1. luisa says:

    love this, beauty. I’ve had many conversations with friends (and myself) about success and how it’s defined by our society, which is so black and white. we are all successful every day; acknowledging that, no matter how big or small, can only enrich our soul… thank you for so eloquently putting into words what I think about this subject. it’s comforting that we think so much alike as we live our own lives. self-awareness is self-awareness no matter what your every day looks like… i love your blog and appreciate you listening to your heart to write this one. adore you, beth. XO

    • Beth says:

      Dear Luisa, I truly hope we meet again one day. I, too, feel a strong pull to your big spirit and lovely heart. Your encouragement and connection mean a ton. THANK YOU. <3

  2. Ellen says:

    I have known it, as you describe it- and lost the knowledge. My lack of ability to embrace success in the present does not change the truth- thank goodness, thank God.

  3. Amanda says:

    Yes, yes, and yes. Thank you for taking a break from your blog break to send this out. Every time I rally myself to be more driven and pointed (the physicality!) towards my idea of success, I end up exhausted and deeply unhappy. The moment I sit back (physical, again) and stop striving, everything, even the awkwardness, works. Thanks for the reminder.

    • Beth says:

      Amanda, me too!! It’s truly amazing how different life feels when you’re in verses resisting the flow. I so appreciate you reaching out.

  4. Kristina says:

    Beth, thanks for being and inspiration to us all, love you and your girls, was great to see you even for a bit. Much love to your family

    • Beth says:

      Thank you Kristina! It was really lovely to see you and yours, too. All the best and lots of love your way…

  5. Kelly says:

    All we want to be, we already are. We just have slow down, reflect, and realize it. That’s the hard part. Thanks for the encouraging words. They are always like a drizzle of honey on the bowl of fruit and yogurt. Delicious, yet missed when it isn’t there.

    • Beth says:

      That you compared me to honey on a fruit bowl totally made my day! Much love to you Kelly. Can’t wait to swap stateside stories and Mexi-tales alike!

  6. Andrea says:

    Thank you so much for your thoughts, Beth! I am looking forward to reading your book!

  7. Nancy says:

    “Frustration, self-doubt and a sense of failure are often the byproducts of subscribing to someone else’s definitions. Doing so leaves us feeling disempowered because our truest SELF is not being honored.”

    Thank you. I’m literally crying. I was just feeling like a failure today. Knowing I needed to let it all go and just be. But struggling. Struggling to just sink into it all. Realizing that I spent too much of my life trying to be liked by others and ignoring my amazing self. This is what I have stopped my quest of success to work on. Abundance. Isn’t it an amazing thing?

    • Beth says:

      Nancy, your message totally warmed my heart. It’s so true about letting go and being ourselves and yet amazingly difficult when nearly everything and everyone around us encourages the complete opposite. I wish you an ever-expanding experience of abundance, including your own unique contribution to it. <3

  8. Heidi says:

    This is beautiful. I love the pictures. Miss you guys so much.

  9. Margee says:

    Awesome pics and story, Beth. Thanks for sharing 🙂 I, for one, will be sad when you leave Mexico.

    Regarding the hyperthyroidism- I have a friend who had it and was also plagued by eczema on her eyelids for years. She decided to have food sensitivity testing done by ALCAT (alcat.com) for the eczema, which conventional doctors consider hokey. Anyhoo, long story short, it turns out she was highly sensitive to rice, which had been a major part of her diet. She eliminated it and the eczema went away. Then, as a sort of weird side benefit, she found she could also stop taking her thyroid medication! Might be worth looking into…. good luck!

    • Beth says:

      Thank you Margee. I’ll miss you, too!! I am totally going to look into the ALCAT test. I am quite convinced that my gut health (or lack thereof) has everything to do with what’s been going on. Looking forward to unraveling the mystery. I appreciate it!

  10. Chandi says:

    Thank you for sharing

    Beautiful
    With a humble heart I feel your soul expressing itself. You sound like a yogi.
    When we banish of our own little ego’s, our souls can expand in pure love.

    Blessings to you.

    • Beth says:

      Chandi, those are very kind words. Funny, soul expression is exactly why this book has felt so big. I had no idea how many layers of myself it would take me through and force an honest look at. Has been a huge blessing to me. (If a slow one!) THANK YOU. <3

  11. Morgan says:

    Love love love that pic of your four girls in the kitchen working!! xoxo

  12. Miranda says:

    Yup, had one of these moments tonight. Our usual 2 little boy bedtime chaos, yelling, physicality, insanity. Instead of fighting to achieve bedtime perfection, I just basked in the moment with my family. It really felt better than any award I’ve every received. Love your posts!

