Definition of Successful

Successful is defined by Webster dictionary as a adjective and means "resulting or terminating in success" or "gaining or having gained success."

Everyone wakes up everyday with the goal of being successful. Every working person is hardworking and makes a goal of being successful in life and what they do. Some people just want to be successful point blank period. However there are different definitions and interpretations of successful. To some people a high paying, demanding job, where they make a ton of money is successful. Other people view success as having a good job, a job they love, or a job they can tolerate that pays the bills and provides them comfort. Leaving them with time to have a life.                    

There lies the balance, the work life balance. While everyone will not be rich or wealthy, how much is one willing to sacrifice to obtain the other? Though this is not the case in all situations a lot of ultra successful people sacrifice their personal lives. They miss out on family events, don’t take vacations, or work while on vacation. Take no days off, work on their off day. Whatever they feel needs to happen for the job to get done. A lot of ultra successful people often end up miserable because they lack relationships due to putting work first.                                                     

On the other hand there are folks who want to do their 40 hours a week and call it a day. Some people even prefer to work 32 hours a week to spend more time with their family. They may not be rich and are just “making it”, but they are living their life the way they want, are right there for every precious family moment. They Love it and in the end they are happy.                                                                                

Then there are the small minority who have somehow made it all work. Highly successful in their profession and a good family life. While working demanding long hours, around the clock, they value the importance of personal time. So there lies a ? is there a surefire way to have a good work/life balance, are there any individuals wrong because they prefer one over the other. Is it as simple as what the person in that position values in life? How do we truly define being successful?

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Maintaining Relationships

In life relationships with people are often your backbone. You'll come across people in your life whether family or friends, that you have certain relationships or bonds with. Sometimes throughout life we often forget to maintain those relationships and keep in touch.

About a month ago I lost my stepfather, just a little backstory him and my mother were no longer together but we maintained a relationship and kept in touch over the years. A couple days before he passed I randomly thought to myself I hadn't talked to him in a while and needed to hit him up. After I thought about it I went on and did something else and kept saying "I'm going to call him." Well I didn't and never got the chance to before he unexpectedly passed. 

Since then it really has been bothering me that I did not call him. Why didn't I call him? The day to day nuances of living life and kicking it down the road. 

Everyday we as people get up go to work, take care of any responsibilities we may have, take care of our families and do it all over again. Often times that interferes with checking on people.

I'm here to suggest stop doing that. If you have friends you grew up with but life as adults have caused you to not keep in touch as much hit them up. Have a buddy that has a common hobby with you, hit them up when something occurs that reminds of you them. Come across a old picture of you and your friends looking crazy when y'all thought y'all looked cool. Hit them up with "look what I found". Realized you haven't talked to so and so in a while? Call them or send them a text saying "Thought about you hope all is well" or something to that effect. 

Adulting is a busy lifestyle and keeping in touch with everyone you have or have maintained a relationship with in life can be difficult. I believe we as a society especially in this social media age sees a person make a post and assume they're doing fine or know their in a good place in their life. Other times we know so and so talks to them more often so I'll just ask them how they're doing. We have to stop doing that.  Especially with the different lines of communication phone calls, text, instant messages, emails, facetime etc.

In life some people just naturally gravitate from one another sometimes for a reason, other times just the way life goes. That's OK situations like that it is what it is, but take it from me when you think of someone send them a text right then and there, can't do it at that exact time? Make a note in your phone to do it within the next half hour to a hour, just make a conscious effort to keep in touch as much as you can as soon as you can.

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