Meaning of Success? 10 Lessons: Theme 2-4
Success? Lessons: Theme 2, 3, 4 — Creativity, Control, Love
Theme 2 — Creativity
- Imagination. (From being a Vulcan)
- Logic. (From being a Vulcan)
- Being creative. (From being a Photo Journalist)
- Finding a way to let my muse have a pulpit. (From being a priest)
- The ability to find something inside and make contact with it. (From being a writer)
- Success to me has to be saying yes to the will of God—or at least trying to. (From The Girl I First Loved)
- Answering the call of God. (From being a priest)
I don’t think it’s any surprise that I’m a creative person and that my dreams center on creating.
There’s a huge part of me that wants to be even more creative than I’ve been. I want to write (and I’ve been doing more of it), take pictures, and make music.
I haven’t played my flute in over 20 years. It’s damaged now—and physically, I can’t form my mouth to blow a note—so I feel deprived. I’ve taken up the recorder with some method books, but it doesn’t replace the flute. I might even pick up a keyboard.
I know some items here might not seem “creative,” like logic or answering the call of God. But I would include them. My aim isn’t to claim sole credit for what gets made, but to stay open as a conduit for what my muse wants to create through me.
How am I doing?
I’d say I’ve been very successful creatively. My professional life is creative, and I’ve built a large body of writing I’m proud of. Still, I think I can do better. Lately work feels like a rut—it pays the bills but doesn’t always let my muse flow.
Theme 3 — Control
- First of all, I wanted to be free—free in the way kids raised on the moon-shot believed anything was possible. (From Being an Astronaut)
- The ability to survive not just my childhood but all the vicissitudes of life—earthquakes, dinner parties, even finding my wife on the laundry room floor.
- Making my own way and rules. (From being a Photo Journalist)
- Sense of control over my own destiny. (From being a Pilot)
I’m not sure “control” is the perfect word. I don’t want other people steering my destiny—at least not more than life’s interconnections require. I want my survival to depend largely on my own skills (or lack thereof). And I want the freedom to follow my muse.
How am I doing?
Okay. I’m important to my company—my absence would hurt—but I don’t yet have the kind of control that lets me change my life easily. I’d like more control outside of work. That sounds like money, and partly it is, but it’s also about the freedom to choose my own path—or follow the one laid out for me.
Theme 4 — Love
- I have a huge need to care for someone—and be cared for. (From The Girl I First Loved)
I don’t think much more needs to be said.
How am I doing?
That’s hard. Like the woman in “Another Suitcase in Another Hall,” my love affairs haven’t lasted. I know I can be a wonderful, loving husband—the last six years proved that—but my partners (fiancée or wife) didn’t value what I offered. I hope someday to find someone—like the girl I first loved—who can be a true partner.
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