Measuring Success

I saw something today that really got me thinking. We spend a lot of time, especially in the music business, talking about success. But what is success, really? It’s completely subjective.

Last week I had surgery to remove a tumour in my knee (it’s benign, just pesky and it keeps growing back for some unknown reason). It’s the second time I’ve had this surgery, so I’m practically a regular now at the physiotherapy unit at Vanderbilt Hospital. I’m no stranger to the teeth-gritting, slow-as-molasses, frustrating process of coaxing my leg to bend, straighten, and walk again.

Today I was particularly frustrated. It was just one of those mornings when the weights were too hard to lift, my knee was more swollen than usual, I was leaning more heavily on the crutches and I just couldn’t imagine how I’m going to run across an airport or skip across a stage again. It’s silly, really, because I know that very soon I’ll be doing just that. But sometimes patience isn’t my best virtue. So I was feeling like a failure today.

Then, everyone in the room stopped for a moment and I looked up from my swollen knee to see what the fuss was about.

Everyone was looking at an old man on the walking track next to the bench where I was sitting. I had noticed him earlier, because he had been wheeled into the unit in a wheelchair. Instead of legs, he was wearing metal prosthetics from the knee down with sneakers on the bottom.

That old man was taking his first steps. They were tiny, slow, uncertain steps and he was holding onto a walker for dear life…but he was taking them. I watched him work his way past me at a snail’s pace, and on the way by, he smiled at me.

Needless to say, I felt pretty stupid for being frustrated with the fact I couldn’t walk without crutches. I have legs. And even though I can’t do it right now, I’m going to walk on them again…and dance…and skip across the stage. I’m lucky.

Success, for that old man, meant taking ten steps with a walker. Success for me today meant that I could walk with just one crutch. Success for my friend the runner means running 5 miles each day. Success for the homeless guy on the corner of Broadway and 4th means enough coins in his cup to buy a loaf of bread. Success for a millionaire means another million bucks. Success for one musician means playing a song to a campfire audience and hearing them sing along. Success for another means selling a few million records and filling a bunch of stadiums with fans.

I guess what I’m saying is, success is a tricky concept. It changes, depending on where you perceive you are in your life. And maybe the more success we experience, the more our idea of success becomes skewed, and the less satisfied we are with the things that used to be enough.

I’m not saying that small things have to be enough, and that we shouldn’t reach for more. But maybe we should take a moment to recognize those small things that we accomplish each day, and to appreciate those things with gratitude.

Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of that.

Promote

2 members promoted this

Comment

You need to be a member of Nashville Music Pros to add comments!

Join Nashville Music Pros

Comment by Kris Bergsnes on April 22, 2011 at 10:58pm: So true... The seasons of life has many lessons. Sometimes I think it's the baby steps that get us where we are going.

Comment by Judy Rodman on March 10, 2011 at 6:16pm: Victoria so appreciate this reminder you've given all of us. Absolutely a secret of life to somehow develop the gift of 'being content in all things'. Otherwise there will never be enough to satisfy. Thank you:)

Comment by vail johnson on March 10, 2011 at 12:24pm: appreciate your thoughts!

Comment by gary cavanaugh on February 18, 2011 at 4:16pm: Hi Victoria,

I love your comments and agree. We are all successful in whatever degree we choose to be or maybe want to be. Thank you for these words. They were helpful and inspiring!

best wishes,

Gary

Comment by Billy Scott on February 15, 2011 at 7:59pm: You got it right on with this post

Comment by David E. Edwards on February 15, 2011 at 8:29am: Well written also Joe. Many guage "success" by $$. I try to remind myself as many times as I can that my success is being able to live in my element. By the way Joe, I was never successful at getting those DP files that got messed up to work. Don't know if you remember that. I'll get up with you sometime in the near future. There's no rush on it at the moment. Anyway, once again, thanks for the post Victoria.

Comment by Joe Pasquale on February 13, 2011 at 11:21am: well written- over the years i think you will find that success begins with the acknowledgement/respect of your peers regardless of the field- the old adage "you can't buy a reputation" is born out daily from the banks of Wall St. to the D-rooms of Hollywood-

i know some may define it in terms of $$'s or being liked- but Respect is the one thing that will always lead to the opportunities that bring the others......... "Commericality without Credibility" leads to the kind of temporal success that used car salesmen aspire to and the poet laments ;)

Comment by Eva Wilson on February 13, 2011 at 11:15am: Thanks for the reminder, Victoria. Be sure to let us know when you're skipping across the stage again so we can all stop what we're doing and celebrate with you!

Comment by David E. Edwards on February 3, 2011 at 9:58pm: This is strange. I haven't logged in here for several days and for some reason over the past few days I have been struggling with myself about success. I moved here 16 years ago to "make it" in songwriting. I started off with a bang but was quickly shot back several clicks with some unexpected family stuff. I really never regained my foothold (if that's even the way to say it). I've watched several people that came to Nashville the same time I did go on to getting publishing deals, cuts, etc. I've always been very happy for these friends but found myself being hard on myself because I was knocked off course and never became "successful" like some. Long story short, I started having serious health issues that brought me to a whole new way of measuring success. I came to think that a person is successful if they are doing what they love to do. Well, I guess the old feelings found a way to creep back in recently. Like I said, for the past few days I have been dwelling on my "lack of success" and getting down about it. So, I log in here tonight and there's your post. It woke me up again. Thanks for the wake up call.

Comment by Ted Matthews on February 3, 2011 at 4:36pm: Wow Victoria, I could not have said that better! In the middle of all the busyness and achievements, success for me is making the best of all the friendships I've been blessed with.

Thank you for posting this!

Ted