the strangest secret to success

I stumbled upon a podcast by Earl Nightingale a while ago and I think it's safe to say my life has changed, for the better. My eyes have been opened to something I should've seen or realized a long time ago, something so simple and straightforward it surprises me how I continue to be baffled. Nightingale spoke about the secret to success, and how only 5% of our population manages to live a content life while succeeding in all he does. Why is it that such a low number turns his dreams into reality?

First we need to define what success is, since it's a rather vague topic and very subjective. Success, according to Earl, is the realizing of a worthy ideal, of reaching the goal you have worked toward for a long period of time. This can be having a happy family, being the CEO of a certain company, etc. To me this is traveling the world and making enough money off my creative projects to afford food and transport. Write down on a piece of paper what your goal is, do this now.

Secondly, we have to realize that every one of us is the sum total of his thoughts. We become what we think about. Our thoughts are the seeds we plant for the future, and the human mind doesn't care what you plant, though it will return what you planted. It is up to us to either plant success or failure, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety, but what we plant it must return to us. It's self-explanatory, but easy to forget when we get lost in the daily routine of life.

So, to realize our goals we have to act as though it is impossible to fail. Our limitations, like the seeds, are self-imposed and they are the only thing holding us back from realizing our dreams. Again, we become what we think about. So, if we think of ourselves as already being successful, which we already are from the moment we take a single step in the right direction, we are working towards our goals. Little steps, daily progress and hope is how we will get what we want most in life. "The architect of our universe did not build a stairway leading nowhere."

I hope this has somehow left an impression on you and made you realize that no dream is too big and no stairway too high. Just consistently keep working towards your goal, write these sentences down on the scrap piece of paper and read them to yourself each morning: ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened onto you. Happy dreaming, gals.