The Secret of Success

Should anyone dare to claim that an answer exists to this question? Even more bold would be to assert that one knows that answer. Because of the nature of the world we live in, perhaps one who has succeeded can rightfully say so and in such saying, be taken seriously by the "general public". Saying that, surely success varies from individual to individual. As Earl Nightingale rightly said "Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal." That is surely definitive enough.

To state my case on the secret of success, I am going to start from the end.

For myself, I have defined success as:

1. Having complete financial freedom (i.e. not to be restrained from certain activity because of financial limitations)
2. Realising my full potential physically, mentally and spiritually.
3. Positively contributing to the lives of as many people as possible.
4. Having a few good and true friends.
5. Finding love in a good woman.
6. Raising a family.

I remember once asking an ex-girlfriend what she wanted most in life. She said "...to be happy". At the time, I didnt have the knowledge or experience to convince her that that statement was too vague to produce any tangible results. If you dont have a clearly defined list as the one above, please retire somewhere quietly, with a pen and paper; think about it really hard and compile that list. Take your time and remember, it's what YOU want. Not ANYONE else. This is so important because not only does it establish your end goal and quantify your aims; but writing it down has an effect of bringing it into being and making it physical. It is easier to respond to visual or auditory cues (for some it may be worth recording this if it would work better for you this way). Being able to perceive this stimulation helps to remind your mind, where you are going.

So after one's personal state of success has been defined, what next?

Many times the message has been regurgitated and remixed but it is highly as accurate as it is in as many versions: "We become what we think about". Stop. Dont rush it. Read it again. "We become what we think about". This statement is at the very foundation of success.

When I first came across it, I didn't understand the meaning straight away. It was not until i randomly came across another quote, from a BBC show on the self help industry, which goes: "Your emotions follow your thoughts". That, I could relate to directly as well as confirm logically. Think about it for a second and reflect on your own experiences of thoughts and feelings. Unquestionably correct. From that, I truly appreciated the power of the mind; and on going back to the statement "we become what we think about", I finally understood it.

So keeping it simple, we are a sum total of our feelings. The way we feel changes the way we take action. When you feel excited you act in a certain way, when you feel suspicious, you likewise act accordingly. And so forth. Success starts in one's conscious mind, with one's conscious thought. Other factors such as goals, persistence, determination, controlling negativity and one's company also play important roles (and will be duely addressed in the future). But remember the fundamental principle on which they all run: Success starts in one's mind with, one's conscious thought.

To give this statement more validation, imagine this - when you think of sad things: war, poverty in the world, natural disasters; you cant feel happy. If that is true, then I believe by we can rightfully affirm the reverse. When you think happy thoughts, you cant feel sad. For the more skeptical I will even rephrase: When you think happy thoughts, you are much less likely to feel sad.

Imagine the logic below:

If
sad thought is opposite to happy thought
and
sad thought is not equal to happy feeling

therefore

happy thought is not equal to sad feeling
and
happy thought must therefore be equal to happy feeling

If you are good in that department, you can even work this out into a set of logical, conditional equations.


So the line goes through conscious thought into feeling then action. You could go take it further into the subconscious, but I'm not the person to tell you much about that. I like it simple and will work from our conscious thought.

So building on the above, thinking of yourself as successful must equal feeling successful. And feeling successful must make you act differently. While there are no guarantees in life, surely that difference in action must be in the right direction. Definitely beats going the other way!

Truly understanding this will revolutionise your approach and attitude toward life. You will view your thoughts in a different way and most likely realise soon that you must therefore control your thought to control your actions. Your actions are a heavy determinant in the outcome of your life. If you do not honestly believe you are in control of your thoughts, I am sorry to say, but you are seriously evading responsibility.

Now all the above has been pretty high level. Taking it down a notch, I want you to imagine a pillar being held up by a framework. This pillar is your thoughts. The framework is everything that can affect you thought. From friends, global location, alcohol, current financial situation, your kids etc. By being aware of what you are thinking about, you can monitor which of these "frames" negatively affects your positive, affirmative thinking. When you identify anything, make a conscious, persistent and active effort to deal with it. Stop it from affective your thinking in a negative way, thus putting your emotions in check and governing your action. Do not complicate it, simply do what you must do!

There are numerous ways each of us will deal with this control. Personally, I love Haiku Productivity, but however you deal with your control, remember to be persistent. Dont expect an overnight turnaround.

To give ample credit where it is due, I owe the chief source of inspiration for this post to Earl Nightingale's The Strangest Secret. There is ample matetial to go away with and listen to time after time. This is really just my interpretation: The Secret of Success.