I know that for many of us the word “success” immediately leads us to think about business/work, but when I really begin to think about what it means for me, I cannot exclude the other parts of my life. I truly want everything I do to be successful, but how do I measure that?
A few years ago, when I was homeschooling my children, I ran across the rule of six. It was one mother’s promise to give her children what she called good soul-food every day: good books, imaginative play, encounters with beauty, ideas to ponder and discuss, prayer, and meaningful work. The simplicity of the rule of six was what caught my attention. No matter what your soul-food might be, it is an almost tangible way of quantifying the success of your own life.
I’ve come up with my own rule of six for myself as I am now. Right now I am a wife, mother, and full-time artist. There are so many other roles that I fill as well, but these are the ones that are present every day. My rule of six is:
- love and care for my family
- meaningful work
- encounters with beauty
- imaginative play
- love and care for myself
- good books/new ideas to ponder
As an adult I think it’s nearly impossible to achieve all of these things every day, but over the course of a week, a month, a year, it is easy to look back to see if I’ve made time for all of these things. It is only when all of these are in balance that I feel like I’m being successful.
image via onpaperwings
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You can find Sam’s own simple & meaningful work at her Inklore shop, her blog, and her newest creation “Good Measure.”
I love this idea of six. What makes our life successful? The things that fulfill us, no? How do we live our whole lives? The way we live our days. If we pay attention to the days, do the lives begin to make sense?
Beautiful read. I totally agree that having your life balanced makes you happy and succesfull. After all they are simple things that matter but it’s not always easy to concentrate on essential.
Reading your rule of six makes me smile, Sam. Lovely post.