Success principles
November

 
 

‘To follow, without halt, one aim:
that’s the secret of success.’

Anna Pavlova

 
 
 
 
 

Drink champagne
‘Brothers, come quickly! I’m drinking stars!’ That’s what the monk screamed throughout the Benedictine abbey after he tasted his new discovery. The monk’s name? Dom Pérignon. In a world where we have become accustomed to celebrate our all achievements, we have come to associate champagne with success, with money, with power, with sex. Drink champagne, for no reason at all… or better yet, drink champagne for the sake of drinking champagne. The mere opening of a bottle, letting the magic out is reason enough to celebrate. Celebrate life!

 

Learn the trade
Don’t waste time learning the ‘tricks of the trade’. Instead, learn the trade. Everyone wants to take the easy way out of everything these days. The overnight success. It’s those that actually devote themselves to a task that will succeed. When you take time to educate yourself and really learn something you become a better person. Do the work and know your trade.

 

Be an example
Leadership is the process by which one individual influences the behaviors, attitudes and thoughts of others. Leaders set the direction by helping others see what lies ahead and rising to the challenges. They see everyone’s potential and encourage and inspire those around them. Leading by example is a trait of a true leader. Lead and live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.

 

Get a life!
Stop making excuses for the way your life is now. Don’t dwell on the past, or on what has happened to you. Life happens to everyone! Stop telling everyone the same old story. You know what? 80% don’t care and 20% are glad it’s you… So get a life! You have more going for you than you realize. Use it! Life is waiting for you to explore it. Live full, die empty.

 

Stand up for yourself
Don’t allow someone to take out their frustrations and anger on you. Require others to honor your space and respect your dignity as a person. Let the people in your life own their choices. Don’t give them permission to dump their problems or crises on you. Refuse to buy into their guilt trips or pay for their consequences. Stop taking on their responsibilities. Sometimes helping is actually hurting them, keeping them from helping themselves.

 

Be patient
Be patient, continue to persist and move in the direction of your dream. Many times a dream has a life of its own. It will take you on a journey to build your character, your confidence and your faith. Be patient! Patience does not mean being inactive. It means positive expectation and a knowing deep down in your heart that you will be alright. Believe that things are going to work out for you. Be patient and keep moving forward.

 

Know your worth!
Don’t fall into the trap of believing that who you are and what you’re worth depends on who you’re with or what you have. No one can ever give you your self-worth. You decide if you let someone rob you of it. You’ll will feel truly feel good when you learn to love yourself unconditionally. Your life is a gift. Say to yourself constantly: ‘I deserve the best that life has to offer’ and live from that place.

 

Choose to be happy now
Everyday life presents you with an a la carte menu from which to choose: peace or anger, sadness or joy, forgiveness or revenge, trust or suspicios and love versus hate. Your response to the behaviors of other people, as well to life’s challenges, will determine your perception of your own happiness. Remember, when things go wrong, don’t go with them! Happiness is a choice that you make every moment of every day.

 

Live your own life
It’s been said that most people die at age 25, but don’t get buried until age 75. Are you living a ‘dead’ life? Many people exist with their real lives on hold. Don’t deprive the world of experiencing the real you! Release your talents, use your abilities and live with a spirit of adventure and boldness. Create a life where you make a difference and leave your mark.

 

Laugh out loud!
It’s good medicine for your heart and spirit. It’s a way for you to say, ‘Life, I’m still standing with my head up high!’ Laughter strengthens the immune system and increases your capacity to cope. It has the power to heal you at the cellular level. Sometimes all you can do is to laugh, even through your tears and pain. Interrupt your worries and choose to make yourself feel good in spite of it all.

 

Use your wit
To amuse, not to abuse. Stop making jokes at other people’s expense. Sarcasm is just a way to show that you can’t keep up with the conversation. Everyone can make fun of someone. Nothing shows how intelligent and funny you can really be like being able to make jokes without picking on someone.

 

Don’t make the same mistake twice
The second time you make it, it’s no longer a mistake, it’s a choice. It becomes a choice when you do the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome, which turns into insanity. Just like breathing or sleeping, making mistakes is a wonderful trait that makes us human. ‘Mistakes are the portals of discovery’, James Joyce once said. If you make a mistake, own it. Fix it if you can. Apologize to anyone affected. Reflect on it. Find the cause, learn from it and don’t make it again.

 

Choose to be unstoppable
Are you a spectator in your own life? Do you sit on the sidelines planning, thinking, trying, but never fully doing? Choose to believe in your power and explore what is means to engage. Connect to your calling and passion in life. Decide to live far beyond any past regrets or future excuses. Choose to be unstoppable in pursuit of your dream.

 

Get up 30 minutes earlier
Do this for a year, and you will add seven and one-half days to your waking world. Rise and shine! Greet a wonderful new day. Have things done before 8:00 am. By the time everyone else gets to work, you have already gotten a head start. There is no better way to start off your day than to wake early.

