes you follow it blindly?

Those who are grounded and content know why they are doing what they are doing, why they are sharing their world with people, and how far they are willing to go to get what they want. Write it down, define what you want to be content and successful and let your own words guide you each and every day.