Success attitudes
Dear friends,
Everyone wants to be a success. Regardless of what your goal is, there are certain attitudes that dramatically increase your chances of hitting whatever target you choose.
I of course would argue that true success is an inner state. You can find people at the pinnacle of any human endeavor who, in the end, are not especially happy with what they have accomplished or the heights they have risen to. Except one: no saint has ever merged with Spirit and in the end said, “Well, I can see now that I should have been a banker!” That’s because merging with Spirit is the ultimate fulfillment.
But that said, we have lots and lots of other lesser goals during our lives, and they count. Fortunately, there are attitudes that can help us achieve them.
One is being in the present. Way too often (dare I say almost all the time?) we are engaged with something with about 70% of our consciousness. I remember reading a short article by a woman whose son was facing a serious medical situation in a hospital, and she was trying to pray for him. Even then, she wrote, her mind would wander. She was infuriated and a little disturbed once she noticed.
I think one of the reasons people like sports is that when you are about to hit that volleyball, or kick that soccer ball, your mind is right there. That’s what “being in the zone” is: at the ultimate extreme of focus.
Another essential attitude for success is conquering our likes and dislikes. There’s something to do and we simply prefer not to do it. So we put it off till later. There it sits mocking us, and leaving us feeling a little guilty. One small item like that is no big deal, but as they add up they are quite deflating.
Too, often it takes more time or more money than if we had done it at the right moment. We can, over time, learn to really like to do whatever is next and whatever is in front of us. It is an acquired taste but of enormous value. My teacher used to use the phrase, “Do it now!” Putting it off is often giving in to our personal preferences, and arguing with reality. Hint: reality usually wins. :-)
May we each remember that success is best thought of as a process, not a destination. Developing the right attitudes almost inevitably leads to success in whatever we choose to focus on.
Blessings,
David G, manager
For the gang at East West