all in the room with her. They
were so loud, laughing and hav-
ing a such good time, the nurse
came into the room and kindly
asked them to tone down their
fun (with a wink) as a courtesy to
the other patients.
The funny part about this is
that this was not atypical for my
mom.
When you measure your success
in the amount of hugs given,
shared belly laughs, care (“love”)
packages and note cards sent,
apple pies made, family dinners
held, and dances grooved to, like
my mother did, you live everyday
as if you’re on top of the world. If
she could make someone’s day, it
was a successful one. (She was no
stranger to buying a candy bar in
the checkout line and then giving
it right to the cashier.) The key is
to be clear on your values. What
does true success look like for
you? What would living an ex-
traordinary life look like for you.
I was judging my mom’s life
based on my own idea of what
living an extraordinary life
looked like, which has certainly
changed over the years as well
as what I truly value, particu-
larly after my mom passed. She
helped me realized that it’s OK
to not want the biggest and best
of every“THING”, because we all
have our own unique desires and
we shouldn’t base our level of
success on someone else’s idea of
what it should look like.
We must be clear on our values,
how we want to feel everyday
and let go of the packaging and
branding. It may arrive to us in
a completely different form than
what we expected.
We all are programmed differ-
ently. What we value and what
About the Author
Leah Carol is a Life Coach for Millennials. She started
her company, Love Monster, as a tribute to her mother who
taught her that life is "all about the love" and that "Chicks
rule!" She has spent years working with young females in
various capacities both domestic and internationally and
has really found her groove in the coaching industry. You
can learn more about her on her website,www.leahcarol.
com or on social media.
leahcarol.com
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we view as success is what we
will ultimately pursue and it is
the exact thing the world needs
so don’t judge it.
I still value nice vacations,
high-quality sheets and a good
blow-out, but sometimes grand-
ma hugs, belly laughing and
coffee time with girlfriends, can
be just a extraordinary as a villa
on the ocean.
If you want the best of every-
”thing”, great! However, if you
don’t, that’s cool too because we
each get to decide what living
an extraordinary life looks like
for us; some of us may want a 28
bedroom house and some of us
may want a soft place to lay our
head at night holding the hand of
the one we love.