The Measure of Success

I used to write Bible studies for the women’s group of the church we attended at the time. In one particular lesson, we were discussing the idea, or rather the strive for perfection. The following example proved both enlightening and helpful: Each lady was asked to draw a 5 inch line on her study paper. She was not to look at her neighbor’s paper, or use a measure. When we compared each line, some were shorter, some were much longer. But none of our lines measured exactly 5 inches.

Success is like that, as well. Whereas there is an actual measure we can use to gauge a 5 inch line, success is far more ambiguous, and personal. It’s when we judge our success against someone else’s success that we fall into the comparison trap. And as we all know, comparison is the thief of joy.

Did you know I went viral?

I posted a short video about a year ago where I demonstrated how to clean white dish cloths using a kitchen sprayer like a pressure washer. That video got so many views I was blown away! But let me tell you what, all that did was add unrealistic expectations and unbelievable pressure! Each time I looked at my sink and saw a dish cloth with stains, I felt like such a fraud.

So here’s how I fixed it. I threw those white dish cloths away! Or rather, I repurposed them as cleaning cloths. And I bought gray ones; gray ones that don’t show stains and don’t make me feel like a failure!

And it brought me so much joy that I replaced my plain dish towels with pretty patterned ones, patterns that are beautiful, but disguise coffee drip stains, and ketchup stains, and that one random “I got a little too close to the burner” stain.

And do you know what happened? It felt like a total success.

The good thing about apple picking season…

I was spending the day with my daughter recently and we were watching a content creator on Youtube. She was making homemade apple cider. Now, I’m the buy it from the supermarket kind of apple cider gal. But that was because I thought apple cider was a whole process. I thought apple cider meant finding an orchard, picking bushels of apples, and then somehow ‘cold pressing’ them into cider, in order for it to be any kind of good.

But this young lady used store bought apples! Shock! Horror! The audacity! Not really. I was actually surprised at the ease and simplicity of the process. And so, in this week’s grocery order, I placed 3 gala apples, 2 Granny Smith apples, and 3 pink lady apples. Do you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to make apple cider! (I’ve linked the recipe I’ll be using here).

And do you know what else I’m going to do? I’m going to measure it a success.

https://makylacreates.com/homemade-apple-cider/?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=organic

Fall casseroles, etc…

I have on my Pinterest board a ton of fall recipes pinned. I have recipes that include turkey, recipes that include slow cookers, recipes for hearty soups, and recipes that look like they will be absolutely delicious.

But today, as I looked through my produce drawer, I realized I had a half container of mushrooms, half an onion, and a head of broccoli that needed using up before it expired. In my pantry I found a can of cream of chicken and mushroom soup. And so, on a whim, and without a celebrity chef to guide my every move, I put together a scrumptious and easy fall casserole. All by myself. Here’s the recipe I created if you’re curious

1 cup chopped mushrooms, give or take
1/2 diced yellow onion, give or take
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli, give or take
1 can cream of chicken and mushroom soup
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup chicken stock
shredded cheese (we use Violife)
three boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cooked and diced
bread crumbs, any flavor or style you like

To a casserole dish, add all the ingredients together and mix thoroughly to combine. Cover with a thin layer of breadcrumbs (or a thick layer if you prefer).

Bake at 350 until rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender and bread crumbs have toasted. (Some rice takes longer to cook than others, so use your package instructions as reference.). My rice took 45 minutes to cook.

There’s something about a fridge clean out recipe I love. It feels like I’m actually accomplishing two things at once; feeding my family, and cleaning out the fridge. That’s another measured success, friends!

Comparison is a thief…

A few weeks ago, John and I were having a pool day (as we often do during the summer months). The weather was beautiful, the water was cool, it was so nice! A neighbor came by to chat with us and to tell us she was moving to Tennessee. She was having a pool day with a few girl friends she’d invited to help her pack and move. Two of the four ladies were licensed dietitians. Our neighbor is licensed in thirteen states! One of the ladies was an RN, and the other was also in the medical field.

They asked us what we did. John explained that he had been part owner (and still owns a small percentage) of an IT business – for twenty six years. Then, our neighbor asked me, “And Billie, what do you do?” I left my profession over a year ago and have been busy writing and being a homemaker ever since. But in that moment, do you know what I answered? “This. I do this.” As I motioned at the pool and its surroundings. Then, I told them I left my job a year and a half ago.

But that stuck with me for days! I started to feel a lot like Kathleen Kelly. “What do I do, actually? All I really do is run a children’s book store!” As if my life is less successful than someone else’s. As if I should measure my success according to how someone else measures theirs.

And on a day like today…

Then, on a random day, like today, I smile as I fold my kitchen dish towels, and I look forward to making homemade apple cider, and I make a delicious chicken broccoli mushroom casserole from whatever I had on hand in my refrigerator. On a day like today, I remember that this job, this job of being a full-time wife and homemaker IS my dream job. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do with my life. This job is the job I dreamed about as a little girl. And I softly smile as I remember that success is measured any way we want to measure it.

Today success looks different than it will tomorrow, or the next day, or next week. Maybe you measure success by organizing a drawer, or making your bed, or finishing a big project. Maybe success looks like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or Denali. Maybe you measure success by making homemake apple cider, or baking a from-scratch casserole.

The point of all this is to encourage you not to allow comparison to change (or steal) your perception of what success looks like for you!