What makes someone successful?

What drives them?

What drives YOU?

Do you know what it is that makes you tick?

Do you remind yourself of this behind every action you take?

 

I ask people this question fairly often, and with good reason, if we don’t remember why we are doing something, we probably won’t do it in a manner that will result with our desired outcome. We will do it out of ‘obligation’ or for external rewards, rather than those internal rewards we were once so aware of.

 

 

I like to read, probably too much LOL – causing information overwhelm at times, but hey better than a lot of other things I could be doing. That being said, I find it miraculous that I can read a whole book and sometimes just ONE line completely strikes me and shifts my entire paradigm.

 

Recently, I read the book You Are a Badass, and in the back of this book was a list of books recommended to read if you enjoyed that one. Naturally, I looked through and highlighted a few that I have continuously seen on other’s lists. One of these was The Science of Getting Rich. I have heard of it before and to be honest the only reason I was turned off from it was the title. However, I thought….

“Eh it’s only $7.00 on my Nook I’ll buy it.”

 

So, naturally, there was a line that struck me and has marinated in my mind ever since…

Those who are rich in life become this way because they do things in a certain way.

I needed no further explanation of this matter, because I knew exactly what it is referring to. No matter what you are striving for in life, if you wish to attain something that makes your life more rich in meaning you must do things in a way that is WORTHY of that richness.  This can be applied to all areas of life – health, wealth, relationships, career, vocation, etc…

 

If you want to have a career that makes other’s jaw’s drop – you simply can’t get there by doing things in a half-a** manner. You would have to go all in, and then some.

 

Minimal effort yields minimal results.

 

If you want a relationship that makes you wake up everyday asking, “How did I get so lucky?!” than you have to constantly work on that relationship, you can’t just do what is needed to get by.

If you want to lose weight and finally reach your goals– you can’t be that person that lives it 3/7 days of the week. You must continuously work 7/7 days.  

This all sounds really cold when it’s put “pen to paper” but it’s actually not, I promise I have a valid point here…

The people who are constantly adding richness to their lives are constantly thinking about why they are doing it. They are not thinking about how much they hate automating emails, how their partner is too needy, or how much they hate working out. These people are so focused on the outcome of these small actions, that the actions themselves become enjoyable because of their given meaning.

Even the smallest of actions performed on a daily basis can be done out of love because the mind see’s how this is just another piece of the puzzle – leading to the ultimate fulfillment in one area or another.

This is something I observe in weight-loss clients frequently. Those who have an external or somewhat un-meaningful reason for wanting to achieve a goal, often fail. Those who have deep, meaningful reasons always succeed.

 

What is more enticing to you?

Person A: I want to lose weight so I can feel more confident.

OR

Person B: I want to lose weight so I can feel alive, so I can can truly be present in life, so I can ultimately love myself and in return learn how to let someone else love me. So, I don’t have to go through life feeling alone anymore.

 

Person B is not complaining about cardio, or how sore their legs are. They are so incredibly focused on the meaning attached to their exercise that the action itself is practically irrelevant.  I can’t tell you how applicable this is to achieving a goal that one deems worthy of “success.” From an outsider’s perspective, the motions probably don’t look so awesome, they may even look incredibly painful and unappealing. However, to that person striving to reach the goal these seemingly tedious acts are actually quite fulfilling, because that person knows with each step they take they are one step closer to attaining the meaning they desire in life.

So, how does one succeed without suffering?

You remind yourself everyday, multiple times a day WHY

Write it down, read it, repeat.