I must admit, here at the end of the month of extending love to the fear of success that I have little to report except the obvious. Failure is never final. Success is ALWAYS an option. I know. You already knew that. It’s like saying the Crown Jewels are breathtaking. But why?? Why is success always an option? There are times that failure is death or catastrophic mess or pain, what then? The thing I have learned about success by uncovering my eyes and looking at it is that success is. Success is just like Love is or God is or I am. Success is a part of me, of life, of this moment. Success is. Failure is failing to notice what is. That’s all. In failure we just tend to believe all those thoughts that tell us “I AM the failure” rather than see that this moment is another opportunity to notice what IS, remembering feedback is feedback. That is the real success. In the success books this looks like hustle in the face of whatever is happening. In the Bible it looks like Jesus in the desert for 40 days, in the newspaper it looks like the local fire department coming around (again) to help pick up your neighbor who has fallen down and can’t get up.
When you look in the rearview mirror to gauge your success do you notice who’s face is staring right back at you?
I think I shied from success because I have given myself a very limited view of success. Success to me looked like my name being called out at the Academy Awards (forget the fact I am not an actress) or closer to home, being elected as president of the museum docent council (I wasn’t). Why do I persist in thinking success is a moment when the very word whispers the truth. Success is succession. An is-ness that happens again, and again, and yet again. Success is practice but success is also not practicing and coming to a fresh perspective anyway. Success is me noticing my roiling feelings that needed full expression in order for me to feel the peace that I am again. Success is what we need it to be in any moment that we show up. Keep noticing, keep loving, keep being. That is success.
Sure, set a goal and go for it. Just remember to take your self with you. That Is the biggest lesson I have learned from extending love to the fear of success (or indeed any fear). The thing about fear is it keeps you from noticing, embracing and being your real self. So the next time you decide to start walking every day, or make it home for to eat dinner with your kids at least three nights a week, or you opt for drinking more water, just remember to take your precious self with you. It is, of course, all ready with you but real success is noticing, acknowledging and surrendering to this truth in gratitude.
