Series on Success, Chapter 7

Clarity not Confusion

In all your efforts to attain success, you discover that true success is about working from from the inside out. 


That first  step, that committed decision to want to unlock your future,  shows that you have already begun, already commenced the journey.  

That first step is the biggest step, because now you want to use the experiences of your past for knowledge and wisdom and turn the pain and the sorrow into understanding and empathy. 

There is clarity about your rightful place here and can now employ the right tools, your many skills and resourcefulness to live life with success.

Your clarity evokes a vision for your future choices and once you have your vision, you are ready for the master plan.

To step out use the essential tool, the one you access all the time...your imagination.

Allow your mind to wander to the future...what are you doing in 5 years? 

What will you be doing?  How will you be living? What is important to you? What does success look like for you?

The time you spend getting the detail in your vision will help to turn your stories into your big audacious and achievable goals. 

You have that clarity into what you want to achieve and can give it the attention to imagine its reality.

Keep it simple, keep it actionable and fun. 

Expand your vision using drawings, pictures, writing, colour, smells, conversation. Add laughter, joy, earnestness, accomplishment and completion to your story. Refine and polish the clarity of your new place.

When there is clarity, confusion is gone.
When there is clarity, you are more decisive. 
When there is clarity, confidence is home.
When there is clarity, your mind is strong.

This is last chapter and all good things are worth repeating...

Know this first...it is the most important!  Your success is not another's expectations of you and how you measure up to someone else, nor is it how much money or toys that you have.

Your success comes from a place of integrity, joy and value. 
It is there for you, when you choose.  
Your choice. 
You are making the statement, the intention that you now want a better life.   
Life is an amazing ride, it can get messy, it can be full of surprises, the greatest thing, is that you can put your individual stamp on it and enjoy each moment...make the most of it. 


It is your personal responsibility to shape your life. 


Success is there, it is waiting for you.




Previous chapters Series on Success
1. Confidence before Perfection
2. Mine the Mindset
3. Critical and Creative Friendships
4. Resourcefulness before Resources
5. Seek Focus & Flow
6. Purpose, Pleasure & Pain
&
7. Clarity not Confusion


Series on Success, Chapter 6


Purpose, Pleasure & Pain



Do you give any thought to questions about you?

Is there more to my life? 
Am I living life on my terms?
What does the more extraordinary version of me, look like? 



Not often do we give ourselves space for reflection and then act upon  it. Most often it is when we are challenged and facing some hardships in our life that we know that this is the time to evaluate what and why and how did I get into this mess.  

The motivation of pain can sit us down and say, "OK! I want to live life on my terms, I want better! What can I do?"

When you are seeking motivation to live life on your terms, remember that the motivation to look for better can come from the pleasure or the pain of your choices.

Look at the bigger question...What would it look like if you stepped into your purpose?

Declaring your purpose and following through does not come easily to everyone. Your purpose can be hard to pin down. Relax....because your purpose has a funny way of finding you. 

To even just start the questioning and seeing the purpose for your life signals you are breaking through to be extra ordinary.  

WHAT IF?....

You live a pleasurable life.  
You are master of your time, connecting with family, enjoy better relationships, lots of travel, lots of energy, you sleep better, life is enriched, abundant, positive and secure. 
This is living life on your terms and you want more. You want to expand, you want to connect, you want to create.  When you have this as your life the pleasure it creates also motivates.      You choose to step into your purpose.     Purpose meets Pleasure. 



WHAT IF?...

Your choice is to hold back. A false sense of safe by not seeking out your best you.



There is a cloud of anxiety hanging around you, you feel scared, frustrated, lost.  A puppet to others and your surroundings.  You feel like a wannabe. You just can't put your finger on it, you know you want to set your direction yet you don't and you feel the pain that it is not working out for you.  
The motivation of pain and the intense desire to rise above your situation can set you on the path to purpose.

Use pleasure and pain, use it to amplify your motivation to succeed. 



You have a unique purpose, the right fit for you. There is no need to push it, just let it bubble to the surface.

Give yourself the gift of time... time out for yourself to clarify your purpose.

Look at what excites you, what you love to talk about or read about, what gets you all fired up, what comes naturally to you. Discover your true self.

It does not need to be static, because at each stage in your life you evaluate your life and what is important to you. The refining of your best. You are uniquely amazing and so is your purpose in this life.

It doesn't have to be long term, it can be here and now, it can change.  


No copies here...this is your individual unique only you purpose.

It may or may not draw money to you, but it can bring you abundance and definitely great joy and satisfaction.

Your purpose has a driving force that you know what it would be like if you went ahead, the pleasure it would give you and you know the pain, if you didn't step into your purpose.

