Success With Yourself!

Success Matters in life.  If you don't think so, ask someone who is living the life of your dreams.  If you're still not convinced, ask the lowliest person you know.  Success Does Matter!

SUCCESS WITH YOURSELF:
 I spent a lot of years being afraid to share my opinions with people.  I believe it all started when I began to take the criticisms of others about me too much to heart.  Every time someone told me "you are too blunt" or "why did you say that - you hurt my feelings" I received it as a character assessment rather than an invitation to re-phrase my statement or observation.  Better yet, I could have used it as an opportunity to temper my speaking.  Over time I noticed that, the more I bit my tongue about my opinions, and the more I stopped verbalizing my personal observations, the more people began to like hanging out with me.  As a young adult living in a college dormitory - my friends were my world.

At the time I didn't notice that I was simultaneously loosing my piquant sense of humor. I stopped going to my favorite events - afraid that I might offend someone.  I unwittingly began to focus more on how to please others.  It took me decades and a series of difficult circumstances to jolt me back to the person I believe I was created to be.  Before that happened though I literally got to a point in life where my soul was tired to the point where I didn't want to ever leave my home again or interact with anyone other than my children.  Llife wasn't beating me down - it was people well meaning needy people who either could not or did not want to see the needs of my family and I while I allowed them to put more and more responsibilities on me - in the name of The Lord.

My jolt back to reality came in doses.  1st my children started asking me if they could please stay home for just one day.  Next - I had given more of our money away than I should have and nearly lost our home as a result.  By some miracle, I met a lady who mentored me in the art of saying NO.. 

This lady was sweet.  She had a delightful sense of humor.  She had well mannered children.  She was always neat and clean (not stylish or flamboyant).  She maintained a schedule of events for her and her family so much so that when emergencies (which were virtually non existent) arose she had two back up plans in place so her family would not suffer.  Everything about her home was neat and orderly (not sharp and impressive).  She managed her money daily; down to the penny and she gave herself a mad money allowance. She had a soft voice yet she spoke with candor.  Most of all she had this way about her that was simply - well - lovely.  She told me that she had to learn who she was as a person and how to love herself.  She said that as she began to acknowledge her worth and considered her needs first in every circumstance - that everything else just fell in place.

Following is a summary of the most important lessons I learned from her: 
1.  Pleasing God starts with being true to yourself.
2.  Your home, finances, children and spouse are all extensions and a reflection of you.
3.  Only you can determine what happiness and well being are to you.
4.  If you allow others to live for or through you - they will mess up your life every time.
5.  Everything that happens to or for us we allow.  What we invite and ignore will impact us.
6.  We have to make sound decisions and stand by them.

We can life the lives of our dreams!

Andrea
 
I would love an opportunity to feature one of  your success stories on this blog.  e-mail your success story to me at: .andreagfields@gmail.com with the subject "SUCCESS MATTERS"