I hadn't conquered the world as I thought I would when I was a teen, and in the eyes of many I seemed to be a bit of a 28 year-old failure. Did I ever take the time to just sit down and process?

Could it be that society (and the media, above all) has shaped our minds in such a way that anything falling outside the media's notion of success (money, a career, a house, a great car, vacations abroad, and impossible beauty) is looked upon as a failure?

"He's really successful. He's a top engineer. He has a gorgeous wife, makes a ton of money, and you should see where he lives." Is this the way we define a life as successful?

How about the issue of living among others? Did I ever take the time to look around and notice there is pain? Did I notice if I just listened a bit more, I could help - and that helping another person find comfort was in itself an extraordinary achievement? What a waste to spend most of my life striving for others and the notions of happiness they conveyed to me.

I had to lose everything: my job, my house, my prized material possessions and be left out in the open to realize that you only live once, that life, as it is, is precious. You don't need what you don't have. Every life is a chance to do the best we can, under dire circumstances or pleasurable ones. Every single one of us can achieve something extraordinary, no matter how simple it appears in the eyes of others.

This is a truth that liberates us. It allows us to dream better, allows us to smile even when the bills pile up or when we sit at our desk in our rather unglamorous job. It is a truth that allows us to look at others and give them our broadest grin. This just might be the core of a successful life and the point of living - to live true to your heart, not to the TV screen, to live true to others and perhaps, if you're tuned in enough, you'll catch a glimpse of the extraordinary even in your morning latte.

So give thanks for what you have and for what you don't. Smile and hold your head up high, every day is a brand new possibility to live better.

I have found grace in my journey. May you find grace in yours.