Success, My Way
This is a life-long favorite quote, generally (though probably incorrectly) attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. I wrote it on a huge poster board in junior high, and it hung in my bedroom until long after I was married and had children of my own. As a student of New Thought, we read a lot of Emerson and can clearly see the influence he had on our culture. My love of this quote, and so many others like it, show me that I started on this path much earlier than I realized.
The words "success" and "successful" get bandied about a lot, and almost always are used to mean wealthy and accomplished professionally. While I appreciate money, and welcome abundance in all forms, wealth alone has never brought me happiness. I prefer this peaceful, loving definition of success:
To laugh often and love much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the approbation 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.Labels: Lezli Goodwin, New Thought, quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson, religious science, success