***Are You Really Successful? 8 “Wise” Ways to Tell

Charging into adulthood was all I had dreamed about for 18 years. Daydreams of independence and a successful career were the thoughts in my youth. I pursued education and employment opportunities with such fervor that I was sure I would learn it all to have it all. Knowledge of people, places and things was most important to succeed in life. I set off to one of the best colleges to learn the right things and meet the right people.

Two years of unfulfilling experiences found me transferring home to attend school. It turned out that the very situation I was trying to escape was the setting of my greatest strength. Shortly after the return, my grandmother passed on and my mother was diagnosed with a life threatening illness. My world of achievement was turning upside down.

Thoughts and feelings endlessly raced through my mind. I needed to keep going with my mission of independence and success, but the daughter in me was terrified at losing the leader of this family. As the new reality settled in, she began her journey and as such, changed the destiny of mine.

At the time I saw life as a series of strategic maneuvers to know all the right things for great success. Conquering mom’s disease was no different. We needed to be strong and knowledgeable and so I immersed myself in the education of treatments for this disease. I went straight to the library and brought much of it home with me. I was sure I could find help in these books. I studied and applied many things which were helpful, but mom continued to be ill. The further I dug to save her life, the more difficult life was becoming around me. Still working, still studying and determined to save her life. Sleep was a thing of the past. My heart was growing hard and angry. I still wanted to pursue my dreams and I wanted mom to pursue her dreams. She was too young for this. I was too young for this.

Years of struggling passed us by and in the last months came my awakening. My mother was a brilliant woman filled with love and energy. I watched her love our family and do the “right things” to the point of her own ultimate exhaustion. She spent her life trying to get us to the best schools, have the best of everything and obsessively keep us safe from any harm. She was fierce in her convictions of what was right and wrong and shared her knowledge every day without fail. Her knowledge and enabled me to gain even more from the opportunities she provided for me. What she didn’t know was that these months we were spending together were imparting wisdom to her daughter…and that would be the most valuable and lasting gift of all.

8 authentic elements of Wisdom were not gained through study, achievement or travel, but revealed through experience right where I was in the moment.

1. Pure – The best choices I made in those months were those requiring the least amount of force. They were pure and instinctual. The result was some of my greatest memories created by being present and compassionate.
2. Peaceful – I found the best decisions were those that created the most peace for all involved.
3. Gentle – After years of forcing our opinions in arguments, I experienced a most rewarding piece of wisdom in choosing to be kind rather than needing to be right.
4. Yielding – I learned the futility of being quick to speak or quick to anger. Wisdom yields to receptivity and reflection for the highest good of all concerned.
5. Merciful – After a lifetime of bickering, we found the ultimate Truth. Each of us had always been right, in our own world, based upon our own thoughts and feelings. It was liberating to forgive and be forgiven.
6. Good fruits – Acting from wisdom produces only good works. Of all that I had “achieved” in life, I learned back then the wisdom of knowing when to let go. I stopped the constant doing and sat, rubbed her feet and legs and just talked and laughed. Knowledge applied through an awakened heart allows great works to occur.
7. Impartial – There is no prejudice in life or death. Life is enriched by recognizing we are many, yet we are One. What any one of us experiences is possible for us too. The wise shall lay down the arms of judgment in all circumstances.
8. Sincerity – Without exception, Truth shall always set you free.

Over fifteen years ago I used all of my gathered knowledge to seek a brand new path to success. There was nothing about her life that I could remember on the day she left, except for the moments that were rich with these “8 elements of Wisdom”. We spent so much time disagreeing, working, trying, achieving and ultimately the greatest checklist for lasting success arrived when we weren’t seeking it at all.

Personal relationships, business decisions, physical fitness, financial investments are always ripe with the potential of success. Making choices from this timeless “Wisdom Checklist” will always lead you along the path of your most authentic and permanent success. You’ll recognize “Wisdom” because life will feel lighter, choices will benefit all, and the legacy you are living right now will be shaped by the wisdom of the ages, creating lasting value for life!

There is a richness to the word “Wisdom”. It cannot be explained in one word. Hearing it connotes an endless spectrum of possibilities. It grounds us in feelings of certainty. It inspires us from the lessons of our ancestors. It expands us to think new ideas. The word itself is so enriching, that we can allow it to soar us to new heights. When we are thinking and acting from the perspective of Wisdom, there’s a spark from within that assures us…we are living our best life right now.