Success is the zing in your purpose.  It's the name you give yourself. 
Success is the added benefit, the bonus in our game of life. 




Series on Success, Chapter 5


Seek Focus & Flow

This one, for me has been the key that has opened up how I live my life. 

All my good intentions would work for a while, then I would be distracted, put things off or start again. I can be impatient and I would get frustrated when it didn't happen fast enough for me. I was hooked on reaction to my environment. I was multi tasking and multi learning and when I sat back I could see I was just going from one experience to the next with little discipline or progress to my desired outcome. I was feeling conditioned to believe that pleasing others while denying self was the way to success and to being happy. The feelings of doubt and blame would pull me away from my goal and on to the path of stress.


Giving up seems like the easier path.



What I found worked was when I centred myself with a FOCUS on what I was feeling and what I wanted to feel, the thoughts I was creating and what I wanted to create, the inner work of strength and positive outlook. I let go...not that easy to begin with...and allowed my life to FLOW, for it is then that I trust, let go and listen to my inner wisdom to guide my actions, lead me to the people I most need to meet and develop a rhythm of success. You feel amazing and opportunities present themselves to you.  


More on Focus



When I focus on the expectancy of what I will achieve, it looks so real to me today, even though it is in the future. You place the focus on the emotion you feel as if you already there, rather than the outcome you want to happen. 


A wish from the heart is much stronger than a wish from the mind.  

When you pay attention to the feelings of what you desire, you create the energy and in turn create life.  When you stick with those positive feelings you will be drawn to what you have desired.  

More on Flow


Everything seems to work out when you stop scrambling and let yourself flow with the confidence it will all work out. 

Just imagine you are floating in the sea, gentle waves caress you and carry you to your destination.  This is the feeling of flow you want to have in your life.
  
Trust the flow and feel at ease with what is happening around you. Remind yourself of this sensation when anxiety and worry creep into your psyche.

Flow is based on trust that what is happening around you, does not change your inner guidance and emotional freedom. It is your natural state of how you want to live your life and what you want to see in your life.  Create your inner environment where self love and self worth will thrive. 

Connect to your positive feelings to what you want, listen with your heart and trust your daily actions to accomplish your goal.

Series on Success, chapter 4

You have that gut feeling that you want to shake things up.

You are more than ready to change your job, to look for a new career. It can be anything or even everything to help you progress and make this life, a life of wonder and magic.Dreams and ambitions fill your head daily.


The determination and excitement you are feeling are your catalyst to creating your best future. 



Now, not every day is going to be a winning day, there will be times when stuff happens and this is when your resourcefulness kicks in.




Resourcefulness before Resources

You are resourceful when you know there is more than one way to get to your goal.
Your resourcefulness shines through when you are strategic with your targets and with your resources and you have worked out what you want to see at each signpost along the way.




You nuture your resourcefulness with clarity.... 

  • Be strategic in how you go about getting what you want.
  • You are taking managed risks. 
  • There is a daily focus on your priorities.
  • Question your day, what went well and what can I do better?

Resourcefulness has always been there for you and it shows up when ...

  • There is belief in you and your capabilities. 
  • You appreciate what's working and where it is working. Small things acknowledged can be big acts of self love.
  • You are present and give yourself the time to soak up the gratitude for who you are and everything you have and will be.

Resourcefulness requires you to practise discipline in your life...

  • Especially the emotions.  You are more than your emotions and when anxious or over stressed then clarity of thought and positive vibes is lost.
  • Put rest, silence and play at the top of your list. Ease, flow and peace are the biggest indicators there is success in your life.
  • Look for what you can learn with every challenge.
You are resourceful when you are creative in your solutions and willing to take the risk.
You are resourceful when you look for ways through or around rather than ways to block.
You are resourceful when you push through your procrastination and take action.

Success does require your work, your time, your effort and your focus. Don't ever give up on yourself.


Your resourcefulness shows up in being practical in how you have thought out your vision and have mapped your goals.

Remember!  You created the vision of your future and it is a grand plan, a great legacy.
  
"The vision we create in our mind is the blueprint of our reality" Eckhardt Tolle

















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Series on Success, Chapter 3


With all the "inner" focus on rewiring your mindset to envision your success and create the chain of events to unlock your best future, remember the links in that chain that make it all worthwhile ... your friendships.  

The tribe and community that you support and that support you are your best motivator and motivation.

Success depends on these critical and creative friendships.

Critical and Creative Friendship

What a great asset to have a friend who can give you another perspective.

A friend you can bounce off your ideas and a friend who will listen to understand and give you the space to describe your vision and how you are going to achieve it.

