What are Your Markers of Success?

What are your markers of success?

Success used to look like getting as many items checked off my to-do list as possible in a day. The more I accomplished, the more successful I was, right? And maybe even the more worthy I was, or so I thought.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

But what if …

“What if your markers of success were how well you slept at night? how many books you read? how easily you laughed? how much time you spent storytelling, feeling warm in the arms and homes of people you adore.”

Well, since we’re looking at it that way, then I must be a highly successful person. Because I sleep well every night. I read a book or two a week. I laugh easily because I’m married to a man who makes me laugh. As for feeling warm in the arms and homes of people I adore—that happens all the time when we visit kids and grands and friends, and it happens here at home. Just the two of us feeling warm and adored in each other’s arms.

This thought from Greg McKeown:

“What if we stopped celebrating being busy as a measurement of importance? What if instead we celebrated how much time we had spent listening, pondering, meditating, and enjoying time with the most important people in our lives?”

Which reminds me of this verse in the psalms:

“Be still and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10a

God calls us to be still before him. He calls us to understand what he’s called us to do … and what he hasn’t called us to do, and to not measure our worth by how many items we check off our to-do lists.

One last thought from Thomas Kelly:

“The Loving Presence does not burden us equally with all things, but considerately puts upon each of us just a few central tasks, as emphatic responsibilities. For each of us, these special undertakings are our share in the joyous burdens of love. We cannot die on every cross, nor are we expected to.”

A few central tasks. Our joyous burdens of love. Be still.