Life is an adventure to find yourself, be yourself and live fully.

 

I wish I had known that earlier in my life, how simple it could have been.

 

Yet, for me, I spent the majority of my life chasing success. Hardly, thinking about how to live peacefully and be who I was meant to be. Success was based on outside criteria. Chasing the proverbial acceptance. Did I have the right job? How did I look – physically as well as what I was doing? Was it proper? Was I doing it right? Living by the rules?

 

Now that you are in the later part of your life, how would you define life as a success?

 

By your roles? By your family? By inner peace? By living a regret-free life? By your health? By memories, you’ve created? By the love you share? By the money in your bank account? By what you give? By the career you have or had? Or, how grateful you are?

 

What’s success to you?

 

Would you do that by the decades?

 

It’s crazy how your childhood is basically the 18 years at home with family but often the rest of your life is spent defining who you are on your own terms while trying to release the strongholds of past beliefs, values, and attitudes.

 

Your 20s were spent becoming independent, finding a job, marrying, and often beginning a family. Probably the decade of the greatest risk-taking trying to define who you are.

 

The 30s are considered the prime of life. Freedom and Responsibility. Usually spent trying to build your career, wealth and family.

 

For me, it was chasing success to be on top, stressed to the max and didn’t even realize the toll it was taking on me.

 

The 40s – mid-life crisis, checking in to see is this all there is. You think you know what you want and will go after it. Maybe life gives you some challenge that becomes life-changing.

 

Your 50s are often a time thinking about becoming empty-nesters and retirement. Families are changing. We plan for the future. Your roles change big-time.

 

The 60s and 70s are decades of retiring and figuring out what’s next. Being grandparents.

 

By the end of each decade, you often assess where you’ve been and what changes are you ready to make based on your definition of success.

 

Instead of feeling less than or not meeting the standards someone else has set, take time to decide what success is for you so that you can live a more peaceful and loving life.

You are in charge of your life. Define the criteria you want for success in whatever you do. Take pride in the life you are living.

 

For instance, we just returned from our Iceland trip. For us, since we love to travel it’s all about an adventure and having fun. Challenging ourselves and connecting in new ways. We love going to new places and learning about the culture and the people.

 

 

We walked on glaciers with these boot grips that made it easy, went into an ice cave and shimmied through a crevice made from the ice’s changes. Luckily, we didn’t need to use our harnesses to get us out or our picks to dig out.

 

Our trip was a success for us based on what we need and want.

 

What’s success for you? What’s your criteria or ideas of what you want to be able to feel complete?

 

Hopefully, you are not just letting life pass you by. You will never feel successful or content.

 

For me, my definition of success has changed dramatically over the years and for what I have happening.

 

My own idea of success is more important than anyone else’s.

 

I must live in alignment with my desires, beliefs, and thoughts.

 

I understand how I create the meaning I have for my life.

 

When I align with the integrity of what I say and what I do, my life is peaceful and content. That’s success.

 

Success is living a fulfilling life.

 

Success is knowing I’ve made a difference whether that’s in a career, being a grandparent or being a friend.

 

Success is honoring where you have been and where you are going. Not the easiest task but one worth taking the time to forgive yourself, to congratulate your efforts and be at peace with the choices you make even if you wished they were different.

 

Success is being grateful for the experiences of life, the happiness, and sadness that you have had. The whole gamut of feelings.

 

Life is what you make of it.

 

So my simple ideas of success today are based on my journey to living a life full of love, compassion, and peace.

 

How about you?