The Five Keys to Success and Happiness

Here are five key ingredients to bring you success and happiness.

To Discover Living is an ongoing process that evolves as you age, gain new experiences, and develop new attitudes. Why is it that people who have identical possessions, positions, and income don’t have equal happiness? It is because each of us must individually pursue this intangible object and illusion called happiness. You cannot put a label on it. You cannot buy it. You cannot give it to another. You cannot own it. But you can have it. It is attainable. If you want to find the answers, it is time for you to stop looking. Sounds confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. This is because the terms, “happiness,” “balance,” “peace of mind,” “successful,” and others are already inside you waiting to be born or reborn. Now, let’s look at The Five Keys To Success And Happiness to get you on track to a more meaningful way of living.

Key Number One

When I just related that happiness, balance, peace of mind, and success are ways of life you already possess (but most likely are misdirected), I was giving you the first key. The key is that the real you is the you within. Tap into this person and you are on your way to success and happiness. The real you may be hard to get at in the beginning.  The daily pressures of putting on a front, wanting to look like another, living in fear, hatred, envy, and a few others may also be blocking you. All these facades and inhibitions are not the real you. A baby doesn’t have these burdens. As we grow older we begin to take on this excess baggage. As we mature we often will make changes to be accepted and to excel.

Teenagers are under tremendous pressure to conform to the “in thing.” How they look, talk, and act are images brought on through television and wanting to be accepted in their group. It also is interesting to note that each generation has its own “in things.” They really are not “in things,” but rather external fantasies to create security and happiness. Real happiness lies within.

Adults face the same kind of pressure on the job where performance is based on following company policies and philosophy.  Are you able to reach your potential in your current situation?  Are you at ease with your current situation?  Is masking the real you affecting your performance, attitude, and personal well-being?  What are you doing to make the necessary adjustments in your life so the pieces fit to your best interest?  A person can be miserable as head of a company or at a low position in a company.  That person may also be content as head of a company or at a low position within a company. You need to realize that the key to your happiness is an awareness of who you are and being content with what you find. Race, religion, age, sex, and economic status, are all external manifestations of the real you. When you realize that you have the power and the ability to create all that you need is when you will begin to utilize the power within.

The power of the mind rests within your subconscious. You have the ability to contact your subconscious to affect change in your conscious activities. All change has to begin and end with you. Nobody else can do this for you but you. Doubt, fear, hatred, envy, lust, and limitation can be unlearned at the subconscious level.

The great writers assert the need to be quiet and assert positive affirmations to make change. This daily ritual can work. You will begin to notice little changes in your attitude and outlook on life as you continue this daily exercise throughout each day. Gradually these thought processes can manifest into actions that move you in new directions. You will eventually release all that has been holding you back in your subconscious and let go to allow your subconscious to lead the way for your conscious mind to make the choices you desire for a fulfilling life.

Key Number Two

James Allen wrote:

“As you think you travel, and as you love you attract. You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. You cannot escape the results of your thoughts, but you can endure and learn, you can accept and be glad. You will realize the vision (not the idle wish) of your heart, be it base or beautiful, or both, for you will always gravitate towards that which you secretly most love. In your hands will be placed the exact result of your thoughts; you will receive that which you earn, no more, no less. Whatever your environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts, your wisdom, and your ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire, and as great as your dominant aspiration.”

You are going to get back what you put out. Choose your words and actions carefully. They are a reflection of what is going on in your subconscious. Become aware of the words leaving your mouth. Do they add or subtract from your peace of mind?

Just because someone else is miserable, angry or unhappy, doesn’t mean you have to mirror this person and worsen the situation. When your thoughts are in line with what you seek in life, you will begin to see positive changes. As your thought patterns change to something more fulfilling, you will begin to attract people and situations that will create a new life for you. Now is the time to begin repeating positive affirmations in a quiet place at a quiet time, and begin a positive mental process.

Key Number Three

Acceptance, forgiveness, and self-love are the ingredients for the third key. Face it, you cannot change the world so don’t react to all you experience. It is all an illusion (what you perceive it to be) anyway that you create in your mind. The only thing you really control is yourself. As you gain mastery of self-control you will become an example for others.

