Success Vs Failure and the Average Jane

Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Failure is the lack of success.

Heston Blumenthal admitted that in his pursuit of a successful cooking empire and world famous restaurant, he lost his marriage and it severely impacted his relationship with his children, he wasn't "much of a dad". Is that success? Has he won at life? His bank balance would say so, I guess.

On paper, my failures well out way any successes. By 25 I was bankrupt, divorced, unemployed and living back at home. I think I hurt a lot of people, mostly I learned that I was hopelessly unequipped to handle all of the above at the time.

My aim or purpose since then, while fleetingly getting distracted by delusions of grandeur like owning multiple holiday houses and a jet while having gold plated lattes, has been happiness. That experience, while traumatic, was really useful to point out to me at a really young age that work, career, business and money are really fleeting and while necessary do not wholly offer fulfilment. I needed to relearn this lesson recently after my 5 years in real estate, I didn't say I was a fast learner.

Don't allow set backs to kill your dreams but conversely don't allow your dreams to define you or your happiness.

I'm not about to renounce my worldly possessions and live in a yurt (they don't get good wi-fi and I like showering), I am not saying don't have a plan or work hard,  I am just glad to have this current perspective.

Success, right this moment, is on a micro level.

Writing this blog (while a little hungover)?...Winning

Lamingtons for afternoon tea?...Boo Yah!

Date night with Dave?.....High five

A good, busy day at work?....Bonus

Being organised enough to bring left overs to work for lunch?...Genius

Laughing so hard that I can't form coherent sentences for 15  minutes?...Priceless

Failure allows you to move the goal posts to where ever the hell you like or for a short time, it allows you to take your bat and ball and go home.


Don't let your business card be your autobiography. The world needs people like Steve Jobs and Heston Blumenthal with stubborn single minded purpose and vision, but it also needs its Average Janes who can rock the shit out of their everyday.

Judgy McJudgerson and Judginess of the Judgers

This literally just happened. I am writing it down now so the scar isn't burned to deeply into my psych.

So, this weekend is turning out to be a bit of a pisser. I am working a lot of it and today is the school fete. Which involves volunteering and baking and a DUNK TANK etc etc Ugh. Don't think badly of me. Its just not something I do well, but the things we do for our kids, hey?

So this morning, I have been icing, cleaning the kitchen putting on some washing and getting whined at for breakfast by my youngest daughter. The straw that broke this mummy camel's spine came in the form of one last whiney shout across the house "I'MMMMM HUUUUUNNNNGGGGRRRYYYYYY, wheres breakfast?????????".

It didn't go down to well. "Get your BUTT into the kitchen RIGHT NOW!". I won't bore you with the details but it involved the sayings "I am not your slave", "Things are going to change around here" and the classic "Are you arms painted on?".

After all the shoutiness, I hear a little wrap at the front door. Leah tells me "Its the lady who gives you those magazines".

AWWWW crap, the Jehovah Witness lady (from my earlier blog) and her two young daughters had just been witness to my Mummy tantrum in full volume and all its glory.

I could feel the "Parenting Judginess" through the brick walls and I know they heard the whole thing because from the looks on their faces when I came to the door, I am pretty sure they think I am possessed.

Its ok though, I am guessing this is karma for my "slightly" judgy earlier post. At least the Jehovahs
don't believe in Karma :P