Measuring success
High hopes and little wins
When I was four years old, I wanted to be a Spice Girl. Despite not really listening to their music or knowing any members by name, for me, becoming a Spice Girl was the epitome of being successful. Sadly, my mum had to break the news that by the time I was old enough they would likely have moved on with their lives, and thus – with time – I too moved on to different hopes and dreams.
While I no longer have a desire to wear space buns or forge myself a cute, marketable moniker, these days I still think of ‘success’ as something flashy and out of reach. A hefty salary, a picture-perfect house (that’s not rented)… that feeling of just having your shit together? But while I’m not currently blessed with any of the above, instead of trying to chase the unattainable I’m working on reframing my definition of success.
Solstice reflections
Thursday brings us the summer solstice, marking the longest day of the year, with the sun rising at 4.44am and setting at 9.29pm. Alongside al fresco dining, crafting flower crowns or lighting a fire, a great way to celebrate the summer solstice is to look back at the winter solstice and reflect on how far you’ve come since. If you set a guiding word for 2024, how has it been serving you for the first half of the year?
For me, the first 4+ months of 2024 were entirely dedicated to our wedding. The flowers, dress, table settings, food, decorations, favours, speeches, photography, playlist, invites, vows (I can go on for hours…) jangled around in my brain at all times, but nobody could argue that I didn’t well and truly embrace the experience. My word of the year, ‘embrace’, has been with me in more ways than one since January, and I’ve been holding my loved ones close, and embracing change, opportunities and – in some cases – chaos, where I can. It’s not all been smooth-sailing, but halfway through the year I’ve gained knowledge and experience that are sure to do me well for the next six months and beyond (and experienced lots of joy along the way).
Little wins
If you’re not feeling overly successful this week, what small achievements have you experienced recently? Maybe you’ve been getting 8 hours of sleep, added a delicious new recipe to your mid-week rotation, made it out for a run, finished a book, tried a new hobby, booked something to look forward to, or finally found a date to catch up with old friends.
Our anxious rescue dog is nailing being left home alone, I successfully grew some plants that didn’t get destroyed by slugs (emphasis on some), and threw myself into my first freelance floristry job and lived to tell the tale. Not to brag, but I’ve changed my surname on nearly half of my big important documents, survived a turbulent week at work and managed to get our weekly food shop perfectly on budget too. As a list-lover it’s mind-boggling that I’m not into journalling, but I’d imagine if you made a regular note of these little wins, it’d help you to feel like a pretty big success before too long.
Turns out success isn’t all about promotions, pay rises and shout-it-from-the-rooftop achievements – or, if you’re four-year-old Lorna, becoming a Spice Girl – it’s just how you choose to see it. And if you made it through the first half of 2024 without having too many disasters, then I’d consider you thoroughly successful too. If not… there’s always the next half to turn your year around.
However you’re celebrating it, happy solstice!
Lorna x