Accept on the spot. Don’t react. You will save energy by maintaining your composure. You can disagree without an emotional outburst. Maintaining your composure will result in positive results. Events take place because they take place. The successful athlete forgets his failure in an instant and moves on to the next situation. Learn from the mistake and move on. Life is a learning process, so grow with your experiences both good and bad.

You must learn to forgive and let go. Otherwise, you will continue the same shortcomings of life. By releasing the negativity through forgiveness, you open yourself to something better. What will happen is that you will begin attracting more fulfilling experiences. Like attracts like. A higher quality of life can open to you as you grow from your experiences. Look for the good in everything and everyone. I try to say to myself that God never gives us something we can’t handle. Sometimes I will say to myself, “God, I don’t know why you are doing this to me, but I am going to learn from it and rise above it.” Release the negativity…forgive.

You must include “love” as a key to Discover Living. However, the love you need to focus on is self love, not physical love. When you exhibit self love, you will radiate self-esteem, confidence, respect, and peace of mind. Look at yourself, accept yourself for who you are, and want something better.

See yourself as someone who lives by doing what is right; who is giving his/her best; who wants more from life; who can laugh at himself/herself; and who is willing to change to something better. Realize that alcohol, tobacco, drugs, food, and even coffee are used as crutches to mask the real you. Get rid of the crutches or at least moderate their use until they can be brought under control, and the real you will surface.

Your goal is to see yourself for what you are, and to learn to love and accept what you see and feel. This focus on self love will force you to accept others as they are. Center on you, and put yourself on a pedestal. You are God’s miracle. You are unique and be proud of it. We have a world filled with beautiful people…all different. Radiate your unique spirit, accept your shortcomings, and begin to come alive by making positive changes.

Key Number Four

You need to live in harmony, responsible for your life and all that it involves. What you give to the world is what you will receive in return. You will get into trouble when you dominate or are dominated by another. Both of these attributes are caused by insecurity and result in false bonding based on fear. This forced behavior leads to lack.  This is also true between races, religion, and governments.

By being responsible for yourself, you will be able to live a full and balanced life. By accepting what you have, wanting more, and doing what is for the good in you and others will create balance in your life. Multiply this trait among others and you have a life that can be unbelievably good, not an illusion…but reality!

Key Number Five

I related that you must live in reality. Reality centers around action and change. Therefore, for you to Discover Living you must incorporate the first four keys into a plan of action. Put simply, now is the time to make it all happen for you; not tomorrow, but now! All that has been written are but words. You will not change overnight, but you can make the adjustment in your daily routine to begin the process of change.

The more you are able to focus on your real self, the greater your awareness will become, and the easier it will be for you to make positive adjustments. Opportunities await you. Awaken your inner spirit and go after them. Put everything you have into this and go the extra mile this time to see positive results. Write on paper the changes you want to make in your life. Set immediate goals that can be reached in the short term. As they are met, set new ones.

It would be fantastic if you could snap your fingers and your life would become perfect, but life doesn’t usually work that way.  Most likely it has taken a long period of time to get in the situation that you now find yourself.  Therefore,  the fact that there are going to be challenges and the feeling that it is too hard or that it is not possible for you to gain what you desire is going to creep into your thoughts.  Remember that if the good life was handed to you, you’d probably take it for granted.  You can earn it by beginning now.  If you do not experience failure, rejection, mistakes, oppression, and maybe some depression, it is a sign that maybe you are not working at it hard enough.

The hardest part of making a change is the beginning.  You are stepping out of a comfort zone that may be inadequate, but one where you have become accustomed.  Think of yourself as a baby learning to walk.  The first few steps resulted in falling back into the sitting position.  Get up and try again, and again, and again.  Finally, you are going to experience a positive change.  It may be small, but it is positive.  Build on them until they become a pattern.  Eventually, when you put them all together, you suddenly become a new person, and the effort to get there becomes easier. Professional athletes, musicians, and artists experience this for everyone to see, but it can also be seen in those regaining health or losing weight, getting out of debt, beginning a business venture, starting a family, moving to a new country, etc. What is really interesting is that this period of “doing” or action can consume a lifetime.  Don’t be satisfied with what you have or what you have done.  Seek ways to make your life better, and you ultimately will do this by making it better for others.