How Do You Measure Success?

In my blog flickers from my soul, April 2012 you will find the poem Hidden Beauty. I submitted this poem to a contest for a chance to win 1000.00. There were 5,000 poems entered, 50 prizes awarded. My poem won one of the 50 prizes and will be published in a book called Great Poems of the West,receiving a certificate of honorable mention. So, I did not win first place, 1000.00. However, I did not know there would be 5,000 entries! In the letter I received about how the judges had to choose and encouraging me to continue submitting my poems "for each poem I write ads more beauty to the world". I think that alone was worth more to me than 1000.00. Don't get me wrong, I would like to include earning money for creative writing among my accomplishments however, to think that MY writing adds beauty to the world! Just brings tears to my eyes.
How often we think the only great deeds are those that earn us the almighty dollar and it is hard for some people to accept adding beauty to the world as a valuable contribution or earning my keep, so to speak.
Being a mom I know what it is to make an impact in an incredibly important way without always having acknowledgement or value placed on responsibility or compensation for the endless tasks. There are sooo many things we do that are incredibly important that are not earning money or recognized as being valuable. Money is the easiest way to be recognized for a measurable contribution. How do we as a society acknowledge and compensate the invaluable contributions many make on a daily basis? Many of our most impactful experiences do not involve money. Yet, as a society we equate money with success and often measure value based on a monetary expression.
I was standing in an elevator and the doors were shutting and a man with a cane started to increase his pace (as best he could) to make it in the elevator. So, I pushed the hold the door button and smiled real big. He boarded and the doors shut and he looked at me and said,"Look at you all smiley!" I smiled bigger , locked eyes with him and said," Well, someone has to! It's a fun job" and laughed.
He said," Well, keep it up, baby, I like it!"
As the doors opened and we walked out all smiley and laughing, the people waiting to get on were blasted with such love they made faces at us. As we parted ways we were both charged to spread it more. Both of us looked like we could use some help but we were both so filled with abundance from that experience we couldn't have felt richer!
So, in these trying times, if we go back to what really is important and not worry about what isn't and spread the Love the abundance will flow and in the mean time,re-adjust how you define success and you will see success everywhere.
Immeasurable Wealth Everywhere!