Two
days ago, I came across a delightful piece of writing. Delightful not solely
because of the language used, but because of its message. The meaning and
mantra it hummed in your ear as you read it. But I digress; I should begin at
the beginning.
The
author is a friend of a friend - well actually the sister of a very good friend
indeed. The writing was a bit of a personal retrospective. A
reflection-cum-self-evaluation on life at 30. She compared today's reality with
how an earlier her thought it would be 10 years ago. When you're done reading
this you should check it out. And think on it. It's fantastic!
In
her words, Sam delves into detail looking at how despite the fact she's not
where she thought she would be, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter because
she's happy.
First
of all; kudos to Sam. Kudos on having the courage to even contemplate
undergoing an honest reflection of adult life.
Secondly;
'thank you' to Sam. Thank you for reminding - or even showing - us the beauty
of adaptability and, more importantly, reason. The reason that allows us to
reflect on life from an informed perspective. Informed but not biased. This is
exactly what Sam did. And I applaud her for it.
She
looked past preconceptions of youth and labels of what 'success' should be. She
saw her own successes and realised that success is what you want it to be. And
what do we all want to be? That's right; happy!
It
stands to reason then, that if you're happy - if only for the moment, then you
must be successful. And I have to say; it sounds like Sam's in a swell place
right now - both geographically and emotionally!
In
the words of the great Bob Dylan; "What's
money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night
and in between does what he wants to do." Amen, brother. Amen.
As
for me? I revel in reflection probably too much than is recommended. And i
shouldn't really reveal in retrospect too much for fear of reprisal or
recriminations. But for every "if only I would have..." over the
passed few years, I've made sure there have been an equal amount of "But
then I would've missed out on..." moments for me to counter.
As
my good buddy Frank so eloquently said; "Regrets? I've had a few...but
then again, too few to mention."
Case
in point; I still wonder (now more than ever, as it happens) what life would be
like and what I'd be doing if I'd followed the great plan of 2008 and moved to
Manchester after uni. No doubt I'd have had and would still be having good
times galore! But then I would've missed out on all these crazy guys who make
London life so liveable and - most of the time - loveable!
And
what if I would've stuck it out at Bite instead of going travelling in 2010? I
could be on double the money now, renting a swanky flat in Notting Hill and
holidaying in the Hamptons! But i didn't. And I did go travelling. And as it
goes I've got a million marvellous memories from 2010 with people I wouldn't
swap, trade or exchange for anything!
So
let's reflect on what I've just said and what you've just read. What's the point of it? Well, I’m not totally
sure there is a point, or for that matter that there needs to be one. But
looking back (on these past few minutes), I've realised something. Reflection
is healthy. We need to reflect on where we are to understand where we want to
go. But does the fact that it's necessary mean it's any easier to look at
ourselves in total, naked honesty? No it doesn't. It's still by far and away
the bitch of the bunch, and I'm not gonna tell you any different - that would
be lying.
But
that's how you know it's worth doing. The harder something is - in this case
truly honest self-evaluation - the more you stand to grow from it.
So
go on - give Sam's reflection a read and then give it a go yourself...
Just
a thought...
[notes
on the image of a successful life]
http://www.shepardsgrove.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/notes-on-image-of-successful-life.html
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