  13. Hi Beth…I just found your website linked over on the Sustainable Suburbia site. I so agree with your definitions of success and actually wrote a blog post myself about it that I titled, “You Don’t Have To Be A Success”. There is such as strong push AND pull in our culture, that we pass on to each other, that says that our worth is tied to our productivity–and if we aren’t puttin’ it out then we have little or no value. You say it in a lovely way. And even though I KNOW it intellectually I sure need to read it and hear about it as much as possible to stay on track. And if I can offer you any advice I would say, “Enjoy the process and each step of putting your book out there.” Because truly, while you will feel satisfaction at it’s completion, and joy for a while, it won’t be long and you’ll start looking at the next project and moving on. Life is like that as I’m sure you know. And as Abe said, “A person is about as happy as they make up their mind to be.” Enjoy the journey! ~Kathy

  14. Tara says:

    Hi Beth,

    I have hyperthyroidism, which is caused by Graves Disease, the autoimmune disease responsible for most hyperthyroidism. In a small percentage of cases, hyperthyroidism comes from other sources, like thyroiditis (sp?) and nodules on the thyroid–but most always (in a large percentage) of cases, it’s b/c of Graves Disease. I went to the message boards on the Graves Disease Foundation’s website when first diagnosed to here about the 3 kinds of treatment, all of which are pretty terrible (thyroidectomy, medicine that is somewhat dangerous, and radioactive iodine). I went with the medicine and took it for 3 or 4 years until I went gluten free and had a wonderful doctor who worked with me and let me stay on the medicine in very small doses for a long time and combined that with my elimination of gluten. I have now been off medicine for 2 years, which they call remission. I don’t know if the gluten free eating had anything to do with it, but I don’t dare risk otherwise to find out. There is also a woman with another message board named Elaine Moore who knows a LOT about the disease, and is more open to other options that are more natural, and that the Graves Disease Foundation is not as open to. They are a great source of info, but tend to stay with the party line–probably because of liability issues. Anyway–it’s good to read up on things. I would have never known what to do without the internet as the first doctor tried to have me drink a nuclear cocktail on day one–and said I’d be on medicine for the rest of my life. Luckily, I did a lot of research and found the path that worked for me and my body and personal situation. I have read lots of different people’s stories, and they took different paths, and found results that worked for them. It does get better–but for me at least, it required a lot of patience. I’m so glad you found out what it was b/c lots of people don’t find out for a long time, and that does a lot of damage to the body. Anyway–hope it’s not Graves Disease and that it’s something that is not long term! But if not, it does get better–but it was such a shock to me–someone who had always been healthy and had considered herself somewhat of a health nut. Ha! I have learned a lot over the last several years. Anyway–check out the websites and find a good doctor. I had a really good one–very open. A lot of them push the radioactive iodine, and that may be what works for you, but it’s good to read all the stories–and this is only if you have Graves Disease. So read up on things, and get a good doctor, and all the best with it all. I’m hoping it’s just one of those passing things. For some it is! Good luck with the writing!

  15. Lise says:

    Wow Beth. . .again I am astonished at the deep insights that God imparts to you. . . I find myself on this hamster wheel often because Im married to a very driven man. . . I fear that this hunger for success is driving our son from us because he feels that he cannot measure up to his dad’s standards. . . I know God has put me here to be the opposing balance to my husbands drive but it’s kind of exhausting. . . I have faith that my son believe’s in himself enough to go with his dreams. . . thank you for reaffirming that we don’t all need to be on that hamster wheel.

  16. Jenny Kelly says:

    Hello friend!
    My goodness- such a heart melting compassion in your words! They feel like more than words, they feel like salve or medicine. My ego with its intense fear of failure even nodded her head and said, “wow, she’s got a point.”
    Divine wisdom, all of it. Thank you! Thank you’

  17. Melanie says:

    Just stumbled upon this at exactly the right time. Thank you for sharing your insights.

  18. This is a wonderful post and something we should all print and put on our fridge!

    Success, it seems, is usually understood in doing more and better than others. You feel successful when you « elevate » yourself above others, and compare.

    How about just doing what feels right and important?

  19. Katy says:

    Sweet Beth! Jesse once struggled with hyperthyroidism, but he said he already talked to you about it 🙂 I saw you mentioned your gut health, too, though–so I want to connect you with another dear friend of mine who leads nutritional courses specifically on re-building gut health. I’ll email you her contact info! Looking forward to seeing you soon, I hope!
    btw, the line that got me out of this whole thing was when you talked about Sigorni–“they leave holes in you, did you know that?” Straight to the heart.
    xoxo

  20. I saw this post on FB and am so glad I clicked on the link!
    Your words really resonated with me. As does your definition of success.

  21. Jenny says:

    Hi,

    I NEVER comment, but since I am someone who has been suffering with Hashimoto’s (hypothyroid) for five years (and who is still trying to figure it out) I feel the need to share some resources.

