What is a failed expectation that is causing you suffering?
I almost skipped over this question today, as I'm not trying to make anyone look bad, but I reconsidered because it really should be expressed, and this is a great place for that! Some of us have certain people in our lives that continuously let us down in one way or another. Why, then, do we keep them in our lives? I know when it's a family member, it's easy to understand why, but some of us put ourselves through undue stress with those who could be removed from our lives. It's a balance thing, I think. We can all handle being let down from time to time, but when it begins to outweigh the positive effect that person has on your life, it's time to move on.
I personally struggle with a couple of people that are this way. One, I could let go of, and have let go of before, but for some reason we keep reuniting. The other, I can't quite let go of, as I'm stuck in the middle of a situation that requires my involvement, and requires this person to live up to their end of a deal, which they're not doing, partially due to unforeseen circumstances, mostly due to avoidable circumstances. Bad decision making on their part has put me in quite a bind, but I'm not really stressing over it. Things always fall into place, and always will. Actually... what's funny (and I just realized this) is that the first expectation-failure is the one I'm counting on to bail me out of the other failure's doing. lol... how ironic. I just hope it all works out, as I'm sure it will :)
What would you like to share?
What a great question! So simple and necessary, yet something we never ask each other. There's a lot I'd like to share, but if I had to choose one thing today, it'd probably be my utter joy to be back in Florida, and especially around this time of year. I moved to NC for a while, and basically the entire time I was there, I wished I was in FL. I was born and raised here and spent half my life in NC at my family's cabin. What I realized when living there was that it needs to remain a vacation place.. a haven to retreat to when you want to get away. Florida is where I am happiest and feel most at home. And the anticipation of the upcoming season is so great... October - March is my favorite time of year in Florida, and it's right around the corner!
I have a ton of plans for celebrating the holidays, decorating my house, being all festive... one thing I'm definitely looking forward to is seeing my cousin's new baby during the Christmas holiday. They're coming down to visit, and I'll finally get to see little Nicki! It's bittersweet seeing all the photos and videos. I don't think my grandparents could be more thrilled to have their first great-grandchild :) Life is good!
Great blog! Accidentally stumbled here and thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Since I am a talkative person notorious for asking long winding questions, allow me to victimize you as well by asking this- What is your definition of success??
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! :) Sorry it took so long for me to get back with you. As for your question, let me first start off by saying that I'm am thoroughly aware that I know nothing about anything. lol... but I'll give you my thoughts on the subject :)
ReplyDeleteI believe that success is relative to the person attempting to succeed. What may be a victory for one person, might mean nothing to another. So, basically, I guess I'd define success as the achievement of any goal or dream that one sets out to conquer. In some cultures, a successful person might be one that graduated high school. In others, it could be financial success, or achieving spiritual enlightenment. I believe it depends on what you value.
Many people (especially in our culture) value money, although I believe this is an illusion in many cases. The whole money:happiness ratio. I value money, but not more than I value freedom. In my culture, money often provides certain types of freedom. So, I do strive to achieve financial success, and I have a very specific plan that goes along with it.
After getting certain debts squared away & so forth, I want nothing more than for my family to be free of any financial worries. I would give just about anything to give them that kind of relief. I also dream of traveling & experiencing other cultures... staying for months at a time and behaving as a citizen, learning as much as I can about what it is like to be a local in that area (I have a list of places ranging from the Bahamas to remote parts of India). OH and to foster baby primates in Africa (LOL, I know that's a random one, but I MUST experience that before I die!). Once I've satisfied that hunger, I want so badly to live out the rest of my life on a ranch with horses and other animals, including a dog rescue, and turning it into a center for juveniles, to help them rehabilitate their lives and show them how to achieve their own personal successes (using animals to aid in therapy). I have big plans as far as that dream goes that I'm not going to go into here.
Anyway, my point in bringing all of this up is that, yes, the short term goal is of a monetary nature, but personally, I would only feel successful once I've achieved what the money would allow me to achieve... helping my family, traveling, etc. THAT is when I will feel like I have succeeded.... in one respect.
I also consider myself a highly spiritual person. My spirituality is a huge part of my identity. I strive every day to learn and grow more & more in that respect, and if I achieved nothing else, I would consider myself successful for simply continuing to evolve and working toward understanding and enlightenment.
I believe that dedication and commitment to any passion can bring about success. If, however, the end result of that success corrupts you (i.e,. money, power, etc.), that you have ultimately failed. A successful person is one who builds a mansion out of the sticks & stones life threw at her.
Good question :)