A Sense of Accomplishment
The good things in life are earned.
They're earned through blood, sweat, tears, and overcoming fears. They're built from the bottom up. They're dreamed, planned, and pursued. I don't care what that "good thing" is, no matter how small or large, I just care that you worked for it, that you had the strength, dedication, and passion to get it for yourself. Good. Good for you.
We, as a society, have become so incredibly judgmental. Somehow, goals and ambitions have become categorized. For instance, a child - when asked what they want to be when they grow up - is expected to not just give a job title, but to give a occupation that is perceived as somehow better than other occupations. When we're looking toward our futures, we tend to focus on career, income... striding ever forward toward fame and fortune. But why? Why is it not completely and totally acceptable for that child to 1. not have an answer 2. reference who they want to be as a person rather than as an earner 3. choose a less glamorous job because it's something that truly intrigues them... ?
It frustrates me to no end seeing people of my age - millennials - having no idea what they want out of life, because all their life they've been taught to view their existence as worthless unless extreme success occurs. We have been taught that wealth and notoriety are the most valuable things in life, and I think that is utterly wrong! It's making us ill too, ill of heart and ill of mind. We're depressed, stressed out, never satisfied. We focus on celebrities and scandals... We obsess over things that have no actual bearing on our existence.
The good things in life are earned-- they're the things we truly desired. And they don't have to be grand, crazy accomplishments. I mean, how satisfied do you feel when you turn the last page of a book, and read the story's end? There's a sigh that usually comes up, naturally, and a sense of calm. THAT is a sense of accomplishment. It a moment of health and happiness, a goal reached, an accomplishment had... a good thing, that you earned from simply reading. That applies to everything, from long-term hard work, something like graduating from college, to something as simple as finishing washing the dishes. You put your mind to it, and you got it done. Whatever that "it" is.
Easy for some doesn't mean easy for all. And success is viewed differently person to person. We need to start realizing that we're not cookie cutouts. We're individuals. And as long as we're working toward betterment, searching for good, on the path of hope, we deserve respect - or at least sincere acknowledgement - for what we've done.
