How to Succeed

I’m reasonably certain that I’ve posted these thoughts before, but at this troubling time when there doesn’t seem to be a healthy definition of what constitutes success, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words continue to enlighten:

To laugh often and much,

to win the respect of intelligent people

and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty;

to find the best in others;

to leave the world a bit better

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch, or a

redeemed social condition;

to know even one life

has breathed easier

because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.