Success is no longer the same as what I saw while growing up. While growing up, I do see people working in air-conditioned offices all dressed up, driving big and fancy cars, sending their kids to big schools, and such. That was the picture the society painted as success for us then; it was all about money, recognition, popularity, and position. But you know life; it definitely has its own way of changing the definition of things for most of us.
My dream wasn't big; I just wanted to have a degree, get a good job, make my family proud, and own a family too. Well, I can boast of the first, but along the way of getting the rest, life gets complicated. My certificate didn't guarantee me success, nor did it fulfill my dreams. Along the line of achieving these things, life showed up and pushed me into things I never imagined. I battled with my health for a long time. I took time out of school to heal, went into catering and frames, and also started helping people in the little way I could. Those experiences of mine forced me to ask myself the question...what exactly is success?
Personally, I believe success is not about the size of your bank account, nor is it the title you have. Success is all about being fulfilled. I mean, waking up each and every day and knowing that what you do counts, adds value to people's lives, and also puts a smile on someone's face, no matter how small. Looking back now, I saw how far I had come, and I can say that success is all about one's ability to touch lives. The little I'm doing is also success in motion to me, helping out at events, creating, inspiring others, and the likes.
Mind you, financial freedom is also a part of the picture. We can deny how important money is. I doubt if peace of mind is even achievable without it. But then, I'm not talking about financial freedom in the sense of owning billions, at least not to me. I have never been the type who wished for Dangote's or Adenuga's kind of money. All I want is getting to a point where my needs are met comfortably, where I can support my loved ones, help people, and still have the time and space to enjoy life. In short, I want a kind of life where I am not bothered or disturbed about tomorrow.
Well, about the question about if I am living my dream already, I do say I'm still on the way. A lot of things have changed and shifted over the years. Not because I didn't have good plans or gave up on them, but because life has shown me some new paths to tread in. My gaze has now shifted from succeeding in a particular career. I now feel fulfilled in seeing people smile with the little things I do. I now see I feel fulfilled in the various inspiring and motivating words I share to keep people going. Success isn't just one thing; it is the addition of all those small/little things that make a meaningful life.
I personally don't believe a time will come for anybody to say he/she has accomplished everything. Success, as we all know, isn't a destination; it is a journey. You keep on going till it's your time to finally go. Nobody has it all. As long as I can look back and know I had lived a life that mattered, then I succeeded.
All pictures are mine, second picture is a screenshot of my WhatsApp status.
Thanks for taking your time to read through.