United States and It's Fabulous 50

"I'm not happy. I'm cheerful. There's a difference. A happy woman has no cares at all. A cheerful woman has cares but has learned how to deal with them."

Beverly Sills
1929-2007, Opera Singer

Five Success Keys

We could probably have an interesting discussion on the definition of success. The one I favor was authored by Earl Nightingale, more than fifty years ago: "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal."

I really like that definition because it takes money out of the equation unless it's your specific ideal. It says that the stay-at-home Mom is a success if she's staying home because she wants to. It says that a teacher, or a carpenter, or a Starbucks barista is a success if they are doing what they want to do instead of what they have to do.

Regardless of the field in which one is successful, there are criteria or keys for success that apply to every endeavor. Here are five of those Keys:

Essentials for Success and Achievement

1. Taking Personal Responsibility

Successful people don't play the blame game. They don't blame the government, the economy, their boss, their spouse, the traffic or anything else for the challenges they face or the obstacles the encounter. They take responsibility for their own behavior and figure out a way to deal with life's difficulties, which, by the way, are common to us all.

2. Seek Wisdom vs. Information

Napoleon Hill is famous for saying: "We become what we think about." You see he, and others before him, understood that our thoughts and our thinking will shape our behavior. The ideas you develop will one day manifest themselves in future behavior, so guard carefully what you think about and dwell on. Seek wisdom instead of information. Always be on the lookout for wise people and wisdom literature to help shape your thinking - and future actions.

3. Be a Person of Action

"The only measure of what you believe is what you do." Ashley Montagu coined those words over a century ago but the truth of that statement will stand forever. Success and achievement in any endeavor are the result of doing what needs to be done at the earliest possible opportunity. Do the most important things first!

4. Choose Joy Over Happiness

Happiness is often associated with circumstances. If I'm in a good place and things are going well, I'm happy. If things aren't going so well, I'm not.

Joy, on the other hand, starts with being at peace with ourselves. It's being comfortable in our own skin and understanding that, in most cases, "this too shall pass." The ups and downs of life are inevitable and experienced by everyone. Joy overrides unpleasant circumstances.

5. Stay Focused on Your Vision

Two essentials for success and achievement are vision and focus. Having a very clear vision of what we want to accomplish puts us in the top five percent of the marketplace and our competition. Staying focused on the vision and doing those things that move us to fulfilling our vision are what take us over the top.

Taking Stock

1. Are you taking personal responsibility for your success and achievement?
2. Do you have a friend or mentor you can trust to inject a little wisdom in your life from time to time?
3. Are you a person of action? Are you doing the most important things first?
4. Is your focus on joy or happiness?
5. Is your eye on your vision or your circumstances?

After I read this, it really helped me have a clear vision of my goal. With a clear vision I can accomplish anything I choose. My my friends and mentor, Les Taylor wrote these "Five Success Keys".

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." ~The Declaration of Independence

Quality of life, in America today, is often measured by the amount of money you make. Success is defined by the kind of car you drive. By the neighborhood you live in. By the toys you own. After all, he who dies with the most toys wins. True or false?

Life was difficult before remote controls and automatic door locks. Skiing was so boring before the new shape skis hit the market. Fishing without a carbon-fiber rod was next to impossible. And the best part of life today is that big-screen plasma HDTV, the one with the universal remote that controls everything. It's the best escape devised yet from an otherwise dull evening.

In contrast, the people of the remote Himalayan country of Bhutan were recently rated as having the poorest quality of life of all but one other country in the world --- after all, their average annual per capita income is only $500. Ironically, however, when you visit the country, there are no beggars, only beautiful, snow-capped peaks, virgin forests, and clean air. The crime rate is extremely low, no one is in a hurry, and there is a strong sense of community. You might almost think that instead of depending on their belongings to entertain them, they've learned to enhance their lives by building relationships with each other.

Be careful to avoid the trap of, "the more you buy, the more you need". Because oftentimes then the more we think we need, the more unhappy we are with what we have. So this year, before buying those new golf clubs, stop and think. Will that $1,000 bring you more happiness through a bag of irons, compared to a few days off with your family, or as a donation to an organization, or a person who is trying to make a difference. It's your choice. It's how you measure it.

So this week count your blessings instead of your possessions. Spend more time with those you love, instead of spending more money on things you lack.

-- Denis Waitley