The key to success is something people covet, but how can we measure the success we may already have? Jacqueline Hurst, expert life coach and therapist has news for you on what success really means
Success is such a powerful word. We all want it, we all admire those who have it and we are all terribly scared of the opposite of it. In this day and age, failure is a dirty word. We often think in terms of black and white – for example ‘if am not successful I must be a failure’. I want you to know that isn’t true.
The ability to measure success properly can have a great impact upon your life. It can influence how you perceive yourself and what you put out into the world. It can influence how you talk, how you walk and what you do. Success can also contribute to a sense of accomplishment. The problem is that the vast majority of us measure success incorrectly.
How you treat other people is key to being successful
Today’s society will have you believe that the only way to measure your success, is to look at the things you can acquire; the money, the job, body or the girl or guy you’re with. It’s time to challenge your thinking on this because these mainstream indicators of success contribute to an imbalanced perception and are not necessarily the truth.
Success ultimately comes from within. You can’t buy it, you can’t borrow it, and you can’t pretend to own it. You can have the biggest house on the street and still have crazy thoughts that make you think you are unsuccessful. You can have the so called desired body shape our society covets but ultimately be sitting on a beach utterly miserable. You can have the girlfriend/wife/husband/child/lover but you can still think you are ‘less than’ anyone else you know.
I believe success is about a thought pattern that comes from a desire to grow, be and learn and ultimately find a peace within yourself that is priceless. How you measure your success is ultimately, up to you, but here I offer some suggestions for redefining how we measure success…
1. The positive impact you have on others
How you treat other people is key to being successful. Not only for the person you are treating well but also for you. It feels good to be kind, thoughtful, empathetic and compassionate. Putting yourself in other people’s shoes can help the impact you make in life. When you create a positive impact on others the feeling of success is inevitable.
2. The ability to be grateful for what you have
Cultivating gratitude is one of my top keys to success. Looking at the things we do have instead of the things we don’t, being grateful for the road that has taken us to our path and being grateful for the good things we have experienced automatically elevates how we feel to the positive and creates a feeling of success.
3. The ability to overcome your circumstances
Anyone who has ever achieved great success in business, love or relationships has probably overcome a certain (not so easy) circumstance to get there. A skilled sailor never became skilled overnight. Look at the circumstances you have overcome to get where you are, look at the strengths and battles you have had to get where you are. And then look back down the mountain at how far you have come. That’s a great measure of success.
4. The ability to enjoy each moment
Being able to live in the present moment, not in the past or the future is what makes success a definite. Being able to appreciate your now, not catastrophizing or creating scenarios in your head of what might happen, will lead you to realise that you are, in this moment, alive and in turn can go and do anything you want to do.
5. The ability to find contentment
Being content comes from how you think about things. If you think about things in a way that feels good you will create your own contentment which in turn creates a feeling of success. If you stay stuck on the negative you might find you feel awful. Choose the right thoughts that create the right feelings and you are well on your way to success.
6. The ability to go for what you want in life
Everyone was born being great at something and having the ability to go for what you really want in life creates success. If society tells you that being a doctor or lawyer or banker is the best thing you can be, and you want to be a mechanic, you actually have the choice to give up society’s rules and expectations and go for the thing that YOU want. Success comes when you listen to that.
Jacqueline Hurst is a trailblazing ‘mind’ expert, knowledgeable public speaker, therapist and ground breaking life coach. Her online school ‘The Life Class’ is paving the way for a new generation of people who want to live bigger, better and happier lives. Her courses have been created and designed for those of us who want to live more optimally by thinking, behaving and acting with a higher degree of emotional intelligence. Jacqueline’s private practice specialises in treating emotional worries and those struggling with body image. Her international success has been born from having helped thousands of people due to her real life, authentic understanding of triumph over adversity.
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