A man's midlife years are a time when he looks back at the previous decades and assesses his health, his relationships, his professional achievements and his experiences to determine if his life was a success.
The timeline should be much longer, extending backwards and forwards.
Success is partly determined by what you have done with a history that began before you were even born. Has the legacy of previous generations been passed on to you with integrity? Have you been faithful in all that your forefathers have left behind? Farmers working in the fields, miners toiling away in mines, pioneers trekking through storms and soldiers dying in trenches. . . Have you lived up to the sacrifices of centuries, including the blood, tears, and sweat that allowed you live and breathe in this day?
A part of your success is also how you have set up the future for it to continue long after you are gone. You may not have been a perfect parent, but did you improve on the parenting that you received? Although you may not be a perfect parent yourself, have you made any improvements to the parenting that you received? You may not have been a perfect parent, but did you improve, at least a little, on the parenting you received?
Success does not just depend on the small achievements you make in your lifetime, but also on how you invest your inheritance to produce ever-repeating dividends over millennia.
Success is being the type of man that your ancestors will be proud of and that your descendants will appreciate.
Support independent publishing. Donate to The Art of Manliness! Thank you for your support!
No comments:
Post a Comment