Saturday, August 7, 2010

A Simple Formula for Success

I was recently listening to Earl Nightingale's program called "Lead the Field". In it, he talks about many fundamental truths about success. For example, he says, "luck is when preparedness meets opportunity, and opportunity is always there." In other words, if you seek to have good luck, get prepared for the opportunities that already surround you. Here's another gem...

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I awoke and saw that life was service.
I acted and behold, service was joy.

Rabindranath Tagore

The formula for success is simple, and its beauty is in its simplicity.

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
First, you will find yourself sleeping, but that first discovery is key. The power of awareness is the seed of change. Now that you know you're sleeping, dream of what could be. Here, it is revealed that life is joy. What is your dream?

I awoke and saw that life was service.
Second, the clarity of your dreams - what you want and why you want it, both in detail - will open your eyes to see tasks that maybe, just maybe, you can do. Why, of course you can do these tasks given to you! But doubt and fear will try to persuade you otherwise. Conversely, you will not see these tasks if you do not dream, or if your dream is not clear enough.

I acted and behold, service was joy.
Third, do the tasks you now see with the purpose and vision of pursuing the very dream(s) that shed light on these actions. You will discover the joy of the journey. Happiness is a direction, not a destination. In addition, that discovery will never cease to amaze you. Let it be a profound source of wonder as you discover that, after all, life is joy, just as you dreamt.

My journey includes...
Personally, I love certain famous quotes because they help me stay focused on my journey. At first, it can be easy to see the pursuit as fruitless when we encounter difficulties. After a while, we see the difficulties as necessary challenges that help us grow. After that, we come to know that growth is what makes this journey, called life, such a wonderful adventure.

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Our doubts are traitors,
And make us lose the good we oft might win
By fearing to attempt.
- William Shakespeare

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.".
- Henry Ford

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
- Marianne Williamson

The key to a successful journey is momentum.
To venture on a new path is exciting, even exhilarating, at first. It would be wise to note that the burst of energy is there for a reason. Your environment must also change in order to support the journey. Your immediate surroundings, however, sometimes known as your comfort zone, will insist you do not risk the unknown. This is an illusion. For the real risk is in not changing. Change is inevitable. Growth is not. Build momentum with focus and enthusiasm. What's your intention?