Monthly Musings
December 2006
TOP TEN LIST FOR SUCCESS
As we begin to approach the start of a New Year I thought I might offer you my “top ten” list for success. These are tools/principles that I have used in my life that have allowed me to grow into the person I have become and have been instrumental in pushing me forward into a fuller expression of my Divine nature. Enjoy!
10. You can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket! Dream big but know without action your dreams will always be just that.....dreams. The Bhagavad-Gita says “He who shirks from action does not attain freedom…..those who abstain from action cannot be called sincere spiritual aspirants". Taking action on my dreams/desires is a spiritual practice and is necessary for success. Action often takes risk... it sometimes means taking a chance... it sometimes means daring to walk through my fears... and it sometimes means getting up after I've fallen down. I encourage you to JUST DO IT! The rewards are immense!
9. To achieve success I have to surround yourself with people who will be honest with me! The greatest growth in my life has come from the people who have been the most honest with me; even when it was uncomfortable. Surround yourself with “partners in believing” who will hold you accountable when you are not acting from your highest and best and then encourage you to make the shifts needed for success.
8. The fastest way from point A to point B is hardly ever a straight line! Life is a series of zigs and zags and I have found that by always trying to reach my goal via a straight line two things have happened. 1. I had to run over people in the way and ended up hurting them. (Is it truly success is I am standing completely alone at the top because I have left a trail of bodies in my wake?) 2. I ended up banging my head against a wall and hurt myself. (Is it truly success if I am standing at the top so burnt that I don't have the energy to sustatin the success? ) Be flexible! Be adaptable! Sometimes apparent detours are the guidance of spirit taking us around obstacles to keep us safe and truly successful!
7. Be grateful for what I have! Give thanks for where you are, what you have and the people you are with and then move forward. Gratitude invites new opportunities and blessings. Dissatisfaction invites more things to complain about.
6. To be successful I need to live in the Now! See number 7. God is here now! The past is gone, the future is not here yet. What am I called to do/be right now as a living example and realization of success.
5. Take responsibility! I can’t blame God (or the devil) for my circumstances. God is creating through me and responding directly to the impress of my thoughts and feelings. I have been given free choice and through grace God has given me free will. God is a loving force that will not interfere with my desires or intervene if I am making a "bad" decision. For success I need to own that if I don’t like the way my life is going, that I had a hand in it’s creation and I have a responsibility to choose again! God is the energy of creation but I am the designer. "Be ye transormed by the renewing of your mind". Whether I think I can or think I can't.....I am right!
4. No is a complete sentence! No explanations! No excuses! No bargaining! It’s okay to say no!
3. There is always someone in the world who isn’t going to like you. Get over it! Even Jesus had his critics. People thought Buddha was a nut case. For success I had to stop worrying about the people who didn’t like me or what I had to offer and focus on, and surround myself with, the people who supported my vision. What we focus on expands. I love the book by Terry Cole Whittaker entitled, "What you Think of Me is None of my Business"!
2. If you look for the good in people they will eventually bring it forth! The flip side of the coin is if you look for the bad in people they will produce that for you as well. Ronald Reagan said, "I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there is purpose and worth to each and every life". I have found my greatest success by recognizing the genius and magnificence of all those around me and by letting the "other stuff" simply fade into the background.
1. If only the birds with the prettiest voices sang the world would be a very quiet place! Stop comparing yourself to everyone/anyone else. Sing your song! Be fully the person you were born to be and walk confidently in the direction of your destiny knowing that who you are makes a difference! No one else can do what God wants to do through you! Have a blessed New Year!