This is how I came to compile and apply these 8 principles for success.
Approximately 25 years ago I found myself caught up in a set of
circumstances over which I had no control, an economic recession which
cost me my business, took all my money and plunged me deeply into debt.
These
experiences caused me to question many of my beliefs and to seek deeper
meaning from them or at least some clues and pointers that could help
me to disentangle myself from my predicament.
I was particularly
focused on the causal chain of events and the links between what
happened and what had to happen to get me back on track.
I also
had been involved in personal development for many years and had
benefited from many of the insights and practices that I had learned.
From all of this material I created a template on 1 sheet of A4 that
captured all of the key practices based on 8 principles for success.
I put all of the key principles into effect and over the following years enjoyed considerable success.
My focus was on business success, but I believe these principles apply to any definition of success.
In
these recent tough times in the aftermath of covid and all the economic
fall-out from the Russia-Ukraine war, I have been reviewing my archives and I found this document.
I
have reproduced the document below and also as a PDF attachment. Please
note a lot of this was cut and paste from multiple sources and I have
often used the language and terminology of the original authors. I have
used online plagiarism checking tools to ensure that I haven’t breached
copyright but if I accidentally have, please let me know?
1. VISION
Form a clear mental picture of the thing(s) you want to have, to do,
or to become; and hold this mental image in your thoughts.
Your Point Of Focus
First have a day dream – then ask yourself:
"What would it be like if it were true?"
Then catch the feeling and believe that it is true – every day - until it is!
The Three Minute Power Pause
2. DESIRE
Really want it!
Maintain a persistent focus on your vision:
“Hold
this picture in your mind with the certain belief that you do get what
you want. Close your mind to all negative thoughts and people. You must
completely trust the process.”
Identify Your Core Desire - The Source of All Success
3. EXPECTATION
Positively expect to achieve your goal and maintain a total belief – knowing that you’re going to get there.
“Desire without expectation is nothing more than wishful thinking”.
“The mind is a powerful magnet and as such attracts whatever is its ruling state – and this is dictated by expectation.
Expectation
(i.e. what we really believe as opposed to what we say we believe) can
be either a blessing or a curse – either way it is one of the most
powerful unseen forces in your life”.
The best way of
maintaining a positive expectation is to regularly give thanks and be
grateful for all the many good things you have now, and then give thanks
that all the good things that you have expressed in your vision are
coming towards you!
“Lucky” People Have Higher Expectations
4. LETTING GO
Trust the process and that the process will support you (financially,
emotionally, psychologically etc) till your goal manifests:
“Nature
knows no such thing as a failure – there never has been, and never will
be, a lack of anything – there is no limit to the supply...”
“The hardest part to creating your life the way you want it is to stop figuring how you will get what you want.”
This
is because you will limit yourself to what your ego can see and do, and
this will limit your belief and damage your expectations.
Dropping The “How?”
5. ACTION
Acting on impulses and intuitions as they arise - then allow the results to manifest at the right time.
Do every day all that can be done that day. Don’t wait or hesitate in the mistaken belief that there will be a better time.
Act now, where you are now, whoever you’re with now, and do it to the best of your ability.
6. ADD VALUE Give more than you get. i.e. give “value-plus” for money.
In all your contact with other people always seek to “add value” in your interactions with them, and especially in money transactions where you aim to give a “use value” in excess of the “cash value” you receive.
7. TIMING
There is always a gestation period and no one knows what period of
time must elapse before results manifest – but keep going because they
will come – and at the right time!
The GESTATION PERIOD - understanding it, having faith in it, accepting it and persisting through it.
8. PERSISTENCE
Hang in there!
“You
will very likely run up against a series of circumstances that will for
a time have you convinced that you are actually going backwards; but,
persistence is the key - continue to hold the picture (of your goal) and
understand that what is happening to you, is what must happen to
prepare you to receive the good things you desire”.
“Persistence always pays.”
Download: 8 Principles For Success
Next Article: The Loving Father - A Love That Will Not Let You Go
Return from "8 Principles For Success" to: Walking The Talk
LATEST ARTICLES
The Metagame Approach to Second Order Thinking - 5 Guiding Principles
How To Position Yourself For Survival & Success In A Complex Environment We treat life as though it is a complicated system, and our thinking skills and mental models are focused on understanding its…
Outcome Over Optics - Long Game Outcomes Over Short-Term Ego Gains
The Day I Learned To Focus On Outcome Over Optics I have never forgotten the day I learned to focus on outcomes over optics and figured out a very simple way of saving myself several hundred thousand…
The ETTO Principle - Why Near Enough Can Be Good Enough
How To Balance the Efficiency-Thoroughness Trade Off The ETTO Principle describes the inherent trade-off between working efficiently and working thoroughly. This trade-off is something that affects…
Master The Art Of Drawing The Bow
Focus On Process Not Outcome In so many areas of our lives, we focus on the outcome, not the process that we follow to achieve it. In the western world, we are conditioned to pay less attention to how…
And So This Is Christmas
There Is No Path To Peace - The Path Is Peace Thich Nhat Hanh, the renowned Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, and peace activist, often spoke about peace as a state of being that begins within on…
Curiosity Skilled The Cat - Optimize For Interesting
Curiosity Fuels Excellence The old adage, “Curiosity killed the cat,” warns of the dangers of venturing too far into the unknown. But what if we reimagine it not as a risk but as a gateway to developi…
Let Stillness Speak - Living Within A Complex System
To let stlllness speak is to learn it's first major lesson: you are not your thoughts. To let stillness speak is about stepping back from the constant chatter of your mind and allowing a deeper, quiet…
Understanding Complex Systems Thinking - It's Not Complicated
Understanding, and being able to work with, complexity is an important thinking skill.
We are all working with complex systems, and we do so every day. The biggest one is life itself. We automaticall…
Stay On The Bus - When To Keep On Going
The Helsinki Bus Station Theory
Have you ever started a new project, initiative or role with a big vision and a determination to make a difference? Initially you were full of enthusiasm and highly mo…
Zen Thoughts Email Series
Conversations With A Friend Zen Thoughts is an email series of 50 short messages spread over 3 months. The messages are written in the style of a conversation with a friend who is going through a toug…
How to Get What You Value by Changing What You Measure
Give Up Control & Gain Influence To Get What You Want
The metrics we choose to focus on can significantly shape our outcomes, sometimes in ways we don't intend. The challenge is to make sure that you…
How to Become A Master At Overcoming Hard Moments
"The best in the world are not the best because they win every point. It's because they lose again and again and have learned how to deal with it." This quote from Roger Federer has got a lot of cover…
Drop The Story - Deal With Your Demons and Transform Your Experience
Are you living your life from the stories you tell yourself? Learning how to drop the story and deal with that voice in your head can be a game changer. When you can do this you will have a powerful t…
Standing In The Gap Between No Longer And Not Yet
Standing In The Gap In Conditions Of Imposed Change. This is about imposed change and surviving a dire and desperate situation where you are stuck in a difficult or seemingly impossible set of circums…
Preparing The Ground - For Things You Can Not See
We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the ground. The phrase "preparing the ground" is a metaphor for making the necessary preparations to create the favourable conditions for something to…