Insights on Life, Wisdom & Self-Growth

Eight Necessary Keys for Success

Success means different things to different people, but everyone would agree that it involves reaching certain goals, no matter what those may be.

Following are eight essential keys to achieving any goal:

1. Have a clear vision. Set a specific goal and follow it. You can have a very good airplane, or a very good ship, but if the captain doesn't know where to go, then it will just drift around. Know where you're going.

2. Dare to ask. You don't have to know how to do certain things as a start. Ask, receive, believe, and you will achieve.

3. Be determined. Set your mind on achieving something and convince yourself that you can do it, no matter how many difficulties you face. Think of the big picture. Focus on the goal, not on the process. Stick to your final destination, not to the path itself.

4. Every time you fall, rise again stronger. Learn from your experience. Strive to win the battle; don't be distracted by the small fights. Don't let anything intimidate you.

5. Don't allow anyone else's opinion to limit you. Listen to others for ideas if you want, but come up with your own decisions.

6. Be passionate. Love what you're doing. In times of stress or difficulties, it is your passion that will keep you going.

7. Work hard on mastering what you want to do. Decide what you want, and make sure you keep learning as much as you can about the subject. Knowledge and practice lead to expertise.

8. Always find ways to improve. Don't just stop when you reach your goal. Create a bigger goal, or work on finding ways to become even better in your field. You get from the world what you invest in yourself.

Choices

Today, I chose to write about choices. Thank you for choosing to take a minute to read this. Good choice!

We don't always realize how many different choices we have in certain situations. Our lives are usually made up of all the choices we make. Even when we choose to do nothing, that's a choice. Some choices might be better than others, but regardless of the outcomes, we can choose to learn from our experiences then choose what to do next.

Sometimes we might find ourselves in undesirable circumstances that are bigger than all of us, and we might feel that there isn't much we can do, but we always have different choices we can make. One thing that we can certainly choose is our attitude towards things. It's up to us to choose how we think and how we react to situations.

We can choose to complain that rose bushes have thorns, or we can choose to rejoice that thorn bushes have roses. We can choose to hide from the rain and consider it "bad weather", or we can choose to sing and dance joyfully in the rain. We can choose to be grateful for the good things we have, or we can choose to keep nagging about all the problems we have. We can even choose to recycle misery by creating something productive out of it, or we can choose to keep it consuming us silently.

We can regularly choose where to look and what to see. We are the ones who choose what we focus on. Whether we decide to see the garbage on the streets, or the sun up in the sky, that is our choice! Whatever we choose, it's important to keep in mind that nothing is constant, and that we can always make new choices.

Keep Some Distance from Your Thoughts

Watch your thoughts, for they affect your feelings. Watch your feelings, for they affect your actions. Watch your actions, for they affect your destiny.

It is essential to remember that our thoughts affect the way we feel, which in turn leads us to taking certain actions. The opposite is also true; our feelings affect our thoughts, and these thoughts can lead us to behave in certain ways.

We often make decisions based on emotions, thinking that these are rational decisions, and not realizing that it is actually our feelings that are affecting us deep down. Whenever you want to take a decision, make sure you ask yourself these questions: "Why am I taking this decision? Is this really the best decision I can take? Am I letting someone or something specific affect me? What would all the possible positive and negative outcomes be if I do this? What would the results be if I don't do it? What would happen if I actually do the opposite? Do I have any other options?"

Also, always make sure that you don't take any decisions when you're angry or upset. We need to learn to be aware of where our thoughts are coming from. We all know that the best decisions are usually the rational ones, but are they really always "rational"? What is causing us to think the way we do? This is a very important point to consider. Self-awareness is key to solving and avoiding many uneasy situations.

Another point to keep in mind is how we can change the way we feel. Since our thoughts are affected by our emotions and vice versa, it is important to learn how we can control our emotions. There are lots of articles on different ways of managing emotions, but research shows that one of the fastest ways to changing how we feel is by changing our physical state. Engaging our five senses in things that make us feel good, exercising, and improving our posture all immediately make us feel different and think clearer.

Whether it's through meditation, self-reflection, questioning, journaling, speaking out, or any other way, just make sure you become aware of what you're thinking, and always remember that YOU are the one that controls your mind, and not the other way around. Not being aware of your thoughts and inner emotions might lead you to take some reckless decisions, and you don't want that, do you?! Dig deep, and know thyself well! Self-awareness is essential to wisdom.

Important Reminders

I'd like to share with you seven life lessons I've learned that are important for everyone to keep in mind along their journey.

1. No matter how experienced you are, or how educated you are, there are always things you don't know, and there are always new ways to grow. Life is an ever-lasting school, with unlimited room for personal development.

