Yesterday morning Gatehouse Legal Recruitment and Alifery Freelance Experts had our event on What is Success? with our guest speaker Mariya Radysh. Below is a summary of the key points of yesterday’s discussion.
What is Success?
Look up the word success in a dictionary and it is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Put as simply as that it sounds easy to achieve, and yet many of us pour blood, sweat and tears into reaching our goals, but still struggle to make it.
Is it because we don’t fully understand the concept of success? We chase it, but do we really know what it looks like? What it feels like? Let’s try and break it down and get to the HEART of success: Happiness, Environment, Action, Ride, Truth
H is for Happiness
Some people believe you can only enjoy happiness once you have achieved success. Those who think that have got the concept completely back to front. In fact, it’s happiness that’s breeds success.
Happiness has a lot to do with your perception, how you view a person, place or situation. If you look for the negatives you will always find them. Try looking at things from a different angle, it’s time to engage in a spot of positive thinking.
So how do you find your happy place? For a start you have to believe in yourself. View yourself as a masterpiece in the making, you’re worth the time and effort you need to put in. Dedicate time to finding happiness in the small things you do, there’s joy to be found at every turn.
We often overlook the small mercies that make us smile, too busy seeking the next big thing — the big house, the shiny new car, the exotic holiday, the fancy job with the corner office. If you’re not careful you can slip into a vicious cycle, always wanting something else, until you get it, and then you’re off to chase the next big thing.
Appreciate your happiness:
Write down three things that have made you happy today. It could be a small event or gesture, such as a colourful butterfly landing on your sleeve or a pleasant smile from a stranger.
E is or Environment
You can’t control every element of your environment, but you can have a huge impact on it. Our environment can affect our mindset and mood, so take care and think about what you’re exposing yourself to. From the food we eat, to the books we read, and the people we see — all of these elements have a bearing on our lives.
Have you heard about the “five chimps’ theory”?
Naval Ravikant, Silicon Valley tycoon, shared “the five chimps’ theory” in his book Tools of Titans. He suggests you can predict the behaviour pattern and mood of any chimp by discovering which five chimps they socialise with the most. So be careful who you associate with on a daily basis — they will have a massive impact on your life.
A is for Action
Woe betide you should have any free time on your hands! Being busy is bang on trend, what with family, social commitments, work, hobbies, maintaining the home, walking Fido, there’s little time left for ANY downtime.
But are we packing on too much? Are we using our time in the best way possible? Maybe it’s time to work smarter rather than harder? It’s a sobering fact that 80% of our results come from 20% of our efforts. Pulling regular all-nighters to squeeze in yet more work isn’t conducive to getting more work done — you’re more likely to get overly tired and make mistakes.
Take the right action:
Don’t be a busy fool, and stop stressing about being busy. Aim for productive over hectic. Get things done effectively and efficiently.
R is for Ride
Here’s to enjoying the journey, not just racing to the destination. My Uncle always used to tell me “Louise stop rushing with everything, you need to enjoy the journey and not the destination.” If you rush on you could miss out on some pretty impressive things along the way, such as those small milestones and successes. They might be small steps — but reaching your mini-goals will spur you on, so don’t forget to celebrate your achievements.
Treat Life Like a Winding Road:
Remember you can’t always see what’s round the next corner. Life is fast-paced, not stagnant — so move with it and do your best to enjoy every moment.
T is for Truth
Success comes in many shapes and forms. For you it could be about effectively raising a family, or having a garage full of shiny new motors. It could be about reaching the top of your profession or taking four fancy holidays every year.
Whatever it is, it needs to be your truth — it’s about what you want from life, not what Joe Bloggs next door thinks you should be aiming for!
Social media has a lot to answer for, it allows us to catch a cheeky glimpse into the lives of others, but we forget we are only seeing what they want us to see. We find out about the great job offer, we see Instagram posts showing perfectly painted tootsies resting on the golden sands, and we think “Why am I not doing all of these wonderful things?” If in doubt get off social media, spend your time making your own life fabulous rather than envy the lives of others.
Define Your Own Success:
Success is about having the freedom to do what you want, when you want, with you who want.
Good Luck on your journey, and don’t forget to take HEART — seek out success, don’t wait for it to come your way.
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