 

Remember people’s names
It happens to almost everyone from time to time but if remembering people’s names is a permanent issue for you, it’s time to stop this bad listening habit. Maybe you’re shy, nervous, bored or distracted but that’s not an excuse. Using a person’s name is the key to opening doors for you and to maintaining an initial rapport that could turn this person into a new friend for life or a lifelong business partner. Make the decision to start remembering people’s names from today!

 

Avoid head trash
Don’t be a garbage can for anything that does not feed your intellect or stimulate your imagination. Refuse to open your mind to other people’s trash. Set up your day to win. Whatever you feed your mind in the first 30 minutes of the day, will impact the spirit of your day. Saturate yourself with positive words that fuel your energy and ignite your spirit. Your thoughts create your reality.

 

Ask ‘Why?’ a lot
Many people think that asking why or how to do something is weak or shows that you are not smart. The truth is it shows tremendous courage and insight to admit you do not know something but that you want to learn. We have all been in a position where someone says something and we just nod and go with it even though we don’t really understand. The great ones are the ones that are willing to say ‘I don’t understand. Can you explain it to me?’ How much knowledge are you missing out on because you never ask why and what could you be teaching to the world if you weren’t so prideful?

 

Be your own advocate
If you have a dream, you must be its primary cheerleader. While the support of others is helpful and appreciated, you must first believe in your goal and then encourage others to follow. Do what you can to reassure yourself that you are talented, worthy, and have something of value to create and share. Encourage yourself and feed others with your positive spirit and energy.

 

Have good posture
Good posture is an easy and very important way to maintain a healthy mind and body. When you practice correct posture, your body is in alignment with itself. Standing tall will also boost your bearing and self confidence. Enter a room with confidence. Walking in confidently makes a positive and lasting impression.

 

Show respect
Treat other people the way you want to be treated. This means, be kind to people! Listen to what others people have to say. Don’t interrupt. And respond kindly. Don’t judge people before you get to know them. There is more to most people than you think. Try to really care about other people. This will help promote mutual respect. If you respect them, they will respect you. Respecting people of all races and beliefs is a hallmark of living life to the fullest!

 

Save time, energy and words
Don’t give advice to people who have a history of not listening. Some people may complain about their life, but they have no intention of changing. STOP!! You can’t change others – only yourself. Release them to their own life journey. Put your main focus and energy in creating greater movement and impact in your own life.

 

Keep a daily journal
Journaling affords some major benefits. You can process previous events. What happens to you is not as important as the meaning you assign to what happens to you. You clarify your thinking. It helps you to disentangle your thoughts. Journaling helps you to discern the difference between the forest and the trees. To understand the context of it all. And you become in touch with your feelings. Helps you to pay attention to them.

 

Write your own story
Every day you have an opportunity to change the direction of your life. Today, you can move your life in a direction that you will either regret, or that you will celebrate. Your life can either be a warning of what not to do, or an example of what to do. You get to decide. Every day YOU choose to create your own happiness!

 

Never cut what can be untied
It is easy to be rash and just run away from people or situations. It is far better though, to leave in such a way that you can return or at least not earn an enemy. The symbolism of what you are untying rather than cutting is that you can only follow the rope back if it is intact.

 

Don’t stop now!
Continue to work on yourself and your dream. Don’t look for others to hold your heart, take your hand, or have your back. You are responsible for your own life, and for creating your own path. Surround yourself with positive energy, people, and thoughts. Great things take time and effort. Keep moving forward with the end in mind. It’s not over until you win!

 

Leave everything better
Leave everything a little better than you found it. You can apply this principle from the small and trivial. Whenever you leave a room try to leave it slightly cleaner or tidier than when you entered it, for example. Or to the big things in your life: male it a point to ensure people you encounter feel better or are in a better situation when you leave them. There is an immense amount of power in this.
Build the habit of always improving.

 

Try something new
This is the time that you have to be flexible, versatile and open to the possibilities of exploring new horizons. Be willing to experiment and step into the unknown. Try something new with your life! Each year determine to master a new skill. What did you learn today that you did not know yesterday? You have talents, abilities and gifts in you that you haven’t even reached for yet.

 

Keep your cool
Get through each day with grace and peace of mind. Be unflappable and move peacefully from one task to another with focused attention and a quiet, calm energy. Anger and impatience wear on our hearts and our minds and our families. When we are in control of our emotions, we get more done, we communicate better, and we lead more productive, purposeful lives.

 

Take some time for you
Spend some moments in silence reflecting on your life. Journal to listen to your heart, or read a book that will lift your spirit. Go for a walk, listen to some music or watch a movie that will make you laugh. Stop and smell the roses. Sometimes we get so caught up in the rat race trying to survive that we forget to do things to nourish our spirit. We forget to go to our center.

 

Promise big, eliver big
In business, you often hear the phrase “under-promise and over-deliver.” This concept is a myth and can actually cause harm to your business. Promise big on what you’re going to give people, and then give them more. Never intentionally under-promise. People expect you to deliver what you say you’re going to give them. That’s the minimum you should do anyway. Do what you say and then, go a step above and beyond so you exceed their expectation.

 
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