“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire.”
While it’s true that many in Oprah’s position would have struggled in life, we have to be careful not to measure “success” by how much fame or money you accrue during your lifetime. By Oprah’s standard, many of us would be adjudged as “failures” when that is simply not true.
Many people attain “success” in life in very humble, unassuming ways like being good devoted spouses or caregivers, or working for modest wages in the social services industries when they have the potential for earning more in other more lucrative fields, or simply volunteering in their community. Ultimately, I believe, we are called not to be successful, but rather to be fruitful. Did our life matter and to whom did it matter? By that standard, we all have the potential for being proud of ourselves.
While it’s true that many in Oprah’s position would have struggled in life, we have to be careful not to measure “success” by how much fame or money you accrue during your lifetime. By Oprah’s standard, many of us would be adjudged as “failures” when that is simply not true.
Many people attain “success” in life in very humble, unassuming ways like being good devoted spouses or caregivers, or working for modest wages in the social services industries when they have the potential for earning more in other more lucrative fields, or simply volunteering in their community. Ultimately, I believe, we are called not to be successful, but rather to be fruitful. Did our life matter and to whom did it matter? By that standard, we all have the potential for being proud of ourselves.