A Tool for the Tenth

i grew up as the youngest child. my mother was the youngest of her family. in both my family and my extended family, there were many individuals ahead of me in life. they had more things, the had more education, and they had more relationships. I was the last in born within a generation.

likewise, in many of the schools i attended, both public and religious, i was surrounded by peers for whose families had significant wealth. with that respect, i knew my family was somehow different. we had a nice house and nice things but there were others that had more. while there was no real needs, i did have knowledge and experiences which showed that there was more out there. this “more” in someways made me feel that i was somehow “lesser.”

as i entered high school and college, these peers were provided cars and condominiums by their parents. further, from my personal observation and perception, that there were with no strings attached. this was how i felt. in my family, we were encouraged to have jobs and make our own money. we all had jobs while going to school.

at the time, i resented what they had. i perceived them as having more freedom than me. i, at the time, lived at home for the most part. friends told me that i should move out. ths would have been at significant expense for very little upside. a little more freedom at what financial cost. this experience shaped my feelings towards other who had more in a negative fashion. i was resentful.

as an adult, i met a wonderful person. he was of great wealth. despite that, he treated everyone with gentleness and concern. one’s station in life did not concern him. his wife was equally wonderful. my family would be invited to their house and it was an amazing experience. there was great enjoyment spending time with their family.

this individual had some personal issues which impacted his education. he, however, had a passion and desire within his chosen field. he loved it, dedicated himself to it, and made himself a success within it.

my experience made me rethink my views. i do not wish to take credit for these thoughts as it may have been said by someone else. i decided that i should be happy for other people’s success. in my mind, his story was one of hope for myself. if i could channel myself in the proper fashion, perhaps i would find success in my life. i decided that being happy for this individual’s success was a positive way of viewing the situation. this was the message that i was going to employ going forward.

from then on, i now express happiness for someone else’s success. the fact that there is success in the world means that there is hope for others. even for myself.