Success is Not Always What You See

Success is often hidden.

Isn’t that ironic? How can success be hidden when everybody seems to flout it? People hide their failures, not their success. That’s how it works… Right?

Well, not necessarily. Because success is hidden within failure.

Not only that, success is hidden within disappointment. Hidden within frustration. Hidden within anguish.

I know you don’t believe me. Allow me to explain through the metaphor of receiving a present.

Imagine a Present

You receive the present, however you fail to see beyond the decorative wrapping paper and bow.

Does anyone receive a present and feel like they haven’t gotten anything just because they can’t see what’s inside? No.

Does anyone receive a present and feel they have gotten everything they could have dreamed of without opening it? It’s the thought that counts.

Or does anyone receive a present and feel frustrated or disappointed because the wrapping is in the way of finding out what’s inside? No.

You have successfully received the present, but failed to see what’s inside. Are we mired by disappointment, anguish, and frustration? No.

Our curiosity takes hold of our minds!

We want to explore that present!

We shake it in order to guess what’s inside based on sound and weight. But we may fail to know what’s inside. Do we get frustrated and give up? Au contrair, our curiosity piques to new heights!

Next we untie the bow. We cannot yet see what’s inside, and therefore fail to know the contents. Do we tap out at this point? No. We continue the process of unwrapping.

We tear off the wrapping paper, but the box is blank. How disappointing to go all this way for nothing! But look how far you’ve come! So you continue the unwrapping.

We open the box, but the present is wrapped in tissue paper. The anguish you must feel after putting in so much work and effort to unwrapping this present, only to be left with nothing! BUT you are SO CLOSE!

The curiosity just builds and builds with every successive step towards revealing the contents that comprises this present we have received.

Finally, we lift away the tissue paper and reveal to our eyes what has been ours all along! Even without our knowledge.

Similarly, success is wrapped with the decorative wrapping of failure on every level. And if you really want to fail spectacularly, we can top off the present with a beautiful bow as well!

But no matter how many times we fail, no matter how frustrated we become, no matter how disappointed, the truth of the present remains present.

Our Success Lies Inside

Now are you ready for something kinda trippy?

You, YOURSELF, are your present.

Wait… What?!

Failure, anguish, disappointment, frustration, any time you bump up against any event that brings up any of these emotions, you must understand that you are being unwrapped to reveal your inner truth.

One additional layer of wrapping paper has been torn away and lifted to bring you closer to your core, your truth, your light.

Some people feel uncomfortable and do everything in their power to re-wrap that layer back upon themselves. Or else they may try to bury their truth even deeper so that there are even more layers to unwrap and/or harder to get through.

Deciding to wrap or unwrap in your lifetime is certainly your choice.

You can choose to unfold your beauty and give your gift to the world a little more at a time. Or become rigid and bury your truth deep inside.

However we all must give our gift back in one form or another. Our job is to celebrate it as best we can.

You Have Come A Long Way

We can feel as though we are wandering around without realizing how far we have come. And we can become disheartened when realizing how far we have left to go.

But remember you have come a long way.

You have grown into the person you are today through your own trials. You have slowly developed yourself and lifted away your wrappings to bring forth your present to the world. And you will continue to unwrap your gift to the world as you continue to embrace your life experiences.

Do not succumb to disappointment when it wasn’t what you hoped for. You likely didn’t finish opening your present.

Do not give up in frustration. You are getting closer to your destiny.

Do not allow the pain of anguish to cripple you. Continue on your path towards revealing your greatness.

Success was never about achieving your goal. Success is not a definition. Success is a feeling. Success is an outlook on life.

Trials and tribulations may come at any time from any where. Success is the person that meets these with an optimistic prospective. Yes, I said “prospective”. The expectation that things will be better as time goes on.

In other words, “This too, shall pass.”

There are two ways to let it pass: Allow it to pass or walk past it.

Either way, you continue and live your life to the fullest!