I wanna share something with you. My eldest is in grade 12 this year, and I’m seeing my friend group posting excitedly about the universities and colleges their kids are going to, the honour roll praise, and the sheer pride of it all. And that is AMAZING!
I’m also at the stage of life where huge career developments are happening for my peers, and exciting life events, and there’s just so much winning happening, it’s incredible.
I’m witnessing success after success and I gotta tell ya, it’s wonderful, ALL of it.
And then in the shadows I hear from friends who are feeling unworthy, battling imposter syndrome, and feeling like they’re not keeping up. They’re lost, anxious, and worried about the multitude of things we carry. They’re not feeling very “successful”, and that breaks my damn heart.
Success, *real* success, isn’t about fitting into a mold that society has crafted for us. It’s not about the dollars in our bank accounts, our jobs, our homes, or how wrinkle-free and thin we are. It’s not found in the cars we drive or the purses we carry. It’s not about fame, or our kids’ accomplishments.
And this isn’t just about us – it extends to our kids too. Our kids don’t need to get straight As for us to be over-the-moon proud, nor do they need to be accepted into ANY post-secondary institution to be a success story. They don’t have to be a prodigy, surpassing others in talent, or even excel in a sport. They don’t need great jobs or marriages or babies. Hell, who cares if they don’t do much of anything worthy of a standard Facebook status update? They’re already incredible, just as they are. They don’t need to push harder, hustle more, or BE more.
Success is found in the personal battles we’ve faced and conquered, no matter how big or small. It’s found when our kid battled anxiety to show up for school or mastered a skill they’ve worked so hard on, or just plain survived.
It’s in the goals we set for ourselves, the small wins, the joys found in simple moments, and it’s most certainly found in leading an authentic life that WE define.
It’s found when kids feel safe and loved, and are proud of themselves just as they are, and then spread that feeling to the world by being kind to others. That’s real success.
Success isn’t a one-size-fits-all badge to be worn. It’s deeply personal and you deserve the chance to shape your own success, whatever path YOUR journey takes you.
Your life, and the lives of your kids if you’ve got ‘em, with all their individual struggles and victories, are success stories in their own right.
I’m so proud of your stories. And I’m so proud of mine.
