Success is.........

                                                         How we define success


In this day in age success is usually defined by how much money you make, what kind of car you drive, what your house looks like and how well you live. These are the “human” determinations as I call them. I measure life a bit differently however. A man cannot be measure by what material value their live holds but what they've accomplished in life. I feel the best thing to gauge your successes are how well you can provide a stable loving environment for your children, if you can set and met all your education goals and how lastly how you feel about yourself as a person (do you value your own worth?)

My children as I've said before are everything to me. I live to make sure they are taken care of, that’s a challenge in itself. It’s hard being a single parent to four kids and one in the oven but it’s one I take with pride and very seriously. I remember how much my oldest daughter changed my perspective on life when she was born. The minute I laid eyes on her life just changed Now success in being a mom isn't how much stuff you can buy them, it’s about love and support and at times those things are challenging and they may not see it that way but I do the best I can. If I woke up and I felt like Billie Mcandless I don’t know how I could go on. I’m sure she felt like she gave Chris the best life possible but in the end he felt like he was missing something and perhaps he was but he never told them what that was. I hope I never have to feel that. I hope my parenting has told them they can talk to me or better yet if they can’t they have other people they can talk to who will support them if they need it. Nicholas Sparks said “What it's like to be a parent: It's one of the hardest things you'll ever do but in exchange it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love.” I believe through trials and tribulations and years of working at it my kids will be the best they can be. We have our daily struggles but we will work through them and strive for the best. Jon Krakauer said “According to the moral absolutism that characterizes McCandless's beliefs, a challenge in which a successful outcome is assured isn't a challenge at all.” Having kids doesn’t guarantee a certain outcome come it takes work and you have to be willing to whatever it takes.

Entering back into college has been a struggle. Some days I want to throw in the towel but I don’t. I know I’ve come this far and I can’t quit now. My most successful moment so far in college was completing the Medical Assistant program at Chabot and getting a job a day before we graduated. I hadn’t worked in 2 years and I felt so accomplished that last day of medical assisting. My teachers had prepared me to be the best CMA I could be and I was ready to prove it. With my certificate in hand I started working were I still work today I might add and set out to do a good job. I busted my ass and by doing that I turned what was supposed to be a temporary position into a permanent one. In that moment I felt like Alex when he said “You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only...from human relationships. God has placed it all around us...and all you have to do is reach for it.” My success at work isn’t about the paycheck (don’t get me wrong paycheck’s are nice) but rather how much I can help someone else. It makes me very happy when my patients are happy and that’s the greatest success story in medicine. Patients die and move on but making them happy is part of my job and if I can do that I’ve accomplished a lot. Albert Einstein said it best when he said “Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.” I appreciate my job and the people I encounter (most days) it make me a better person one of true value.


Successful people know and treasure their self-worth. People tend to take themselves for granted. I am one of them. When I was younger my dad wasn’t around that much. So when I got older I was destined to find someone to fill that void. I had a baby right out of high school and I felt that did the trick, but it wasn’t enough. I held onto my relationship with my ex longer than I probably should have and it played a trick on my confidence. When I didn’t feel like anyone loved me I just thought it was my fault. That feeling stemmed from a childhood not feeling like my dad wanted or appreciated me. I let people into my life who abused the fact that I had I need to be wanted and it wasn’t until I met my boyfriend that I changed. Chris said in into the wild “I'm going to paraphrase Thoreau here... rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth. “ I needed someone to give me that truth and my love did that for me. He was very patience and kind. He endured a whole lot more than anyone should to love me and he never gave up. I’m grateful to him for that. Through he’s eyes I saw I was better than what I thought. I now know that I sold myself short in lots of instances just to please people. Today I value myself more than I ever have. I don’t take shit from pretty much anyone and that’s ok. Krakauer said “It’s not always necessary to be strong, but to feel strong.” I have moments when I don’t feel the strongest but I will not let that stop me. I’ve been to the bottom and the view is way better from the top!