Casual Friday

Question of the Day.

Define success in terms of what it means to you.

We had lunch at Chipotle today and I had a rare sighting there of a guy in a dark blue business suit. It got me thinking about how happy I am that I never had to get into that kind of career move, simply because it's sooooo not me. It would be torture for me.

And he might be raking in tons more cash than I am (or not, you never know), but cash isn't king.

Here's my 10-point definition of success as it pertains to me.

1. I wear what I want to work.

2. I love my work and am passionate about it. Lack of "professional attire" has no impact whatsoever on my professionalism.

3. I do not own a suit or a necktie.

4. I can pay my mortgage and pretty much buy what I want, short of a yacht, a 2nd home in the Hamptons, a Maserati, and the like.

5. I work at home.

6. With any luck (and it might require a lot of luck in this day and age), I might never need to prepare a resume again.

7. There is nothing for sale in the supermarket that I cannot afford to buy, and yet I still prefer to grow my own.

8. If #6 holds true, I will have my house paid for within 3 years and will lose that interest deduction, and therefore will forfeit my income tax refund. And I don't care. I'll be better off without it.

9. My car is over 6 years old and has less than 40,000 miles on the odometer and I love it as much as the day I bought it. And it's paid for. And I plan to drive it another decade or so. Maybe longer.

10. I'm real. I'm who I am. I'm honest. I have managed to maintain a moral structure in the absence of organized religion. I don't need a membership in the Country Club to prove I have "arrived." And I'm thankful I managed to get this far without sacrificing too much of who I am. In fact, I think I have received back anything I ever did give up in an effort to fit a mold created by someone else.

That might be more than 10. Fine me.