The road to success is always under construction
– American actress, comedian, producer, and screenwriter, Lily Tomlin, was born on this day in 1939.
No, I’m not traveling anywhere.
Not in the get in the automobile and drive to the nearest Sheetz or Wawa to get coffee for the trip kind of way.
That’s next weekend with my upcoming high school reunion.
I am driving through a lot of construction on my way to the office these days. It seems the City of Richmond likes to select a block and approve plans for construction on all four surrounding streets at the same time.
No backup worries there.
Then there’s this stretch of I-64 in Kentucky. I drive through there on the way to my college alma mater. For the last 40 years (and now you know which high school reunion) that certain stretch seems to have been under construction. It probably hasn’t, but I do not recall a trip without seeing the all too familiar orange and white barrels.
It seems in life that we never quite arrive. I suppose it depends on how you define success.
I’m an author, not yet a successful one. I’m an actor, again not yet what I would call successful.
Oh sure, I’ve had some triumphs. But I’m not a point where I can say “Oh, I’ve done that, I can quit now.”
Is anyone ever?
People retire from the stage (or film) all the time. Or they say they’re not writing any more.
I’m not sure that’s a definition of success.
Success is not in things, I have plenty. It’s not in money, I have…some…not always enough to pay for the plenty of things.
So, if I use that as my measure of success then I’m never quite going to feel like I’m there.
To me success means I found something that I like, or love, doing, and I’m getting to do it. Over and over.
How much more successful do you have to be?
Is everything perfect? Of course not.
Am I without worries? Hardly.
Do I spend every day, mostly, looking for the next writing opportunity or the next audition.
Yeah, pretty much.
That’s the construction part.
There may be delays from the guys standing there with the “Stop” or “Slow” signs. But eventually I’ll get moving again.
At least those are my good intentions.
But wait…those pave another road…
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