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what does success even look like?
In:PositiveReality

What does success even look like?

May 2, 2018April 30, 2018

I’ve heard the question posed “what does success look like to you?”

I always find it quite hard to answer, because I guess I haven’t really thought about striving for “success” as if it were some destination to arrive at.

The often spoken about “hallmarks” of success that focus on assets and wealth have never really been that important to me – which probably explains why I am not financially wealthy! But I am rich in other things that matter to me more.

Success

Success is such an odd concept to me. Of course, I understand that in the context of setting a measurable goal, success is achieved once the goal is achieved. But we don’t ever stop setting the next goal, and the next – so, at least to me, it is not just about success. It is far more about the journey and perhaps more importantly about growth and progress.

Winston Churchill said “Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”

I love that quote.

It speaks to the fact that success is not a destination, or an end point, that failure should be an expected part of the journey and that what really matters is the courage to keep going even when unexpected things happen.

Courage to overcome

So where does that courage come from? Why do some people, seemingly have more courage than others?

When we get knocked down, how do we find the strength to pick ourselves up to move forward?

In my experience, it has quite a bit to do with our intestinal fortitude (our values, our beliefs, our self-talk) and our purpose (our “why”, our cause, our dream). It also seems to me, to be less about the magnitude of our dream, but more about its outward focus.

“To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” – Bessie Stanley

Last week was one of those “roller-coaster” weeks for me – with some ups, some downs and a few unexpected twists and turns! Sometimes I can be hard on myself when things don’t go to plan, or when I don’t achieve as much as I wanted to.

Focusing on the positives and reminding myself of my bigger picture purpose, helps me to keep pressing on despite the obstacles that came my way.

So many of my clients are facing one of the hardest things in life – the loss of a loved one. The journey, while different for each one, inevitably involves experiencing the various phases of grief (denial, bargaining, anger, depression, acceptance), sometimes more than once or twice. Often handling the estate administration is overwhelming enough, let alone having to navigate that process when an estate battle between family members begins to swell on the horizon.

One of the conversations I shared with a client last week, touched on how things might look once the difficult time now faced, had resolved. We talked about how there was more to “winning” than …well… ”winning” in the legal sense of the word.

As lawyers, trained to problem solve, we tend to try and “help” clients by imposing our own ideas about what “success” should look like (according to the law). But success can be so much more meaningful when measured against actual human need – for the conflict to be over, for sleepless nights to stop, for a peaceful existence from which to find a new normal.

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. – Booker T. Washington (1856 – 1915)

To me, it is less about success and more about the journey. How about you? What does success mean to you?

courage, journey, obstacles, overcoming, progress, success, winning

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Hello

I am Zinta Harris. I live in Brisbane, Australia with my husband of 25 years, Craig (known by most as Harry) and our two children Teja and Zigi. I am a specialist wills and estates lawyer by day and inspiration seeker by night. I help Australian families navigate the legal fallout after the loss of a loved one in a calm and compassionate way. My mood is better after a daily double shot coffee and a glass or two of bubbles. I get my energy from people. My superpower is encouraging others. It is my sincere hope that this blog will encourage you. I hope it gives you a chance to chime in with your experience or to feel part of a community that has walked through a valley and made it through. Read about me

Check out my new book! “Rest in Peace” – how to manage an estate dispute without inheriting heartache

https://resolveestatelaw.com.au/

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Today is Australia Day, Survival Day, Invasion Day Today is Australia Day, Survival Day, Invasion Day, Day of Mourning. As a non-indigenous Australian I acknowledge that today is not a day to celebrate. 

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✨LAST CHANCE✨ If you are a wills and estates ✨LAST CHANCE✨

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Join others who are flying in from across the country to do both trainings (Core Skills and Advanced) face to face in Sydney on 2 -3 & 4 February 2023 at The College of Law Australia's new campus!

This will be the ONLY face to face training running in Sydney this year and registrations will closing at 11:59PM AEST today! 

The program teaches the unique Collaborative Practice model developed for the pre-death and post death contexts with a particular focus on multi-party and multi-capacity facilitations unique to estate matters. Coupled with practical role play training in an estates “mock file” role play series, you will receive comprehensive training for the Wills and Estates contexts not offered anywhere else!

Click this link to book now!
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Did you know? ✨Before making an application for Did you know?

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✨If the original will can't be found, probate of a copy of the will can be applied for but only in certain circumstances. 

Want to learn more? Read our blog - link in bio. 

Need our help? Book in for a FREE 15 minute clarity call. 

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In the next two decades we are going to see the la In the next two decades we are going to see the largest transfer of wealth from generation to generation in Australian history. 💥

We have all heard horror stories about how disputes over inheritance can destroy families and their businesses while hard earned inheritances are diminished paying legal costs. 💔

Sometimes making a will isn't enough to stop this. Nor is choosing not to a solution. 😪

What if I told you there is a way to manage inheritance  conversations (pre death or post death) without starting a family war? 💫

Want to know more? Head to the Australian Association of Collaborative Professionals (AACP) website where you can find brochures specifically designed to outline respectful methods to manage wills and estate disputes and family inclusive estate planning. 

Checkout the links in my linktree for more details!

#collaborativeestates #collaborativepractice #teambasedresolution #Inheritance #willsandestates #legacyoflove #abetterway 
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