What Constitutes Success?

“Success”

Inaccurately attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson

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.

“What Constitutes Success”

By Bessie Stanley (1905)

He has achieved success who has lived well,

laughed often and loved much;

who has gained the respect of intelligent men

and the love of little children;

who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;

who has left the world better than he found it,

whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;

who has never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty

or failed to express it;

who has always looked for the best in others

and given them the best he had;

whose life was an inspiration;

whose memory a benediction.

I assert that "Success" has different meanings for different people.

What constitutes "Success" for you might mean nothing to me or someone else.

Some think that wealth means success, or power.

Some think that having a degree, or the perfect job is success.

I believe it is about Priorities.

What do I have to do in order to feel "Successful"?

What constitutes "Success" for me is:

1. A good relationship with my God and Jesus. 
2. A loving, close-knit family. Being a good wife, mother, and sister. 
3. Good friends not fair weather friends who only love you when you do what they want you to do. 
4. Self acceptance, of my good and bad, realizing that I do not have to be perfect in order to be loved. 
5. Living, Loving, Laughing as much as I can. 
6. Peace and Serenity that comes from knowing what you were created for and doing it. 
7. Doing the best that you can with what God gave you. 
8. Pleasing God, not man. 
9. Helping when you can. 
10. Accepting whatever God's will is for you. 

Here I Am To Worship by Michael W. Smith

Fantastic song. Heard it first on KSBJ, and I sing it a lot. God has delivered me from my addictions since January 1, 1987. I woke up this morning singing this song! Tonight I am celebrating twenty seven years of sobriety and serenity, by the grace of a loving and forgiving God. I did not do this alone, I had a lot of sober alcoholics and alanons who gave given freely of themselves through the years. I have gone through death, divorce, unemployment, homelessness, stalking, abuse, and even a cancer scare back in 2000.
 

I lost my Dad in 2002, my Daddy in 2006, and Moma in 2012, and so now I know that I have to be the “grown up”. I always wanted to be one of the big kids, and sit up at the big table with Moma and Daddy. I just turned sixty this month. It feels so weird. I am RESPONSIBLE by the grace of God and the twelve steps and therapy.

I learned years ago, that I had a choice, and that if I wanted to just stay sober I could, but for me I wanted it all! Sobriety and Serenity takes action and doing the “footwork”. I did not want to just sit back and say ok make me well or fix me. I did not get sobriety and serenity without working the steps.Many an alcoholic has gotten drunk again by not working the steps and “growing up” and taking Responsibility for themselves. Many have died drunks. God gives us free will, so we have the freedom to choose how we want to live.

In our “instant” and “throw away” society people want the “easy way” out for everything. If you want it all, and don’t want to just be a “dry drunk”, then you must do it all. Choose life and sobriety. “Nothing is impossible with God.”

The Age of Innocence-1970-Patricia, Karl, Sarah, and Sally Frederick-11039 Lafferty Oaks Street-Houston, Texas

Patricia, Karl, Sarah, and Sally Frederick-11039 Lafferty Oaks Street-Houston, Texas-1970

I was taught that we were all God's children and we were loved. I thought that the "good guys" always won, and that you should be honest, kind, and loving to everyone. 

I loved to read, and I lived through my books. I always had a diary or journal. Writing always gave me a release and helped me to sort my feelings out. 

I loved playing house, dancing, singing, walking barefoot in the cool grass, and climbing trees. Every summer we had a pool in our backyard, and Daddy cooked a lot of barbecue.  He made the best chicken with his homemade barbecue sauce, and Mother made potato salad and beans to go with it. Of course, growing up in a German, Norwegian, and Moravian home we always had something good for dessert. My favorite was of course chocolate, but I loved homemade Kolaches too.

I grew up in Jacinto City, Harris County, Texas. We grew up in a day when you could play outside without fear of being attacked or kidnapped. We knew all our neighbors and each one of the houses had a lot of children. We did not have to lock our doors then, because we trusted our neighbors. We looked out for each other's homes and children. If our parents were not around and we go into trouble, they always knew about it real soon.

Mother and Daddy had six of us children. And...mother told us that all of us were planned...we were loved, and wanted. 

We celebrated birthdays, and holidays with all our neighbors and family too. There was always good music, good food, and dancing when we celebrated. My Daddy taught me how to dance the polka to Moravian music. We loved Chubby Checker and dancing the Twist. 

We loved playing kick ball, baseball, and chase. We played "Hide and Seek". We played card games, monopoly, dominoes, and yahtzee.

Mother was always home when we came home from school, and us children were made to help out. We were not allowed to be lazy or selfish. Daddy worked hard for a living. We ate a lot of beans and cornbread, macaroni and cheese, and spaghetti. Mother made the best bread. 

We did not have much materially, but we had more than some children had. We had both parents, clean house, clean clothes to wear, good food to eat, and lots of playmates then.  We had lots of love. Good memories from back then.