I $aw the $ign

One of the pharmacy students I'm working with has been pushing me to further my education and become a Pharmacist, just as she intends to. She compliments my intelligence, attitude and work ethics, saying I've got what it takes to be one. When she said this, all I could think about was the pharmacists I've worked with my past few years of this career and how stressed they can be. I told my father about it and he replied, the more Stress you have goes toward your chances for Success. I don't know if I would want to gamble happiness like that.

The way that I've seen it for as long as I can remember: my elder's generations tend to view Success based on personal income. It all weighs in on how many credentials you have under your belt; how your level of education compares to anyone else. If you haven't graduated or don't have degrees of merit, you don't deserve their respect. Meanwhile, our generation looks toward the overall Satisfaction in everything. Searching for Self-Sufficiency, Yes. Realizing potential and eventually profiting from our own skills. 

So what if I'm not the highest-ranking lawyer across the board, or what if I never become the doctor that they've always dreamed of - What if that's not in the cards for me? Does anyone ever really achieve Happiness when they're forced into situations like that? Maybe people find themselves enjoying the work, but not being fulfilled. There's always this lingering feeling as if something's missing. I started seeing patterns in these things and took it a step further. Look closely at some of the words: 

Simple ($) : Sufficient ($) 

Success ($...$$) : Stress ($...$$)

Satisfaction ($..$) : Sustenance ($..$) 

See how many times the letter "S" appears in each word; let's pretend it was the dollar sign, "$" instead. Then look at how often the symbol shows up - how spread apart the letters are. Could these words allude to our monetary gains? I started thinking, maybe people only focus on these signs and look past the definitions - the parallels, if you will. Or is it just me? I had this crazy idea that people who project these aspirations limit their visions on Money while some of us continue looking for other forms of fulfillment.

I know not everyone will agree with me on this one and that's okay, but sit down and think about it. If you wanted Sufficiency, keep it Simple, for yourself ($). Dad's concept that "Stress leads to Success" isn't bad either ($...$$), but I'm learning that it may not be the path for me. My idea [was and still] is to find Satisfaction in life; that could very well be my means of Sustenance ($..$). Whoever finds these theories insightful, my best advice: never limit your own emotional and spiritual growth toward the things you may $eek in Life.