How successful people make it...

‘A man is a product of his thoughts, what he thinks, he becomes.’

Mahatma Ghandi

Gandhi’s words give us room to think about our own lives. Outdated thinking might have you believing that you are not what you want to be because of circumstances or where you live, or your financial situation. However, the truth is that Gandhi’s statement is a message to us to be vigilant. We are the product of what we believe and think.

Our thoughts have the capacity to change our lives or to keep them stuck where we are. Often we resist the thoughts that can move us forward and give into the thoughts that hold us back. Being held back is easy to do, because many of us are trained in thoughts that limit us.

Thoughts that hold us back are locked into a mindset which keeps us stuck in behaviours that do not serve us. The truth is, the life that you lead is a reflection of the thoughts you have. I remember when I was renting, every time I went to the bus stop I would look at a particular house that I liked and say, “I will own a house like that one day”. Believe it or not, but I am now living in a house that looks almost identical to the one that I was concentrating on back then.

We have more power to manifest than we realise and once we give into the fact that we are able to do this, we will be able to create the kind of lives that we deserve.

Creating a life that you deserve and want is about persistence. How many times have you said or heard it said they are okay, they have x,y,z. I challenge you to think in a different way about this, say ‘I can have that if I want that, I just have to be persistent.’

This is the one difference between those who are successful and those who are not. You are not going to create success in your life if you are not persistent. Ask successful people, they will all have a story of how they had to go through rocky times. The difference is that these successful people are persistent. They do not let the waves of life keep them stuck, they ride the wave to where it will take them.

You may think that success belongs to just a select few. However if you do this one thing you could join the ranks of people have created phenomenal success in their lives...

If you want to make changes in your life, you need to understand that there will be times when it is hard, there will be times when you get knocked down. Being knocked down though is a gift as it helps you to view the lay of the land before you get up again.

Remember this: Being knocked down is a gift that helps you view the lay of the land before you get up again…

Richard Branson struggled at points to stay financially afloat; JK Rowling sent Harry Potter out to many publishers that said no – what would have happened if they had given up? There would be no Harry Potter, which has given joy to many people’s lives, or any of the amazing offerings that Virgin has provided us with.

The fact is that we all have a special something that we are here to give the world and whether it’s food, words, music, cleaning, helping others etc. We just have to cultivate the conditions to experience the life we want.

Okay some of us have tougher dreams that ask us to show up in a big way. That’s okay taking it slow will reap results. There is nothing wrong with being shy to show up, out there in the big world. It’s a big place, I get it.

Just be persistent and show up for yourself. When you follow your heart and your dreams you are answering the call of your soul and there is nothing that can replace it. Be there for you, wherever your ideas take you.

The other golden thread of brilliance that exists now is also the fact that it’s just plain easier to get out there, than it ever was. With the advent of the internet and blogs, you tube, social media. Sharing is like the balm that heals us. Whatever your feelings about all this, it can’t be denied that technology has connected us to one another in a way that the newspapers and news never really could. Of course there will always be the stories that are off the wall, and probably suck a little, but that’s fine.

Anyhow, I digress, my point being that opportunity is there if you want to make it happen. There are courses online, recipes, you name it the information is there. This can help you with being who you are, with doing your thing and creating the kind of persistence that has you making the changes that will up-level your life.

Without persistence know that you may find that your idea, passion or dream gets lost in the undercurrent. Your goal here is to take your idea, be persistent with that idea and not give up on it. Whatever works for you? For me it’s to prove that 'I can'.

Just before I continue - a quick caveat: I f something really is not for you and you have given it a go, persistence is not required, It is okay to give up if need be. There are times when we try something that is just not for us. Now, the question then becomes how do we know that the idea is not for us? You’ll need to give it a go. Then you will need to learn your bodies’ cues.

I talked about the bodies cues before in my stress blog. However, for persistence with an idea it is Important to know how to recognise your cues. There is no point running with something that is going to lead you to burn out. To learn your bodies cues you will need to tap into how what you are doing makes you feel.

