As 2024 comes to an end, can we also stop spreading the myth of the self-made success? Name me one person who did not require the contribution of another to reach the levels of success currently enjoyed.
We all need:
- Parents to give us life, even if one of them gets help from a clinic or laboratory
- Teachers to give us knowledge, guidance, and opportunities, whether in formal or figurative classrooms
- Spiritual guides to help us choose the paths more likely to make us happy in the long-term when our emotions are high and risk of harm are greatest
- Professionals to keep us healthy, funded, and legally compliant
- Employees or vendors to do the work we don’t do well
There is no self-made success.
A Humbling Experience for #OldLadyRunning
I got that message again recently, when I broke my fibula in the first few blocks of a 5K run. First, I needed help to get up an out of the road. Many runners went past me, as I laid face down, unable to put weight on my leg, but two sacrificed their run times to help me until my partner, Peter, saw me and eventually got me to two immediate care centers and an emergency room (ER). (An otherwise gratefully healthy person, I did not know ERs no longer set broken bones.)
Later, I needed the ER again when I developed blood clots in the calf of my broken leg. Peter and I had just closed on the sale of our apartment and the purchase of our first house, so we had hired a neighbor to help with the move. Peter’s step-father, Larry, (my “father-in-love”), took me to the ER while the move continued. His parents hosted us that entire weekend.
Next, I needed help getting a prescription blood thinner that is still very expensive because the patent hasn’t expired yet. Larry, Peter, and the ER saved the day again, helping me get a trial while we work out the other details. I can’t help but wonder how many people give up and suffer serious consequences because they lack the self-advocacy skills and community to fight for them. That’s part of why I became a lawyer.
An Abundance of Gratitude
I have needed patient clients, supportive colleagues, reliable vendors, and more throughout my recovery. Fortunately, I have had them. Of course, I have encountered the less compassionate people, too. I don’t expect them to disappear. Yet I am grateful for all the people who are helping me get back on track, and it has made me more aware of the people who have contributed to my personal success and the success of Third Ear Conflict Resolution. I often think of myself as a Lone Ranger, forgetting that even that television character had a sidekick, Tonto.
As I look toward 2025, I trust that much physical and mental healing is coming for all of us. Let’s make it our best year yet, together, in partnership toward the exceptionally good life we all want and deserve.
Happy New Year!