We are not entitled to be successful!
Just because we hang a sign on our door… it does not mean people will come.
Just because we write a blog or a book… it does not mean people will read it or become inspired.
Just because we obtain our credentials... or gain a few years of experience… it does not mean others will value our skill set.
We are not entitled to be successful;
to be sought after;
or to be wealthy as a result of our offerings.
If you believe success is your birthright, you will have many humbling experiences and rude awakenings.
I believe there is something deep in our American mythology that fuels much of our entrepreneurial efforts.
Deep down many of us believe that it is only a matter of time and our greatness will be uncovered.
Many believe that we are worthy of vast amounts of attention: a radio spot, a t.v. guest appearance, a “reality show” of our own.
The truth is that there are many amazing personally and professionally successful people who go virtually unknown to anyone outside of their immediate circle.
Without credentials or certificates they provide great wisdom, advice, coaching, excellent problem-solving, consultation, and inspiration to name a few.
They are often very personally fulfilled and rich in relationships (representing other dimensions of wealth and success). Additional dimensions can also include health/well-being and freedom of expression.
Their fulfillment comes from the enrichment they gain in service to others.
In fact, many service professionals learn eventually that their time is invaluable and recognize that the exchange of funds for time is a limiting model. We not only lose in the category of dollars and cents, but we also limit our potential impact this way.
However, the time spent cultivating a true and unique service model (through one-on-one services and exchanging time for money) should not be dismissed. A few months ago I published a post called “Hard Work Without the Harvest.”
In it I share a principle shared with me and many others from the Taoist Tai Chi Master – Master Chen. It essentially states that if you are not fully present and committed to the process you are engaged in, you will not yield the desired results.
You have to bring your whole self in alignment. Your movement, your breathing, your balance, your intention, and your life force (chi). You might think of your chi as your spirit, your energy, your soul or your inner connection to all beings.
And so it is also true in each of our personal versions of the American Dream, that we may only harvest what we cultivate…and sometimes what we cultivate does not come to harvest.
The reasons could be vast and too many to name in this writing…but the results for entrepreneurs are often the same…discouragement and then a dusting oneself off…getting up… and trying again.
If we can approach our work without the mythology of our own personal legend and look unflinchingly at the truth of our shortcuts or other missteps, we will find a strategy for our next efforts.
We will learn the hidden truth… that even if you do everything “right,” sometimes things go “wrong” and that it is how we respond to the things that go wrong that defines our real life success.
You are not successful because many people come to listen to you, watch you perform, or cheer you on… you are successful when from a place of right alignment with all that you are… you serve without need for recognition or acknowledgement from others.
Recognition from others is nice… however it is also fleeting. It can be taken away as quickly as it is given. As a result we can begin to place our worth on that external barometer from others.
Our true success is something sensed internally. It is a feeling that I think one of my favorite writers Oriah Mountain Dreamer expresses in her poem and book “The Invitation.”
In it she wants to know “if you can be alone with yourself…and truly like the company you keep.” If the answer is “yes,” then is that not success?
Liking one’s own company is not a frivolous sentiment.
Many who appear to like themselves harbor deep down self loathing that keeps them from truly connecting with others (one of the forms of wealth)…this inability to connect damages their health and well-being (another form of wealth) and repels people (customers, colleagues, clients, friends and family) from them in countless ways.
We may not be entitled to “success” but we can cultivate it in our every action and intention.
We can ask ourselves is the action in alignment with our intellectual, physical, spiritual, and emotional selves?
Am I acting from right intention? (i.e. seeking the highest good)
Regardless of the outcome, when we approach our life and our work from these stances we have already arrived at our true success.
So if and when that external “success” comes, there is
- no loss of self,
- no spinning out,
- no public meltdown, and
- no shaving of our heads…
When and if external success comes, we are simply being welcomed home.
Copyright © 2015 Ruby Blow. All rights reserved.
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