The True Meaning of Success
I read this article by Jesse Herriott, M.A. and wanted to share it since I believe we all deserve to have a Successful Life.
Here are the paragraphs I selected :
Success comes as the by-product of a life lived from the inside out. The key to living a successful life is grasping the awareness that you are enough. Once you understand you are enough, you create the space within your consciousness that allows you to realign harmoniously with your essential self or highest good.
One of the early pioneers of spiritual psychology, Carl Jung, suggested our psyche, or soul, consists of three specific parts: the persona, the ego and the essential self. The persona is the aspect of ourselves we wish to present to the world. The ego is the “I,” or the personality. It is the aspect of ourselves we believe ourselves to be. These two are highly powerful and can cause us to believe in the illusion of failure when they are out of alignment with the third aspect of our soul, our essential self, or “God-Self.” If we allow ourselves to be moved by the world of effects, our attention is pulled away from the true callings of our soul. And as the saying goes: Where attention goes, energy flows.
Most of us are products of a society that defines success in terms of material supply. Yet true success is demonstrated by wholeness, which is only experienced by walking in alignment with the needs of your soul. A whole person is happy, healthy, peaceful, creative, loved, appreciated, giving, fulfilled, desired and compassionate. To only view success as a demonstration of a certain level of material or financial status gained through ambition is to only grasp a small portion of your soul’s potential.
For example, after a couple of internships, and an unsuccessful stint in law school, I reached a crossroads in my own personal development, which made me question my desire to practice law. It took some time, and serious truth-telling, but I soon discovered I was pushing myself toward a vision of success based on money, not wholeness. Yet in this discovery, I was able to find that education—advocacy, teaching, counseling and researching consciousness—were subjects that fascinated me. I devoted my full attention toward my passions, and I watched my soul blossom as a result. In fact, it’s how I met my wife, which was confirmation for me that I was on the right path.
Therefore, success is not a thing, but a process demonstrated through the expression of this divine force by means of you. Material things will be added to your life as you share your talents with the world and reveal your innermost potential. However, material gain is only a small aspect of the joy, love, creativity, compassion and kindness that you were truly sent here in this incarnation to receive and share. Sharing these gifts is the demonstration of a successful life. This is the awareness that helps to transform the consciousness of the planet, one life at a time.
Jesse Herriott, M.A., is a doctoral candidate in gender psychology at North Central University. His areas of research are in Jungian psychology, sexuality and the connections between spirituality and psychology. He serves as an adjunct professor, counselor, and spirituality teacher. Visit him at jesseherriott.com.
