Was speaking with a friend tonight about life, and how it can be described as a bell curve.

The first 20 years are spent learning. The next 20 are spent climbing. The third 20 are spent maintaining, and the last 20 are spent living out the remainder.

Granted, this is all assuming a minimum of 80 years of life, and some sort of education and/or ladder-climbing.

But at some point you have to wonder whether you’re climbing for yourself, or for others.

Are you happy because of your accomplishments and how they make you feel, or are you happy because of how others perceive you?

Tonight I am thankful for making my own path, and for forging my way based on my own preferences, my own wants and my own way. For me, that’s worth more in the “what have I done” category than others’ perceptions anyday.