What is success?

Christopher Morley writes, “There is only one success—to be able to spend your life in your own way.”

Mental illness is simply vicious and tragic. Sadder still are young individuals who get sick with the illness and cannot accept it. They think it just can’t be—not now, not to them. They are in denial, which typically leads to more suffering.

Accepting that one is ill and gaining “insight” can take a very long time. The life that had been planned and the visions that accompany that plan seem ruined, and a grueling frustration sets in.

Most tragic illnesses require a completely new lifestyle and a reconfiguring of thought—mental illness is no exception. Everything changes, and individuals need time to sort all of this out mentally and physically. It’s a fierce challenge, especially for the very young.

The above quote suggests success as having a vision of what one wants to do coupled with the mature realization that one is enjoying both the process and the results—a balance of ambition to get there (and maybe always getting there), and the wisdom to be happy with what is achieved.

All of our clients are working for their future—to spend their life in their own way—and if they can set up as many positive and healthy trends now, they eventually begin to enjoy the present.

D. Cooley