Success

Success
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.

I ran across this on the internet this week and just had to share. Most of you have probably seen it in one form or another. Who the author is is unclear, but what is clear is that this person really GOT it. They understood what life is all about. Notice there is no mention of money or stuff or fancy degrees or fame. By these measures, I am quite successful in life. And so are my children. Now. Not some day in the future when they grow up and get a job. Not only are they already successful, but they are set up for a life of great success because they know what is important. Maybe not if you were to sit them down and quiz them on it, but by how they live. They laugh every day, they impress people all the time with their minds, other children love them, they see beauty all around them and fail to see the faults in others. Not bad for eight and six, huh?