2. Talent and hard work are essential to complete any task, but they're not enough on their own. Persistence is the key. Without persistence and perseverance, one can't achieve anything or reach any goals.

3. There's no elevator to success. One has to take the stairs. Change doesn't happen overnight. The longer the wait, the sweeter the reward.

4. Anything might happen in life, to anyone, at the least expected moment, and change a person's whole path. Things don't always happen as planned, or as one assumes. One should be ready for anything at any time.

5. No one can please the whole world. The most important person you should please is yourself.

6. If you weren't satisfied with yesterday, you should do something different today. If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done.

7. Life is nothing more than what you make of it.

The Universe of Uncertainty

Most of us might feel that we are entitled to getting the best out of everything all the time. It's true that it's logical that everybody would want what's best, and that everyone really deserves it, but no matter what we do, we don't always get that. Everyone wants a perfect life with a perfect job, perfect relationships, perfect health and so on, but we all know that there's no such thing as perfect.

No matter how hard we try and how much effort we put, life often brings us situations out of our control, where we might find ourselves asking, "Why me?!" We often feel that bad things might happen to other people, but not to us. We tend to feel special, and we all really are, but there are always forces bigger than all of us.

We have to understand that there will always be things that we can't control, and we have to be ready to face the most unexpected things at the most unexpected times. This is not negative thinking; this is realistic thinking. This is the mindset we should all have in order to be able to tolerate whatever surprises life sends us. We should be mentally ready for anything.

Besides, it is how we handle unexpected storms that actually reveals our true character. We are all just like fairy dust in a universe of uncertainty. Don't think you're an exception. At the end, it's true that you are unique, but so is everyone else! Prepare yourself to embrace whatever the universe sends you.

Thrive Under Pressure

Pressure is something that we all face on a continuous basis, and it can be quite overwhelming if we don't handle it well. However, if we learn to use it to our advantage, we can thrive and become stronger people because of it. Let's look at some analogies of things that become great under pressure:

We all know that a diamond is actually a piece of coal that has undergone a lot of pressure for it to transform into a gem. A butterfly, for example, is a caterpillar that had to stay in a cocoon before breaking free and developing beautiful wings. Moreover, a great statue is a piece of rock that was carved using a lot of effort by the hand of a sculptor. Even a flower is a seed that had to be buried under the soil before blooming into a pretty, colorful plant.

Pressure shows your true nature and what you're made of. Are you like a potato that becomes too soft in boiling water? Or are you like an egg that develops a hard shell when it boils? The decision is yours. It is your attitude and how you respond to situations that determine who you are.

Don't be afraid of pressure. Face it with strength and patience, and know that it is the means to making you a better, more experienced person. Life is tough, but so are you! So keep going, and use pressure to shine like a diamond!

10 Virtues of the Modern Age

Inspired by Alain de Botton

Ever since we were children, most of us were taught how to be polite, fair and kind to others. It is now time to start talking also about the virtues needed to succeed in our modern world.

Following are 10 traits anyone needs to lead life like a champ:

1. Resilience: Keep going, even when things are looking tough. Accept that setbacks are normal, and remember that the way we react to things is more important than the circumstances themselves. Mindset is everything. Commit to your goals, one at a time, and find ways to reach them.

2. Empathy: Have the capacity to put yourself in another person's shoes, to empower them, yet without feeling sorry for them. Have the ability to understand the feelings and situations of others to see things from their perspectives, instead of your own.

3. Patience: Understand that things are not perfect, that things take time, and that small disturbances are inevitable. Train yourself to grow calmer by getting more realistic about how things actually tend to go.

4. Compromise: Although we're all hardwired to seek our own advantages, accept that sometimes you will need to compromise for the sake of someone else, just like they will need to compromise for your sake, too. Life is all about interactions, and a certain level of sacrifice will often be needed.

5. Tolerance: Realize that people are different, and be willing to accept and tolerate the opinions and behavior of others, even if you disagree with them.

6. Sense of Humor: Try to see the funny sides of situations. This is an indication of wisdom. It is a sign that you can make a laugh out of circumstances that don't necessarily go as you desire.

7. Self-awareness: Know your inner self, and avoid blaming others for your moods or troubles. Understand what's going on inside you, and what is actually happening in the world outside you. Keep in mind that it is not outside forces that make us feel something, but our own thoughts that create our feelings and actions.

8. Forgiveness: Live at peace by forgiving others and yourself, and remember that everyone has a reason for acting the way they do. If someone knew better, they would act better.

9. Positivity: Positivity doesn't mean being happy all the time; it means that one believes that things can get better. Keep in mind that possibilities are endless. There are always ways to figure things out. Every single day brings new opportunities.

10. Self-belief: You are what you think you are. What other people think of you is none of your business. Be confident, while being humble. Take calculated risks. Show the world what you've got. Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, you can achieve.