This friend is your confidant, no secrets here, just honest, thoughtful feedback with no personal agenda.  The friends pays attention, asks questions and finds the opportunities that you are not seeing yet.

All this you may not find in one person, and this is where you look to your community, to find your tribe of like minded people who will help and encourage you.




Series on Success, Chapter 2

Confidence is built on evidence. 


Remember the times when you were confident, when you marched ahead because it meant so much to you, when you stepped out because you knew there was no other way for you, when you stood your ground because you believed this was best for you.  

Confidence I knew you were there, I just needed a reminder. I did it then, I can do it now.

The opposite can also be true. When you find yourself repeating the mantra "I am not confident" then it will be so.  

Mine your mindset and create a new story for yourself. 

Mine the Mindset

Your mindset for success, the belief in yourself and what you can accomplish is your strongest foundation. 

Keep developing your skill for positive, grateful thoughts and a strong belief that your success comes from the inside first.

How to strengthen your mindset is finding out what beliefs are working for you and what are working against you. 

The "Why" questions help to mine your truth.  This will help you dig a little deeper to discover what is important for you.

Keep asking yourself the WHY question
Look for 50 answers to these questions.
Why do I want this so badly? 
Why is this important to me?
Why will it make a difference?

Don't build your identity on past pain. It is not who you are. Purge your past and look at your failures, yes it sucked, but what are the lessons, what can I learn and use now? Do not accept limitation because of these experiences, it is just an illusion. 


Watch out for analysis paralysis. The type of paralysis that has you stuck going over old news that is of no future benefit to you. You cannot fix the past, you can choose your present actions and you can construct a new future. Remember, you are what you think. The defeatist dwells on the problem and the fears based on past experience.  
The courageous successful person will search for solutions and is optimistic and resilient. 


Daily practice is needed to strengthen optimism and resilience.  Daily practise to strengthen your confident mindset is necessary because, in the beginning how you have seen yourself can be set like concrete and difficult to let go.   The repetition of limiting thoughts about yourself and what you are capable of will require your daily attention to catch and release what is not working for you. 
A daily practise that I enjoy is meditation and tapping. 
Meditation will help to quieten the mind and sharpen your focus to absorb a more gentle and kind perspective of who you are.  If you are knew to meditation, just start out small. 
Find the quiet times in your day to focus on your breathing, breath in with the sound of SO and breathe out to the sound of HUM. Use meditation music and I AM scripts for further practice.  Enjoy the experience of allowing your mind to be calm and connect to your body and spirit. 
Here is a useful link for beginners How to Meditate
Tapping helps to face the things that are holding us back and clean up the stuff from the past. We can experience that stress response so quickly. We start off well and then succumb to the defeating ways of self sabotage and procrastination. When we tap on the meridian endpoints, while focusing on the stress, the challenge or whatever is going on in our lives that we are trying to overcome, we are sending a calming signal to the amygdala in the brain. With tapping you get to the root of the problem and start the reconditioning.  


Here is a link to basic tapping from its founder.   EFT Basic Recipe


Series on Success, Chapter 1


I am doing a short series on success. What it can look like for you and how to focus on bringing it into your life.  

Know this first...it is the most important!  Your success is not another's expectations of you and how you measure up to someone else, nor is it how much money or toys that you have. 

Your success comes from a place of integrity, joy and value. It is there for you, when you choose.  

When you choose that you now want a better life, when you want to rise up from mediocrity and grab the best life can offer.

Because success is there, it is waiting for you.  The first action is a desire.

"Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything." Napoleon Hill 

Let's start out looking at Confidence, essential for your success.



Confidence before Perfection

Confidence will always trump perfection. When you wait for the holy grail of perfection you are actually draining your confidence. Holding out for when all is perfect lets in the questioning and doubt. Waiting till all is perfect, you will open yourself up to questioning your purpose and the value of what you are doing.


Perfection is an obstacle that will hold you back, you will use it to put off or to let go.

When you are waiting to learn more, to research more or get the right sign, the waiting takes over, you will wait in the wings and wait and ponder and still be there looking for more,waiting for the right time and still in the same place 3 months, 6 months or 12 months time. You can see that this erodes your confidence.

Your confidence builds with action. 


Take the action that is directly focused on what you want to see in your life.


Your success is built on the confidence you have in yourself to keep moving in your chosen direction.  

Sharpen your desire by...

Listening to your inner guidance
Being sensitive to your environment and raising your awareness
Seeking the coincidences that happen in your life 
Being open to the people you meet and the teachers that cross your path
Being open to all the signs that show up to feed your confidence

Build on your confidence by...

Keeping your plans flexible
Stating what success looks like for you
Action every day to build momentum