Living a Life of Success and Significance

Two elderly men were talking about the successes of their respective sons. One said, “You know what? My son Louie is a CEO in a big multinational company in Metro Manila. “Daku siya ug sweldo.” The other man replied, “My son Marty has a big house in Texas, USA and has a beautiful family.” A daughter of one of the guys, a church catechist heard these and begin asking herself “When will my father consider what I am doing as a success?”

All of us have our own definitions of success. It can be material possessions, a happy family or a thriving career. The list goes on and on. On the other hand, I asked people to share with me one word they would use to describe how they live with significance each day, and their answers were as varied and vibrant as the people themselves.

Our families of origin have different measures of success and we subconsciously follow them even if we differ in our perspectives. Like the two fathers in our story, they can have material success as the basis for achievement. Thank God there are people who thinks otherwise. They believe that living a life for others is far more significant.

Success, it is said can last a lifetime and significance can last several generations. In this time of difficulties brought about by the pandemic, we are all invited to value time. People of significance assess what they do with their time, and they invest their time wisely. As M. Scott Peck said, “Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time.” Time is a gift. I have talked to people who survived the dreaded virus and learned how they have realized the essence of time.

God wants us to succeed in life. He wants us to live life to the fullest. By growing and using our faith & trust in the Lord we can be strengthened to fulfill His will for our lives — this is true success. We are all created in the image and likeness of God. God gives us purpose.

Maya Angelou said that success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. Life is simple these days. More than any time in our lives, many people have focused on what is essential. We have appreciated the things we used to disregard. If there is one thing this pandemic best brought us, it is this realization. As St. Ignatius of Loyola said that success “is to want and to choose what better leads to a deepening life in God (Principle and Foundation, Spiritual Exercises)”. Everything in life would eventually lead us to our Creator.

Indeed, a life of significance is better than a life of success. Success is measured by others while significance is measured by our own soul, mind and heart. It also warms the heart. It will determine how we want to be remembered when we are gone. How about you? How do you want to be remembered?