I’ll start by defining success according to dictionary.com.  Success: 1.) The favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.  2.) The attainment of wealth, positions, honors or the like. 

I believe Eminem said something similar to my title in his “Lose Yourself” lyrics; success is my only…option, failure’s not, and of course he added ‘mf’ in there too, but I’ve edited for appropriateness.  It is true though, you know?  When you choose to let success be your only option,  your failures along the way are just opportunities for growth.  It does not matter who you are, who you were, what your situation in life is today–you can still choose to succeed. 

Family and friends have always called me “lucky.”  When I was younger, my grandmother would buy me little scratch off lottery tickets and there was rarely a time when I would not win.  When I was in college (the first time around), too broke and prideful to ask my parents for money to buy groceries, I put a quarter in the pull-tab machine at Kroger and won $50 right when I needed it most.  My mother to this day constantly wants me to register her for sweepstakes, because she believes I have the magic touch or something.  I will have you know, that with the numerous amounts of sweepstakes I have registered myself and my family for, I have still yet to ever be the “one lucky winner,” but there is no telling my mother.   The funny thing about all of this when I was younger, was that I believed I was lucky.  Ironically, I do not actually believe in luck anymore.  I do not see it the same way.  I see luck as a pay-off when you choose success.  I see it as favorable blessings that happen on occasion as a way of God saying “hey, I hear you – I’m still working in your life, so do not forget about me, because there is so much better than just this for you.”  A reminder to be grateful for all that He has given me and all that is to come.

I believed when I was a little girl, that some day, I would be successful in my career.  Of course, back then, I wanted to be a writer or a singer or a ballet dancer.  The verdict is still out on becoming a writer in some aspect; I’m only a mildly decent singer – the kind that will actually get sincere compliments at karaoke night when I’m brave enough to take the mic; and as for a ballet dancer…well, I have the rear anatomy of a hip-hop dancer and only took ballet when I was six years old, so take a guess.  Regardless of what career choice I had decided upon as I grew older, I just knew deep down that I had everything it would take to be successful at it.  

I choose daily to succeed.  It hasn’t always been that way, and there are definitely days where I get frustrated to the point of where I’d rather choose to fail.  On those days, I just recognize that maybe there is growth still needed, and I wake up the next day choosing to succeed all over again.  Ultimately, I believe that I’m going to be successful with a career in Tennis.  Not because I was or ever will be a “great” player.  Not because I always knew this was what I wanted to be, because Lord knows, I had trouble narrowing down my focus for a while. 

I believe it, because I have a passion for it more than anything else I’ve ever enjoyed doing.  I’m always going to be willing to learn more to improve myself each day so that others can benefit.  I don’t for one second believe I’m going to be successful at this because I’m “lucky.”  You have to educate yourself to be in the right place at the right time; it is not chance in my opinion.  When you are walking the path you are meant to walk, God puts the people you need to encounter in your way, and when you are not walking that path…He throws one of those people in at random so that when you look back, you can see where it was He wanted you to go all along.  I sort of love that about Him.  I can see those people when I look back at my own life.  I also should mention that Satan too is capable of throwing “randoms” into your life to take you away from where you will be most successful; especially when you are trying to walk a path of Godliness or lead others to it.  I can also see those people in my life as well as see them in the lives of others arond me.  All I can say, all that I know, is that I’m going to keep choosing success.  I’m going to keep getting back up.  I’m going to keep choosing God, because He will always choose me.  

Hmmm…I didn’t intend to go this way with my blog tonight.  Nonetheless, that is what happens when I free-write a little bit.  I manage to find my way back to the root of my success thus far in life.  I’m done for tonight, but there is more I want to write on a half-way related subject.  I’ll save that for tomorrow, I guess.