S is for Success

Greetings everyone!

When I was growing up, different people pitched me different ideas of what success looked like.  You should have a great paying job, a nice house, a nice car, handsome husband, a few kids, and some pets. Success was reflected on how much you had materially.

Some of this was perpetuated due to the fact that I didn't grow up with a whole lot.  Yet I was one of those kids who was pretty satisfied with what I had.  I never clamored to have designer labels, the latest video game, and the like.  Most of the things I asked for were pretty basic or had a bit of a learning/educational/music component.  I really didn't realize what my "station" was until I got around kids who had a lot more.  But with all the things these kids had, there was a connecting factor in those that I was around.

1.  They were never satisfied.  They constantly wanted more.
2.  They never took care of the things they had.
3.  They walked around with a sense of entitlement.  They never felt like they had to earn or work for anything.

Keep in mind that I am only speaking of the kids that I was exposed to. 

When I became an adult, I try to follow the proposed blueprints of success.  Get a good education.  Get a job, etc., etc.  Yet the pretty decent paying job I had was extremely time consuming and played a major factor in my health deteriorating.  Education is no longer looking like a sure fire way to success based on the economy and job market.  There aren't enough quality jobs to match people with degrees.  Instead, there are some people scrapping over entry level positions and settling for thousands less than what they are entitled to just to survive.  No matter how much reporting the media says that things are improving.  Don't buy all of the hype.

If I was sticking to the blueprint, why wasn't I happy?  Why didn't I feel successful?

I have come to the conclusion that the proposed blueprint for success doesn't apply to me.  I'm not deep in material possessions so why would that be my moniker for success?  I've always been more focused on the quality of something as opposed to quantity, so it didn't make sense for me to mold this idea around having a lot.

As most of you know, I started back actively publishing in 2013.  I wasn't sure what to expect with the journey.  Things had changed A LOT since I last published something (which was back in 2006).  Yet my focus has always been more on quality and having work out there someone could relate to--for a person to feel like he or she wasn't alone.

Could my poetic works have focused more on trends (grunge poetry, flash poetry, etc.)?  Perhaps, and for those who are doing the type of poetry trending right now--major kudos!  However, that's just not me. If I were to do that type of style, it would be a lie and those following me from the beginning would know I was being false.

Yes I want my writing to make money.  I have gotten some sales here and there.  I want to get them being honest and not being a trend monkey.  I'm not willing to sacrifice my core style to the call of group think and being like everyone else.

In my eyes, I'm successful when a person has read one of my books and that my work has helped him or her.  I'm successful when some of the edits I've provided to someone has really improved the presentation of a product.  I'm successful when someone gains something out of a review I've done, a column in the magazine or a blog or story I've written.

Just recently, a poetry anthology I'm a part of hit #1 on the Bestsellers list of Poetry Anthologies on Smashwords--Words of Fire and Ice.  I can add the title Bestselling Author to my resume.  Yes that says to the world I'm a success but I have been that anyway.

Peace.

P.S.  Until May 6th, you can pick up an electronic copy of this collection absolutely FREE via Smashwords. Just enter KC89W upon checkout.