It’s great to hear that you’re willing take on obstacles in your life and deal with them like a conscious, mindful, responsible individual.

Not long after I graduated from high school I started having some rather serious problems from bipolar disorder. Modern medications quickly reined in the extremes though and I was again able to focus on the goals of “success”. As it later turned out though, having experienced the highest-highs and lowest-lows proved to be one of the most valuable experiences of my life. Having felt emotions above and below the “norms”, then having felt the effects of psychotropic medications on not only those problematic emotional states, but all my emotions and cognitive functions, I was given, what I would call a gift, of basically having the curtain pulled back on the experience of life. Over the next five years of working with my psychiatrist and practicing mindfulness in my daily life, I was able to come off all the meds and have now been doing fine for four years and counting.

To me, that was my first real taste of success, and an eye opener to how our modern western ideas of success are so skewed. Too many people these days want “quick-fixes” to what they consider minor-problems (but in actuality are quite major) that stand in the way of their worldly goals of success. If depression is preventing you from climbing the corporate ladder, take some antidepressants and leave it at that. If a hectic modern life makes it impossible to get a good nights sleep, take some sleeping pills and forget about it. If weight is a problem, well, there is tons of products and services that claim they’ll help you loose weight without having to work for it. After these “inconveniences” are brought under control, they can trudge on towards that shiny sports car, big house with a picket fence, and two and a half kids. (Note: I am not against the use of modern medications, I just don’t see them in many cases as a feasible long-term solution as opposed to true lifestyle changes)

Okay, now I’m rambling, but I guess I’m just trying to say that in many cases these days, people’s priorities are totally messed up and as a result they miss so many (subjectively) little successes each and every moment that ultimately makes living so sweet. Anyways, I’ll save the rest for a later time.