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The Quickest Route to Success and Happiness

Written by: Jamie Broughton

Article Overview: Ever wonder, when will “I get there” so I can pause and relax!? Do you sometimes feel like throwing in the towel because you have no idea you’re making progress? I’ve been there too, believe me. This article shows you the quickest route to “getting there”!

The Quickest Route to Success and Happiness

“…it’s not having what you want, but wanting what you have.”
Cheryl Crow, Song Title “Soak up the Sun”

Recently a good friend of ours, Sue, came by for a visit. She brought with her two students she was hosting through the Canada World Youth Exchange Program – Gavin from Victoria, British Columbia, and Benali from Tanzania. Both teens were very nice, yet I was struck by the massive contrast between the two.

By fluke, Benali experienced his first taste of snow while he visiting our place! He was captivated!

Sue relayed a story: At one point in the teens stay Sue was going to the grocery store for the weekly shop. She asked them what type of bread they preferred.

Gavin’s response: “Asiago cheese and rosemary bread.”

Sounds yummy doesn’t it? Yet, can you imagine what Benali thought of this question? Most of his life, the Tanzanian boy has eaten little more than corn, rice and antelope. A choice of bread would have been a luxury.

I think this situation is an interesting reflection of our lives in North America. If you were to chat with a typical kid from Victoria (or an adult elsewhere in N.A. for that matter) about how fortunate he is to be able to choose the kind of bread he eats, it’d be like talking to a fish about water – he likely wouldn’t have a clue what you’re talking about.

Wealth and abundance surround us here. Our experience of prosperity is also relative to the people in our immediate lives. Without meaningful context, it’s natural to compare ourselves to our colleagues, our friends, our neighbors rather than the rest of the world. We can forget what we have to begin with. That “forgetting” lures us closer to the all-consuming “success trap”.

The Success Trap says: “when X happens (or I make it happen), THEN I can be happy or successful”.

In other words, when I get enough money, friends, time etc then it’ll be ok. That’s when I can relax. That’s when I will be satisfied, successful, and happy. Oh, and by the way, I’d like whatever I say I want, quickly. In fact, “yesterday” would be just super. Snap snap, lets go! [Hint: If this article title appealed to you, you may be in the “success trap”].
We make our experience of the world conditional on certain result.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with having or wanting more money, friends or even asiago cheese bread! And hey, it can feel great to reach the goal (who doesn’t like that). The problem of course is those feelings of elation are short lived, yet the road to them is often much, much longer.

In our efforts to “get there” it’s common to feel a “lack of” because we haven’t arrived YET. Our ‘lack of’ responses may vary from beating ourselves up (I should be there by now, darn it etc); to becoming overly driven (I’ll prove I can do it, darn it!). Many of these are limiting, unsustainable or not really a whole heck of a lot of fun (darn it!).

The quickest route to long-term happiness doesn’t involve doing or getting anything! It starts with choosing to be happy, then accepting and appreciating what you’ve got NOW.

From this place, you’re much more likely to enjoy the journey and reach your goals along the way.

And who knows? If you don’t already, perhaps it’ll involve actually starting to love snow.

Coaching Fieldwork:

Take inventory of your situation or life right now.
1. Ask yourself: what am I grateful for in my life now? What would be on your ‘success list’? Nothing fancy, just bullet a list.
2. Ask yourself: what am I NOT grateful for in my life now? Write it down
3. About #3, then ask yourself: how might I be grateful for it anyway? Everything has a silver lining, if you believe it does.

P.S. Want to make appreciation a daily practice? Consider having your family members share their “appreciation of the day” at dinner.

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  Keeping the Juices Flowing: How I Tripled My Income, Including Saying No to Clients and Yes to More Time Off
  Happiness Is A Decision

Article Tags: abundance, antelope, benali, canada world youth, cheryl crow, clue, crow song, first taste, fluke, going to the grocery store, good friend, meaningful context, neighbors, prosperity, reflection, rest of the world, rosemary bread, typical kid, victoria british columbia, youth exchange program



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Re: The secret to happiness - Happiness comes from within. We choose whether we want to be happy or not. Circumstances can influence our feelings, but in the end, it's up to us how we deal with our circumstances, positively or negatively. I admire anyone who can stay strong and be happy through adversity. There will always be challenges that we face, but I believe that if we face them with our heads held high, the odds of overcoming them are much greater. This reminds me of the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness." Happiness spelled wrong for a reason. One of Will Smith's greatest movies. I encourage you all to watch it as it's very inspiring.
Re: The secret to happiness - Happiness is working on the job you love. I forgot who said this, "give a man the job he loves doing and he will ever work again in his life"
Re: THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD...RIGHT NOW!!! - Success = Thinking (Head) + Heart (Feeling / Interest) + Hand (doing/ action). Success - H3 Robert
Re: The secret to happiness - [quote="barrysarner":2awy1urv]I agree and happiness is different for every individual.[/quote:2awy1urv] Happiness is something that comes from within each person it not something that we can find externally. Something from outside such as an exciting event or a new car can make us happy, but this is a fleeting emotion. True happiness is within each person if we choose to it over misery. MichelleJ
What is one of your favorite sales and marketing book? - One of my favorite sales and marketing book is called Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh. It tells a story of how a guy quit a high paying corporate job after graduating from Harvard in order to pursue a business dream, while working with a group of friends. They eventually built a business that is now worth over a billion dollars called Zappos.com. The entire books concept was on how to market a successful business. I enjoyed reading the book and learned a lot from it. What is one of your favorite marketing books?


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