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| art by: Susan Branch |
In Sarah Ban Breathnach's book, Simple Abundance, she writes that while wandering through an abandoned cemetery she discovered a wonderful definition of authentic success inscribed on the headstone of a woman who died in 1820: "The only pain she ever caused was when she left us."
It's probably too late for any of us to live up to that inscription for our grave stones, so I thought I'd list some of the other examples Sarah gives for authentic success. She begins with time.
Having time to. . . .
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| SB |
- pursue personal pursuits that bring you pleasure
- make loving gestures for your family that you long to do
- care for your home, tend your garden
- nurture your soul
In your work you feel. . . . .
- focused and serene
- you're doing the best you possibly can and that is enough
With your gifts you've. . . . .
- accepted your limitations and made peace with your past
- discovered your passion and are calling forth your gifts so you can share them with the world
Authentic success is. . . . .
- not about accumulating but letting go because all you have is all you truly need
- feeling good about who you are, appreciating where you've been, celebrating your achievements, and honoring the distance you've already come
- reaching the point where being is as important as doing [afterall, we're human beings, not human doings]
- realizing that no matter how much time it takes for a dream to come true in the physical world, no day is ever wasted
- elevating labor to a craft and craft to an art by bestowing Love on every task you undertake
- is being grateful for the many blessings bestowed on you and yours that you can share your portion with others
Hi Cathy,
ReplyDeleteWell you inspired me to finally break down and order this book! :-)
Thank you for another lovely thought provoking post! :-)
Many blessings, and warmth, Linnie
❤️
DeleteYou can't go wrong when guided by Sarah B. After I read one - or more - of her essays on any given day, I almost feel like I've had a massage. Or even a therapy session with a psychologist or a clergy person. Just sort of soothed, rested and comforted. She writes so well too. I love the story about how she came to change her life after her head injury - a great story. Can't remember which book it's in but I have GOT to go dig them out now. Thanks for the impetus and have a great weekend - last one of Summer! 💛
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure the head injury story is in Simple Abundance because I just read about it sometime in the last 2 months when I picked the book back up. I hadn't read it since 2002, so I was overdue in reading it again, too.
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