Does it make you feel alive?
Do you feel inspired and energised by it?
Are you raring to go most mornings?

These three points are a good indicator that this is for you …

However, if you are experiencing the next three feelings, step away from the idea…

Does it make you feel groggy, unwell as though you are wading through treacle?
Do you feel drained by it?
Are you staying in bed and not putting your energy into it…

Not to be confused with I don’t know how to do this. If you really want to do something and your biggest block is being stuck. I would advise you to go and see a coach or work with me. This will help you to create the life that you are envisioning.

There are a few reasons that persistence gets thrown out of the window.

Not knowing how to do something
Feeling as if you have not got enough money to do the thing
Feeling as if you do not have enough training to do the thing
Thinking no one will be interested
Being afraid of the paperwork
Not having a coach to help you
Giving up when things get tough – this feeling normally means you need more information
Following the wrong idea
Listening to bad advice – make all choice re: your life originate from you
Or taking advice from someone who has never done what you’re doing
Not knowing what you want to do – although want to do something
Living a life that is ground hog day based
Feeling that you do not deserve a life

There are so many more reasons that we abandon the persistence muscle and it is usually based on destructive patterning that we have created throughout our own lives. There really is no real reason to give into this feeling because if you do, it will crush you over time.

Creating a clear attitude and using your persistence muscle – is when you are being it, living it and knowing when you have that something bigger in you, that is screaming to break out.

To understand where you want to be, you have to cultivate the vision and see how to get there. The fact is that most of us have yearnings that we ignore because we have been trained in believing that there is only a few ways to do things. The truth is there are infinite possibilities to the life that we live and we are responsible for making sure that we create the grounding so that we can have the life we want.

Whatever you want, start now with creating an idea of who you really want to be, ask the other questions too. Who am I right now? Where do I want to be in five years time.? Yes, that old chestnut, where do want to be in five years time. I suggest it because it works. Of course you are going to have to be honest when you write this.

Disclaimer: Before you start this, beware you may not like what you write. Do this activity once you are ready to be truthful about where your life is at and is going. Not before, because it will show you the truth.

(Also a quick note: I know I normally give you the tools in blog quickies, but if you’re reading this, hit the ground running and start today.)

Exercise

To be done in a quiet space, when alone and not operating any machinery.

You will need

Comfy place to sit.

Notebook & pen (or device you can write your notes on.)

Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Allow your body to relax. Just give yourself a couple of minutes to concentrate on the way that your body feels and let it fall into relaxation.

Where you want to be in five years

Upon opening your eyes begin writing immediately, no censoring, no thinking, just start writing, as fast as you can. You are not thinking about punctuation, you are not thinking about it making sense you are just writing. Write until you are unable to write anymore. Even if you don’t know what to write, write that, write I don’t know, write questions. Keep going until you feel that you have answered the question and then stop. Close the notepad, close the word doc, whatever you wrote on.

Do not look at it till tomorrow, somewhere in the writing there will be a clue about what you want to do. This is your ‘something’ that you are going to flex your persistence muscle for.

If you found you wrote nothing of value, then you are probably blocking yourself.

When you persist at something, you will achieve it. Many of us fall into the trap of being decidedly broken when it comes to moving forward with our wants dreams and our goals. Persistence can be the bad guy because we think that if something is not happening yesterday, then it is not for us.

Just remember it really does not matter what you become, just be you. Find your ‘you’. This means no hiding under another person’s light, your wifes, hubby’s, your kid’s, your mothers. Stop that now, you deserve to have a life that belongs to you. Oftentimes it is easy to get pulled along by the tide of what others want for you.

Okay we’re right back to where we were at the beginning of the article you are the sum of your thoughts. Make them good thoughts so that you can have the life that you desire. Training can help with this because it can uncover who you are.

‘Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase’

Martin Luther King Jr

When you link persistence with taking consistent steps you will find that not only does your life become all shiny and new, it will also be something that you love. Life is for living and as I often say live it, love it, share it.