    These are some online video series that I have found, which focus on natural healing: They may or may not be helpful.

    thethyroidsessions.com
    http://thethyroidsummit.com/

    Andrea Beaman is also someone I have bought books from, and found some of her recipes really nice.

    It’s been very confusing because there is no consensus when it comes to the thyroid, so you have to just go through a lot of trial and error to see what works for you.

    I have also found this website helpful for fermented foods, which may improve gut health: http://nourishedkitchen.com/

    If you aren’t gluten-free, I would recommend trying it for a few months to see if anything improves. It’s not a cure, but it may be a factor. For some, it isn’t.

    One more thing, if the doctor didn’t test you for antibodies I would recommend that s/he does to see whether you have Graves disease.

    Oh, and vitamin D. Most people with autoimmune issues have a hard time converting sunlight into usable vit. D and the thyroid can’t function without it.

    I hope you begin to feel better!

    Healing thoughts,
    Jenny

  22. Phyllis says:

    Oh, goodness, did I need to find you and read your blog today! Who knows when you’ll see this comment, if you are back on blog break. However, I wanted to reach out on a couple of things. I, too, write and have self-published and am never happier than with pen in hand. I, too, struggle with success and so needed to read your wise words TODAY, and I will take inventory of my successes, which, like you and all of us, are many, when seen through the lens of “what it took to get here,” or “what it takes to be here” when we are being mindful, heartful and awake.

    And, I, too, have hyperthyroidism!!! I could talk endlessly about this as it has been a wow of a journey and I have learned a lot. At this point it is super important to regulate the thyroid and get those palpitations and hyper-metabolism symptoms under control. You’ll have time to figure out the holistic stuff later when you are feeling better. I have some things I could share with you privately if you want to continue that conversation.

    I’m just gushing here, with gratitude and relief at your words and your inspiring journey. Thank you so much for taking the time to write and share your journey. Blessings to you and everyone here!
    Phyllis

  23. John Waire says:

    …some words just resonate and you find yourself smiling and shaking your head in agreement as you read/hear them. Those words were yours…for me…today. Thanks for this post…and for helping to concisely clean-up some of the thoughts that have been banging around inside my noggin of late. Feels good.

  24. Joel Fishbaine says:

    Hello Beth,

    I wanted to let you know that your words have resonated completely within my heart and thought processes:

    As an Outside Sales professional who has been chasing a monthly quota for more than 25 years and has attended what seems like every leadership, motivational and productivity-increasing sales seminar known to man/woman-kind, I must say that your descriptions and definitions of “success” match mine almost to a “T”.

    Please don’t think I am boasting, but I have always been at or among the top of my selling peers; if I am honest with myself, success has happened due to these three simple reasons: 1) a profound desire to provide for my family 2) having two older, extremely “successful” brothers and wanting to follow in their footsteps (I must mention that they found success in completely different fields) 3)making my parents proud of my significant accomplishments (more applicable when I was younger).

    Now it seems that in this “what have you done for me lately society” my cultivated “old school sales methodology” of consulting vs. selling and simply engaging with a prospect (even if it’s a CEO of a multi-million dollar company) as I would wish to be treated and simply following up my words with actions, my archaic methods shine above the rest and have led to even greater reward.

    I have always rewarded myself for a job well done and have taken the time to appreciate the reward, but also and more importantly I often turn to self-reflection with gratitude and thanks for said accomplishments. What’s more I even take it a step further by being thankful for the peace and lack of stress my wife and I have at home since we have a relationship of little to no drama; each of us doesn’t care for it and we somehow seem to resolve “life” issues within hours. To me, the success I have in my relationship with my loving wife catapults me to even greater success on the work front (time to do a new blog Beth 🙂

    Kudos to you for your definition of success as one of the mind and heart and “what feels right” to the individual.

    My apologies for such a lengthy commentary; it is my hope that it shows how much your heartfelt, descriptive and unique take on “success” has had a major effect on me. And that is a compliment to you!

    Sincerely,

    Joel Fishbaine

  25. Kay says:

    Beautiful words. Thank you. It seems thyroid problems are common among sensitive souls. I once read that those of us who have these issues are the proverbial canaries in a coalmine and I’m prone to agree. I’ve worked with regulating my thyroid for nearly 15 years. My best suggestion is to balance allopathic treatment with holistic treatment. Get your TSH where it needs to be and then use food/acupuncture/energy heading etc to bring it all into balance. Thyroid is Greek for shield,and is a master emotion regulator. The metaphor is powerful, no? Wishing you good health.

  26. Jennifer says:

    My Grandpa wrote me a letter when I graduated several years ago, and one line has always sick with me: “Success is defined as ‘achieving the desired result.'” Whatever goals I set, or whatever time in life I’m at, I can still be successful at whatever it is. ????

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