Want to Know the Secret to Success? I’ll Tell You.
Stop looking for other people to tell you how to be successful. Stop listening to podcasts from influencers tell you to be just like them. Stop comparing yourself to glossy accounts and personas. Stop everything you are doing right now and listen.
Listen to yourself.
Listen to your inner voice.
What does it say?
What does it want?
What does it need?
Today we are starting at the beginning – at your core.
How do you define success?
For me success is about living in my passion and working with amazing clients, having financial freedom, feeling flexibility in my schedule that allows me to rest when needed and having the space to play while inspiring others.
Before you rapid-fire an answer, let’s do a visualization exercise.
Imagine you’re 5-10 years down the line and everything that you dreamed would happen has shown up in your life. Take a deep breath and take it all in. Scan around the space you are in and observe what’s around you.
What do you see?
What do you smell?
What do you feel?
Who is around you?
Where are you?
Now I want you to fill in the following statement.
I know I am successful because ______________________.
Write down the first thing that comes into your head. Don’t question it. Don’t second-guess it. Don’t qualify it. Own your first reaction.
Typically our first instinct is our truest heart-felt response.
Once you are aware of what your success target is, you can set your intention. Your intention, by definition, is your aim or plan.
Notice how I didn’t mention anything about goals. Why? Because goals are either met or missed, achieved or failed. There’s nothing in between. What happens if I achieve 99% of a goal, well if it’s not 100% the goals I not met and I’m a big stinky loser.
Intentions on the other hand act as a target and dictate our direction.
Let’s say my goal is to make a million dollars. My intention is to feel financially abundant and secure. The intention focuses on the why behind your goal. Want another fun tidbit?
Guess which option you have more control over in the goal v. intention battle?
If you said intention, you’re flipping brilliant!
You see how we’re building on concepts here. Once we know what success is to us, we can then identify the intention aka the why behind it and we can start right now in adjusting our thoughts, beliefs and actions to get on board with it.
I like to start with a daily intention or sankalpa (an intention formed by the heart and mind) in my daily Yoga Nidra practice. Some of my clients have monthly intentions that they remind themselves of on a daily basis. It can be as simple as a calendar reminder, 5-minute meditation or a Post-It note. Do what works for you!