Personal Reflections

Dear Reader:

Success means different things to different people at different times along the way to completion....whatever completion means to different people, etc. It takes a lifetime to determine the degree to which one can say, "I am successful". You know as well as I do that some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you.* On the down-side of those days, it's about recognizing a temporary defeat and meeting the challenge to get back up ...a determinant of the word "success" if we come out of it with the gift of growth.

If I were to measure my success by what I own in the physical world it wouldn't count nearly as much as the journey. Let's face it, if success is in what we own and nothing is forever, than what value does success have....it's fleeting. Looking back over my many "gifts of growth", what I amassed in wisdom endures and has value if used wisely. I believe that is the key, for success implies worth and giving back the riches of learning has value, while taking nothing away from the giver.

*Credited to: The 1974 album by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews.

Ralph Waldo Emerson writes this:

Success

"To laugh often and love much;

To win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children;

To earn the approbation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To give of one's self;

To leave the world a little bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed . social condition;

To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exaltation;

To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived:

That is to have succeeded."

Don't get me wrong, I like my creature comforts and all that it takes to create a comfortable life. But at the end of the day, if "stuff" is all I have, then I have lived a vacant life.

Warmly, Marianne Harms, LCSW/CSW

Visit our website to learn more about CEL and to stay tuned to upcoming events.

1 Huntington Road, Ste. 803 , Athens, GA
www.centerforpersonalreflection.com

707.343.7285

The date has been set....the upcoming workshop, A Strategy for Success, will be presented on April 22, 2023 in Athens. This three-hour workshop will address concerns and frustrations for individuals who are struggling to find their place in life and to fulfill their goals and aspirations. Moreover, it will provide tools and skills to move forward. Participants will go home with a workbook and worksheets to be used for the future. It is a workshop not to be missed. www.centerforpersonalreflection.com is the go-to website to learn more and to register.

God Bless America

God Bless America