SUCCESS: Redefined

 WHO you are is more important than WHAT you are.

A life worth living is a life that is lived by your own rules. We are raised with advice and guidance from our parents, but there is also much to be learned simply throwing yourself out of your own comfort zone .
This is where you find who you really are, not what society says you are.

From a very early age we are always asked, "WHAT do you want to be when you grow up?" This seems like such an innocent enough question, and more often than not we receive some very colorful answers ranging from an astronaut, a doctor, a veterinarian, to an actor, sports star, or singer! From a young age we are taught that certain jobs are considered more successful than others as well as certain job titles hold more value in society than others, and in these titles you will find yourself as a person.

The problem with this ideology is that you find self worth and value in yourself based on societal views of what "success" is. It is obvious that a 5 year old doesn't know enough of their likes and dislikes to decide what they want to spend a good portion of their life workin as, but that's the beauty of a child's innocence. They are creative and still know that they can truly be anything they want in life. This is a trait that many adults seem to forget over time. Even when a child turns 18 and is ready to go off to college to earn that degree towards their dream job they are still generally unaware of what they want to spend that much time of their lives doing, yet they choose a degree path and head down that road with little practical knowledge of the outcome.


Now, if we instead asked the question, "WHO do you want to be when you grow up?", it would warrant much more authentic answers. I think most would agree that we want to be happy. We want to be part of something greater than ourselves and give back to humanity. We want to just be an overall good person. Now, how can we accomplish these things? First off, think about the lifestyle you want to have. Then figure out the time frame you want to achieve those goals in. Now look for any type of job that will fulfill the financial requirements to achieve your goal in the proper time frame. You will realize that having a fancy job title is meaningless when you aren't able to leave that title behind to persue your own goals of travel, health, education, or the endless persuit of self developent. You may feel important within your office, but when you step outside the rest of the world doesn't care if you're a manager or not. They care if you are a good person.

Let me give you two extreme examples of success. You can decide what is success truly, and which person you'd rather be.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?"
Some would say this type of person is successful. A person that works 40+ hours a week often with much more overtime. Their health declines in direct relation to the hours spent at their work increasing. They have a fancy title at their job, they have a good size home, new cars, maybe some toys like a motocycle or jet skii's, and they even have a few name brand clothing and jewelry items to show off to everyone that they can afford these things because of all the hours put in at work in their nicely titled position. They are living the good life full of material possessions. Their entire life socially and financially revolves around maintaining that job. If the job is lost, their world crumbles.

"WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?"

Some would say this type of person is successful. A person may work 40 hours a week, or maybe sometimes more or sometimes less depending on their current goals of what next adventure they are trying to finance. They are generally in overall good health because the next adventure often requires some minimal level of fitness, because the great world that lies beyond their doorstep is full of hills, oceans, mountains, and trails to enjoy. They own very little belongings because not much is needed when you are traveling the world in search of adventure. Jet skii's can be rented to cruise the beaches of Thailand, as well as ATV's are much cheaper to rent to explore the rainforests of Costa Rica. The costs of a daily Starbucks coffee is saved and used towards their next airline ticket for this type of person. This type of person may rarely work a full time job, but stretches their part time money to constantly be learning about themselves through interaction in unfamiliar situations all around the world. They may have even saved up enough money to put a down payment on a home to rent out while they explore. This person also doesn't worry about the small things that create drama in a stagnant lifestyle, because they are never in one place long enough to allow drama in their lives. To this person a fancy job title is nothing of a status symbol or validation of self. They don't care what kind of work they do, as long as it allows them to invest for their future all the while continuing on in their accomplishment of their personal goals. They heavily concentrate on doing what's right and treating people of all cultures with mutual respect as human beings. They may even have authority issues because they truly know that a title doesn't give you respect. Being a respectful person gains you respect.

So, what defines "success" to you?

I decided at a young age that I didn't care what job I did, I just knew what sortof lifestyle I wanted to have. I have no problem cleaning up a homeless man that crapped himself just to get a free shower (true story) if it means I get to live in Hawaii. I have no problem being a dishwasher in a restaurant if it buys my airplane ticket to Tokyo, Hong Kong, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos for a three month stint volunteering and vacationing in exotic locations (true story, as well). I also had no problem being a CEO by starting my own startup company and charity (yet again, true story). So in the end, the question was not WHAT did I want to be when I grew up, but instead it was WHO did I want to be. I wanted to be a good person. I wanted to spread love around the world. I wanted to make a difference in others lives. I've worked in film and television, restaurants, teaching, videography, security, military, hospitals, catering, bartending, and many other fields of work that simply got me to my next goal. Titles are meaningless, but being a good person is what matters.

When you die, do you want to be remembered as a manager, or do you want to be remembered as a good person that contributed to humanity and made a positive difference in others lives?

The choice is yours.