Rebuilding Rob

As WordPress continues to recycle old prompts, I pulled another prompt from The Coffee Monsterz Co to respond to today

How has your idea of being successful in life changed over the years?*l

I’m not sure that my idea of being a “successful“ has changed much over the years. If anything, I’m coming to the realization that I’m in the process of redefining my definition of successful Eva as I write this.

I think it’s very easy, growing up in America, too define success as being a multimillionaire. Ours is a capitalistic, consumer based culture that is built on the ideas of “more is good, all is better“.

And I’m sure to some extent I to have fallen victim to this ideology. I’ve been a collector of things over the years. Action figures, comic books, and baseball cards in my early adulthood. And even though I’ll occasionally pick up a knickknack from one of these three collections to this day, I’ve never been under any Misguided notion that I would ever “collect them all” as they say.

I think for some time, my idea of being successful was very much like the suburban American dream: having a stable job, having my own home, having my own transportation. A wife in 2.5 children would be optional of course.

But as time has marched on in the world has changed somewhat, my definition of success does not add up to what was once forced to me for decades.

I have a stable career right now. I have a place to live, I’m at a point where I’m not necessarily living paycheck to paycheck, unless I’m really bad with my spending. My boys are both provided for.

But the truth is, I think about what the world was like when I was growing up. My father was a police officer. My mother permanently injured her back when I was very young and didn’t work for most of my life. And yet, my dad was able to afford a house in a very Up-and-coming suburb there three kids were able to go through college, I’ll be on student loans. And he did this all on a cop salary.

Everything is just getting so damn expensive these days. And right now, wages are not increasing to keep up with the cost of living.

I hate it because kid one is getting ready to go to college, and neither me or one and a situation where we can just say to him “don’t worry about it. Mom and dad got it. Thankfully, he’s gotten outstanding grades most of his school career And already has multiple scholarships lined up. One and I, and kid one, or trying to string together enough scholarships so that he can get his education paid for without the need for student loans. Even if he does need to apply for loans, we’re hoping he can keep that to a minimum.

I look at some of my friends, I need some of my exes, I think that they “have their shit together and “more than I do. In some cases they do. On the other hand, there’s people like Betty: who I hung out with last night. Like I was about five years ago, she’s coming off of a long-term relationship and is trying to get herself back on her feet. It’s kind of hard for me, as I’m not released to feeling like I have it more together than other people do.

But nobody’s lines are perfect. Sometimes the people who seem like they are the most “with it“ are the ones who are falling apart internally. Having said that, I’m very grateful for where I’m at in my life right now. Sure, things could be better; but they could be considerably worse

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts

• Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
• A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
• The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
• Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
• The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie

The article “the ever evolving definition of success“ first appeared on Rebuilding Rob