Success

Just keep on trying, it just ain’t happened yet,
These goals you hope to achieve—
Rarely is success met at the onset,
And unlocking it takes more than a special set of keys…

And what, exactly, is success?
For it isn’t tangible, per se,
Is it measured by how we perceive others to see us,
Along with our opinion of ourselves at the end of each day?—
If this is the case,
Surely pride & vanity have a role to play.

And society, too—
The pressure they put on young children!
Whether from the media or their own milieu,
They’re constantly put under the scrutinizing lens…
Taught not to have a point of view,
And to shift continuously with the cultural winds.

Our children don’t deserve this treatment,
Having so many thoughts penetrate their mind—
Before them many an ideal we present,
Hoping they live up to a certain paradigm—
It’s time that we become better parents,
For a properly raised child will find himself in time.

We…try to teach success,
And pave the path thereto;
But its meaning need be reassessed,
Redefined by minds anew—
It’s not a popularity contest,
Nor is it driving a Mercedes or BMW;
It isn’t conveyed by elaborate dress,
Or being in the percentile of the top two—
No; success is measurable happiness…
And the only one who should do the measuring… is you

Success is what you make it, the pride you have in yourself and your work…

—Kevin B. Waring