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A New Definition of Success: How to Listen to Your Inner Self and Create Your Own Brand of Success

Guest post by: Gary Jordan, Ph.D.

Article Overview: Defining success as a human being rather than a human doing requires the ability to tune out the constant barrage of external demands on time, talent and resources. It is important to turn inward, to reflect, and to determine with one's own internal set of values and standards what is worthwhile and what is a waste of the precious resource of time.

A New Definition of Success: How to Listen to Your Inner Self and Create Your Own Brand of Success

These days, it seems like it's becoming harder and harder to be a human being rather than a human doing. "Action" is the buzzword of the day (every day).

In an article I read recently, the author was discussing the oft-asked question, "What are you willing to do to be successful?" The answer, she wrote, (as often expected from those of us serious about obtaining life success) was, "Whatever it takes." She challenged this answer by adding, "...as long as you still love your life."

I would like to take her challenge even further.

First of all, let's look at the question itself. It asks, "What you are willing to do," not what (or who) are you willing to be, in order to be successful in life. Society places an intense focus on external achievement as a measure of success (money, recognition, status, etc.). Along with that is the push for us to constantly market ourselves, our business, our website, our blog, etc. It's not hard to see that it becomes all too easy to lose sight of how to be rather than how to do. We all know there is surely no lack of things to do.

I would propose to you that learning how to be is equally, if not more, important than learning how to do.

It's important to know when to stop, when enough is enough, when getting, achieving, conquering, no longer has a place on the priority list. We can all learn to recognize success in life as being comfortable within one's skin, with the journey one has taken, and with the friendships one has made and sustained.

Defining success as a human being rather than a human doing requires the ability to tune out the constant barrage of external demands on time, talent and resources. It requires the ability to turn inward, to reflect, and to determine with one's own internal set of values and standards what is worthwhile and what is a waste of the precious resource of time. It means defining a life of success based on quality rather than quantity.

Recently my wife's 99-year-old aunt passed away and left a lesson for us all. She was a dear, sweet and loving woman who had truly mastered "being." Her wish for her friends and family, as quoted from her memoirs was, "That we become content with just being. It is not a matter of trying to fulfill a social role; it is a matter of becoming wisdom itself."

So where do we begin? How do you learn to slow down and just take it all in? Try this exercise. For the next five minutes:

• Stop. Breathe. Listen. Rest.
• Reflect on who you are in this moment.
• Identify three internal measures of success for yourself.
• Listen to your inner values and where they're guiding you.

When you take the time to live right now, in this very moment, you allow yourself to reconnect to your true self and gain the wisdom to let go of the things that, in the end, really don't matter, and to cherish those things that you take for granted.

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  Successful People Create and Nurture Their Unique and Powerful Personal Brand
  Success Demands You Must Go Where You’ve Never Gone Before by Doing What You’ve Never Done Before

Article Tags: barrage, buzzword of the day, defining success, external demands, friendships, intense focus, journey, life success, measure of success, money, nbsp, priority, time talent



Related Forum Posts
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: What inspires you? - Inspiration is nothing it is what you called to do? Some work for money, some work for satisfaction, some work because they have priorities in life. It is the passion to do something for achievement or to show that you can do it by using one's talent. I know there are people who are doing great things with their limited skill sets. So, my view point about inspiration is to Dream Big and try to achieve it. I would rather add "Listen to your self". Listen to Inner guide and follow it. You will reach great heights. Robert
Re: Success - I study success intently, and would like to share: Here's two excellent and nearly identical success-formulas from a couple of the world's masters. FIRST FORMULA: 1. Passionate Desire 2. Clear, Definite Purpose 3. Committed Decision 4. Take Action In Faith (Bonus Secret Sauce: 5. Repeat Consistently) I made a video about this, but am not allowed to link it yet. Google "Ryze Success Steps" for it. Oh, and this is Napoleon Hill's (Master Of Success Laws)'s Formula. SECOND FORMULA: 1. Passionate Desire 2. Understand It Is Already Done (Faith) 3. Relax & Allow It To Unfold (Go about your life calmly) This one is courtesy of Abraham-Hicks (inspiration for the movie The Secret). Hope that helps!
Re: What inspires you? - [quote="KH_Global":2o5p0kh7]Inspiration is nothing it is what you called to do? Some work for money, some work for satisfaction, some work because they have priorities in life. It is the passion to do something for achievement or to show that you can do it by using one's talent. I know there are people who are doing great things with their limited skill sets. So, my view point about inspiration is to Dream Big and try to achieve it. I would rather add "Listen to your self". Listen to Inner guide and follow it. You will reach great heights. Robert[/quote:2o5p0kh7] so true
Success Strategies - How to get the results you want now? Success Strategies and Action Steps I have used are: The Power of Choice Where you are at this present moment, is exactly perfect from the choices you have made. If you want to be somewhere else, you have to decide clearly what that is (your goal/outcome) and create action steps to achieve this. The Power of Focus The book "The Power of Focus" by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt, is one of my treasures in my Entrepreneur Library. If you focus on what you want versus what you do not want, your conscious and sub-conscious mind will direct attention to this. The movie, What the Bleep, Down the Rabbit Hole, explains this in detail about quantum physics and what we create in our lives. The Power of Commitment This is not about commitment to others. The first step is the commitment, your word, you make to yourself. Accountability and responsibility are additional success strategies and ingredients to creating the success, defined by you, that you want. The commitment to others reflects your integrity, your word and the team you work with. Co-workers, clients, yoru family, friends and community. My Success Acronyn in Success Breakthroughs(c) is: S pecific & self-directed U nlimited opportunities & possibilities C reate powerful outcomes C onsistent measureable results E xperience pwoerful transformation S olution and action-oriented S uccessful habits and outcomes Break Through to Powerful LIfestyle & Performance Choices Moira


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