You Don’t Have to Live Anyone’s Idea of a Successful Life

Instead, find out who you want to be.

Sangeeta Marwah, PhD
Ascent Publication

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Photo by Анна Рыжкова on Pexels

I know how you feel.

Waking up every morning, wading through a fog of existential bleakness only to emerge, bleary-eyed, into a chaos-ridden world that daily questions your essence.

You start each day with honest intentions. You are committed to becoming that person who, you think, will finally make you feel proud of yourself. Yet, each night finds you worn out with the effort and no less closer to that elusive goal.

You’re doing it all, you argue. The guided meditations, the morning routines, the 5k training, the TED talks, the meetup events… everything.

You’re straining each seam of your being to its maximum resilience yet you remain, disappointingly (to yourself), just plain, old — you.

What will it take, you implore to the universe, to morph into that person you long to be? The one who is a beacon of productivity, the one who radiates inner peace or the one who runs a six-figure business (and a five-member family), maintains a beautiful, Pinterest-y home, volunteers every weekend, and ziplines in the Amazonian rainforest?

Why can’t I be that person, you ask. Why can’t I be successful, smart, fit, healthy, beautiful, philanthropic…

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