Making Contributions

"I personally measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her or his fellow human beings." - Margaret Mead, anthropologist and writer

Measuring success can be done in many ways. This description above feels right to me but I would change one thing in my case. I now choose to measure my own contributions rather than those made by someone else.

I used to spend so much time "measuring" other people's actions that I never had any time to measure my own. My behavior at times was deplorable yet somehow I found a way to justify my behavior as I judged others. I would tell myself that I wasn't as bad as so-and-so. That allowed me to continue acting in a disrespectful or selfish manner because I thought I was better than most. I'm not proud of this, but it is the truth.

As time went by, my life got worse, I was blaming everyone around me for my bad luck, and I fell apart emotionally. The good news is that hitting an emotional bottom can sometimes be the best gift in the world. My bottom brought me to a point of willingness to listen to others. I followed their suggestions and my life got better. I began to respect others as I should have been doing all along. As time went by, I came to realize that everyone faces difficulties and the best thing I can do is to accept people just as they are.

Today I focus on my own contributions - it's none of my business how others contribute or if they contribute at all. I may falter at times and focus on the behavior of other people, but that doesn't last very long. I believe my purpose is to be of maximum service to my fellow human beings. Today I pray that I will remain focused on my contributions. That's all that matters to me now.