I came across a question: Would you like who you are underneath if you were to peel away title and money?
It made me pause and ponder.
I do not have an impressive résumé; do not hold a prestigious position in a company nor own properties nor a substantial bank account. To the stereotypical standards of success, these may come as ill-equipped. And since I am on the other side of the fence with regards to that question, it somehow granted me leave to do a check up on my overall worth as a human being.
In all honesty, even if I were given the chance, I never really subscribed to the success barometer set by popular standards. I am greatly in tune to creating an iconoclastic, sustainable, simple life albeit having a list of expectations for myself with a bucket list in my timeline yet to be achieved.
Moreover, I looked back on the friendships I have and the relationships I have nourished, whether lengthy or short-lived. I reflected with memories, bright or dark; battles I chose, be it shallow or deep; missed opportunities; moments that tested me to the core, along with the crucial factors for every major life decision. Some may be questionable especially at my weakest. Forgave people and events that negatively affected my self-worth, and still leave room to navigate grey areas.
These reckon that our eventuality will be a concoction of old, new and uncontrollable elements infused at random. Nothing is set in stone, as our value and morals are like a canvas sculpted by life’s blunders and passing of time. We may have started out building uneven, awkward blocks, but we will not be ultimately judged by so. For it will be our invisible truths, unfiltered moments, and the gift to create mountains out of all the pebbles or boulders thrown at us along the way that determine the metrics by which we measure ourselves and others.
Alas! To measure up to those makes me feel worthy of the space I occupy and resources I consume on this earth. That someday, I can be proud of the footprints I leave behind against the judgment from society’s eyes. No possessions, yet having immeasurable wealth.
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