The Family Man

Ok, so I know the movie is kind of old, but Scott and I watched it last night and it confirmed something I had been thinking about for a long time. For those who haven't seen it's a Nicholas Cage movie about a man who works on Wall Street and makes multi-millions, he thinks he is happy until he gets a glimpse into what his life would have been like if he married his college sweetheart. He gets thrown into a life where he is middle class living in New Jersey and working as a tire salesman. Somewhere in the middle of the movie, he is trying to figure out how he got where he did in this alternate life and his wife tells him a few of the surprises that came along and life changes they made because of them. Sorry for the dialog here but can't really explain my feelings without it. He says, "So that's our life in a nutshell." She says,"If you want to look at it that way." "Well, how would you look at it?" "A great success story."
I have been thinking a lot recently about what makes someone a success, and I have been feeling a lot recently that the world and the media put too much emphasis on money being the only measurement of success. Sure, it would be nice to have money. It would be nice to be able to travel and see the amazing places I would love to see. But that is not what life is all about. If we have to save up for a couple of years to go somewhere special, so be it. To me, success is about how you live your life, the person you become and the family relationships you have. Of course we wouldn't mind having more money, but if we don't, we will survive. If I don't ever get to see Rome or Scotland, it will not effect my life in the long run. If Scott and I love each other and keep thinking about the other, have a good relationship with our families, make enough money to get by, and are able to raise a good family, I will have considered my life a success.