In the short time I have had the privilege of wandering the hallways of life; I have discovered it isn’t the place, but the person which is most important. What I mean to say is, we tend to believe it is the “place or circumstance” which brings happiness; but I have discovered it isn’t where we happen to be, but the “person” we are which causes us to be happy or sad.
I have met people who:
- occupy the highest positions of organizations, make tons of money, and live in the most spectacular places in the world who are prisoners of their own rigidity.
- live in the most humble of circumstance who vibrate with gratitude for each of life’s gifts they have been given.
- earn a lot of money, do a worthy job and live in marvelous places who are able to balance everything and be very happy.
- subsist by the grace of God in the worst of circumstance who awake every morning and curse each day of their existence.
Money cannot buy happiness but it can delightfully distract us in the process. 
Nevertheless, I insist, it is not the place or the money, but the person who is most important in finding happiness.
I live in a country where one of the most common questions people ask is, “When are you going to leave the country and where are you going?” While I don’t blame those who want to leave for better opportunities, more personal security, or for any other reason; it is important to realize we will continue to be the same person wherever 
we go. While we can leave a place which does not suit us, we cannot hide from our own internal struggles which hold us back.
“Life is a looking glass and gives back to me the reflection of my own soul.” – Og Mandino
It’s easy to run and hide from society, from our friends and even from our own family; more difficult is to hide from ourselves. The victory tends to go to those who take the road less traveled, those who face challenge and overcome difficult circumstance forge themselves into the leaders of today and tomorrow.
For some, the definition of success includes working a lifetime, moving up the corporate ladder in a constant struggle to make more money, taking on more responsibility, living in bigger houses, and driving more luxurious automobiles. Lives are spent working and contributing to savings plans to retire at 65 to begin enjoying life, good health permitting.
For others, the emphasis is on enjoying each moment and each instant in the journey of life. 
They fight valiantly and give themselves to a worthy cause. In many societies, there are no retirement accounts or social programs to take care of the elderly. Instead, children take care of their parents when age prohibits the parents from taking care of themselves, and the cycle of life comes full circle. Different strokes for different folks.
We tend to see the world in black and white, losing sight of so many different shades of gray. We can live well anywhere we are. We can release the chains of limiting belief which imprison us into thinking money or a specific place to live will make us happy. As an alternative, we can simply be happy as we are and where we are.
One of my favorite definitions of success is as follows:
Success is doing what you want, where you want, with who you want and when you want to do it.
Success isn’t determined by an amount of money, material possessions, or a particular position in life; rather by who we are and what we represent. We can be the change we want to see in the world by doing what inspires us to fly with the eagles rather than being bound in so many shackles.
∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL III 45