ARE YOU SUCCESSFUL?

For years I always wondered what the secret to success was.  I read books to learn.  Listened to cds, went to seminars and workshops trying to find this elusive piece of inspiration.  Never quite felt that ‘I had it’.  So I began to listen to friends, co-workers and customers who I felt embodied success.  Strangest thing was, a lot of them said they were unsuccessful and searching for the secret to success as well.  It was quite by accident, or perhaps fate, that this all changed.  I stumbled upon this secret when I asked one of these people whom I considered quite successful what I considered a simple question. What is the definition of success?  He looked at me quizzically and replied “you know I don’t really know”.  The fact was, neither did I.  How on earth was I ever to find the secret of success when I didn’t even have a personal definition of what it meant to me.  Ask yourself, what does success mean to you?  Is it being a caring parent?  A loving spouse perhaps?  obtaining a certain income or place in your business?  Although these are all very worthwhile goals they all have one fatal flaw.  After you reach them, then what?  Are you then successful?  Is the game over?

Allow me to share with you the best definition of success I have ever heard.  It was from Earl Nightingale. Long before the movie ‘The Secret” or law of attraction was so in fashion,  Earl was the first person to ever receive a gold record for spoken word.  The piece was called “the Strangest Secret” I encourage you all to check it out.  In it, Mr Nightingale describes success as this  “The progressive realization of a worthy ideal”.  What does this mean exactly?  Well let us take the goal of being a great parent.  If that is your goal and you are working towards it, then by all accounts you are a success.  Now what if you make a mistake?  Well that is part of the journey as well, we learn from our mistakes.  So you are even more of a success.  Let me get a little more personal.  My goal is to have a daily blog that is viewed across the globe (six countries so far) that brings positivity and a rewarding life to all who read it.  I also am working on a book of the same design.  Now does that mean I will only be a success when my book is printed and my blog is read in every country?  Not hardly.  I have my goal and am working toward it,  so now I consider myself a success.

So today think about your goal.  What is your life’s ambition.  Write it down so you can see it every day.  Keep in your mind’s eye as you go about your day.  Know as soon as you do this you are already a success. Soon paths that you never would have seen shall open up and you will be on your way. If you need a little encouragement or a good solid plan I suggest you check out “The Strangest Secret” available at nightingale.com.  Here’s to all of us being a success!

WRITE YOUR EULOGY

You may wonder what such a title is doing in a blog about living a positive and rewarding life?  Throughout the course of my life I have read a great deal of self-improvement/law of attraction type books.  A lot of times ideas and thoughts are repeated in slighty different ways.  Which is good.  It let’s you know what seems to be working for a great deal of different people.  Once in a while, however, you come across a fresh idea which you haven’t heard before. This is one such time.  Do you ever wonder, “Is this what I should be doing with my life?” or “How do I know what the right path is for me?”.  I know I have.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a way to see if what you are currently doing matches your values and priorities?  There is!  I prefer to call this ‘Keeping the end in mind’.  Sit down and prepare to write your own eulogy.  What would you want said about you at your memorial service?  Was it that you were a good parent and raised your children in a loving fashion? Then family would be a great value to you. Perhaps it is that you showed kindness to everyone you met. Then compassion would be a trait that is of great importance to you.  Truth is, when we decide what legacy we would like to leave behind it gives our lives purpose and us a sense of direction.  If a eulogy seems a bit to dark for you, then try imagining what they would say at an awards presentation.  personally I like the eulogy as it also serves to remind us that time is one of the most precious commodities and we should spend it doing what we love and what bring joy and love to the rest of the world.  So ask yourself, “what would I want them to say about me?” You’ll never wonder if you’re on the right path again.

A CUSTOMER…AND SOME CHOCOLATE

I recently received a thank you note from the daughter of a customer who passed away.  The note was thanking me for attending her funeral and for always leaving her little pieces of chocolate.  What really got me thinking was the great lengths she went to explain that it was not so much the treats that made her smile, but the fact that somebody felt she was special.  You see this women was in her mid 80’s and her husband had passed some years before.  My first meeting with this fabulous woman was last October when I started at the post office I currently work at.  It is a small and rural town of only a few hundred people and everyone seems to know, well…everyone.  Here comes a long-haired guy from out-of-town, I thought it would take me forever to win them over.  Well in walks this lady and proceeds to tell me she is the Queen of the town.  She asked if I was the ‘new kid they put out there’ and really just proceeded to give me a hard time in general.  She informed me if I wanted to make it in that town, I better be nice and it wouldn’t hurt if I brought chocolate.  So the following day when she came in I was sure to have both milk and dark chocolates, the kind with the little inspirational messages in the wrapper.  From that day forward she would stop in to make sure I was behaving.  The payment for this service?  You guessed it, a small piece of chocolate.  Before her passing of cancer shortly before Christmas we got to have a little chat at the diner across the street where she confessed she worried she gave me to hard of a time at first.  I assured her, that was the best thing that could’ve happened as it made me feel right at home.  I told her how much I worried about fitting in and what a small town would think of me.  She said something I’ll never forget “Always be yourself, if you’re nice people will be able to see that.  If you’re not nice then they will let you know it”.  She passed away only a few days later.  The lesson I took from this on reflection today was something we may forget.  Always be yourself, you never know when you are just what someone needs.  Also, if someone does make your day just by being themselves, thank them. You never know when you may no longer have a chance.

ATTRACT MONEY NOW!!!

This is a title of a book by Dr. Joe Vitale. You may remember him from the movie “The Secret”.  This is not a blog about making money, but about living a more rewarding life.  Well it is true money can’t buy happiness, let’s be honest, it can make life a lot less stressful. The reason I mentioned this book is that the author has agreed to make the online copy free to readers of this blog. The book itself is filled with both practical and metaphysical ideas for attracting abundance to you. I encourage all of my readers to check it out. At the price of free, what do you have to lose? Please let me know what you think.  It is another great tool to lead a positive and rewarding life!

www.attractmoneynow.com

THE OPTIMIST CREED

Quite often I am asked if there are any “quick fixes” for starting or maintaining a positive rewarding life, well here is something I believe can truly help. First published in 1912 in a book titled “Your Forces and How to Use Them” I encourage everyone to print this off and read it every morning upon waking, and every night before retiring to start and end the day on a good note, with good focus.
THE OPTIMIST CREED
Promise yourself…
to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the bestl.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.
To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deads.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

weather you take a line a day or try to do it all, this is a great tool to help us all remain positive and bring light and love to the world!