The 3 Keys to Happiness & Success

And, what’s Leadership got to do with it?

GUEST BLOG by Roxanne Kaufman Elliott, President of ProLaureate Ltd.

Long ago in an ancient time, humankind was so abusive of the keys to happiness and success that the great elders and wise women of the time decided to take the keys away and hide them where no one could ever find them again.

But where?

The Leader of the Wise Women decided to call a meeting of the Council of Elders to discuss the hiding place. When they were all together she put the question to the group and asked for ideas and suggestions.

One of the more senior elders raised her hand and said, “Oh, Wise Leader, we should take the keys of happiness and success and bury them in the deepest, darkest depths of the Earth. No one would think to look there and if they did, it would be much too difficult to dig down and find them.”

The Wise Leader thought about this for a moment and then said, “thank you, but no, I don’t think they would remain hidden there. Human kind is very resourceful and will find a way to uncover them.”

Another of the council members raised her hand and said, “I know! Let’s hide the keys to happiness and success at the highest peak of the highest mountain in the world, for certainly, THIS is a place no man, woman or child could ever discover!”

But again, the wise leader said, “No, they will climb the mountain – they will find a way – and they will discover the secret.”

The next council member spoke up and said “then let’s bury the secret to happiness and success in the deepest part of the ocean where no one would dare to go – beneath the sea in a great, dark and bottomless cavern where no one would dare to look or attempt to go.”

The Wise Leader thought for a moment longer and then said, “thank you all for these ideas, but humankind is resourceful and I believe they will uncover each of those hiding places. But now I know where we can bury the keys to happiness and success where no one will ever find them. We will bury them deep in the heart of every person who walks the Earth… for surely, no one would think to look for them there.”

You already possess the keys to your happiness and success. The challenge is getting out of your own way long enough to discover them! And then, to actually begin to unlock your potential; to understand what real happiness and success mean to YOU; and then to start creating and setting a plan in motion to be and to have the best of what life has to ofer – on your terms.

“Success is the continual achievement of your own predetermined goals, stabilized by balance and purified by belief.”

Happiness & Success

You possess more internal ability than you will ever use. The biggest obstacles you face are the limitations you place in your own mind. Individuals are goal seekers by nature and you are at your happiest when you are working toward the accomplishment of goals that are related to your major purpose in life. True success comes from identifying goals in all areas of life that are important to you, and organizing your time and energy so that all these areas are given the right priority at the right time.

Achievement

Achievement has little regard for age, nationality, gender or station in life.

It bestows itself upon those who dare to aim their sights at noble targets, who move forward even though the winds of opposition try to push them back, who realize their purpose is far greater than any obstacle that may appear to stand in their way.

How we lead our lives determines our future and the future of those around us. You have the unlimited potential to reach new heights for yourself and for others to create… new products, new applications, new solutions, new organizations, new ideas, new and better relationships and even a new and better world.

Sounds like a tall order and a lot of work. It is.

But that’s ‘what leadership has to do with it’… it’s all about SELF Leadership and putting forth the effort to be the best we can be. The rewards are incredible and well worth the efort. It’s all about energizing YOU – the real, genuine, brilliant YOU.

So where do you start? You start by discovering the three keys that are already within you…

VISION ~ GOALS ~ ACTION

Do you have a personal and professional vision statement? Planning our lives, our careers, our futures, deserve at least as much energy as planning our next vacation. Yet, typically, we spend more time doing the latter than the former. Perhaps its time to create a vision for yourself – your statement of potential and your vision of the future.

What do happiness and success look like to you? Write them both down in great detail, in the first person, in the present tense – as if it is already real. This is your quest – it is your written painting of what the future will look like – what you aspire to become, do, create and achieve – both
personally and professionally. Begin everything with this end in mind, as this is the image by which everything else you do is measured.

Create your goals both short term and long term. Write them down. What do you need to accomplish to move you closer to your vision – today? This week? In a year?

Then, take action to fulfill those goals. Make a plan and work it. Write them down. Know what you need to do to move to the next step and the next and the next. Once you focus on what happiness and success mean to you, you will be on your way to achieving more of what you desire in less time.

“What lies behind us and what lies in front of us, pales in significance when compared to what lies within us.”

The Art of Changing Yourself

“The art of changing yourself requires the substituting of new habits for old. You mold your character and your future by your thoughts and acts. You cannot climb uphill by thinking downhill thoughts. If your world is gloomy and hopeless, it is because you are gloomy and hopeless. You must change your mind to change your world. Make yourself do what needs to be done. Man alone, of all the creatures of this earth, is architect of his destiny.”

From Wilfred A. Peterson and his book, “The Art of Living”.

Article originally posted at http://free2bproject.org/the-three-keys-to-happiness-success/#comment-19 on July 10, 2013