I Hereby Vote YOU "Most Likely to Succeed"

by Pam (Tune) Hillman

Suc ·ceed ~ to attain success in some popularly recognized form, as wealth or standing: The class voted her the one most likely to succeed.

Do high schools still vote for “Most Likely to Succeed”? Back in the day, they did, and Timmy & I were voted most likely to succeed by the student body. Looking back on high school (yes, I know it’s painful for some of us), those voted as most likely are generally those who excel academically and fit the part of a corporate professional, doctor, lawyer, secretary, or maybe accountant, at least in the eyes of their peers.

Way back in high school, I’m sure my classmates had no clue why they voted me most likely to succeed, or even what they thought I might succeed at.

And, actually, I’m kind of afraid to ask! lol

If they had no clue what kind of success they had mapped out for me, then I certainly didn't. When I was 17, what did success look like to me? Others can pin a label on us, but inside, success isn’t always the way others see it.

What is success? One person’s success might be another’s failure. If I never become a singer, an actress, nurse, doctor, or firefighter, I won’t consider myself a failure at any of those things. Mainly because I’ve never had a desire to succeed at any of the above, so I’ve never applied myself to those lofty ambitions.

We can be successful in our own eyes, even when others might not see it as such. My dream has never been to be rich or famous, although I’m not adverse to a bit of bling for my work, but the dream has never been about money or fame. My dream was to be an author, to write stories. The icing on the cake has been signing contracts for those stories, seeing them in print, blessing readers, holding my books in my hands.

While writing this, I pulled out my high school annual and had a good laugh over the Class Prophecy provided by the Juniors each year...

Ha! Well, I never wanted to be a teacher or a professor, but since I was fairly shy in school, I’m pretty certain the Juniors had no clue my dream was to be an author, but even so, they weren’t too far off the mark, were they? They might have gotten the idea that I’d turn out to be a teacher or a professor because I always had a book in my hand. On the dirt bike prophecy... I got nothing! Although I DID consider asking my son if he would take a picture of me with his dirt bike for this post. While standing VERY, VERY still of course!

And then there was the Yearbook staff. Being editor of the high school yearbook probably clenched the deal for me. Yes, I was a confirmed book worm and nerd....

All this got me to thinking.

While it’s really nice to be voted "Most Likely to [fill in the blank]", it doesn’t matter who votes us “Most Likely to Succeed” or their reasons for doing so. What matters is that we identify and pursue the dreams God placed inside us. The pursuit, the “chase” is almost as much fun as the end result. We feel successful when we’re following our dreams, no matter how successful others see us.

What have you done today to make your dream come true. Pursue it, and in doing so, you will feel successful. You will be successful....because you are not just dreaming, you are doing.

So, today, I vote YOU “Most Likely to Succeed!”

STEALING JAKE by Pam Hillman. When Livy O’Brien spies a young boy jostling a man walking along the boardwalk, she recognizes the act for what it is. After all, she used to be known as Light-Fingered Livy. But that was before she put her past behind her and moved to the growing town of Chestnut, Illinois, where she’s helping to run an orphanage. Now she’ll do almost anything to protect the street kids like herself.

Sheriff’s deputy Jake Russell had no idea what he was in for when he ran into Livy―literally while chasing down a pickpocket. With a rash of robberies and a growing number of street kids in town―as well as a loan on the family farm that needs to be paid off―Jake doesn’t have time to pursue a girl. Still, he can’t seem to get Livy out of his mind. He wants to get to know her better . . . but Livy isn’t willing to trust any man, especially not a lawman.

CBA Bestselling author PAM HILLMAN was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn't afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove an Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn't mind raking. Raking hay doesn't take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that's the kind of life every girl should dream of. www.pamhillman.com