Top-Down Success
I’m wondering if success and joy are closely related. Think about it. To work hard toward a goal with dedication and devotion, and ultimately to meet that goal; doesn't it produce in us joy? Certainly it doesn't produce anything less than joy, and I'm not sure what it may produce that is beyond joy. A couple years ago I competed in a local marathon. I had spent nine months preparing; walking, running, lifting, resting. On race day, that finish line was the goal. Though utterly depleted after 26.2 miles of physical exertion, crossing the line filled me with such great joy it would have been impossible to hide it away. There was a smile on my face and a skip (or maybe a limp) in my step sourced from something more than a mere choice; like, it was just there? I finished! Success! (That's me in the red.) Same feeling when we finish a report or a project or a list of long awaited to-do's. Same feeling when we'
