The Secret to Success (187 days to go)
While one can argue that there are many secrets to a successful life, some of these “secrets” are plainly there for all to see. You may have already stumbled upon them, without realising the sheer power they can offer you.
This particular “secret” that I will disclose with you now, has helped me through so many periods of my life, where it looked as though there was no silver lining. Sometimes when things don’t go your way, despair can take over your soul and suddenly you lose perspective. It is this perspective that helps us frame our world in a more meaningful way. Perspective allows us to escape the daily grind of our supposedly mundane lives and helps to define our purpose and ultimately, our journey.
So what is this secret that will propel you to success? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you gratitude…
How can something so simple have such a profound effect on your success?
Well, I believe there are two reasons:
- When you are grateful for the things you have, the life you lead, you are saying “thanks” to the creator / higher power / universe or whatever you believe in. You are saying “I love what I’ve got so far and I appreciate it, so give me some more!”
- Being grateful can instantly change your mood, and make life seem that much better, no matter what’s just happened.
As I mentioned, gratitude gives us perspective in our lives. Even when you are stressed and having a “bad day”, by taking 1 minute to think about the things that you are truly grateful for, you can shift your energy to more empowering thoughts and instantly make yourself feel better.
In fact, why not do it right now? I’m sure there’s never been a better time! What have you got to lose? And I personally guarantee that you will feel MUCH BETTER after completing this short exercise. For the next 60 seconds, just think about the things you are grateful for in your life.
I’ve learnt just how important being grateful is. I have become more aware of being grateful and use this strategy on a regular basis to keep myself empowered and positive. At times, when I feel myself slipping (yes this happens to me too!), I think about what I am grateful for, and I instantly get back on track. Now I’m doing this right now - so I hope you are too!
What am I grateful for?
- My family (my beautiful wife & two children, my parents, brother, grandparents etc etc)
- Being in a position to write this blog, and interact with an audience on an international level - the power of the internet!
- Being surrounded by like-minded people that support me, no matter what crazy goals I come up with!
- Everything that has happened in my life so far - it has made me who I am today.
- Owning our beautiful home with our garden & amazing views
- Being able to afford to give 10% of my earnings to Charity
- The ability to run & learn how to run far! Please support my marathon here!
- Being able to spend time with my wife & children
- That I feel so passionate about my purpose in life
- That my wife and I love each other more and more as every day passes
It’s funny where you can actually areas of your life to be grateful for. Again - going back to perception. Say you are angry because you have a huge tax bill to pay? How can you be grateful about that? Well, if you have such a big tax bill, then you can be grateful that you earned money to enable you to get a tax bill!
It may seem strange, but how many people out there would kill to have a job and earn money? Here you are complaining about a tax bill, when there are people in our world that would trade anything to receive a paycheck and would happily pay any amount of tax as at least they earned some money!
Gratitude has certainly helped shaped my life and the way I do things. It has given me perspective on how I lead my life and the decisions I make. It is constant reminder of the wonderful life I live and that there is so much for us all to achieve. So please, take what you can from this post - and next time you’re feeling down - just think about all the things you are grateful for! 
Tags: balance, being grateful, family, millionaire, money, perception, secret, success, tax
April 6th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Hi
I seen your idea in the newspaper today and decided to have a look at your website.
I tell you what today I was having such a bad day, me and my partner are struggling for money and this afternoon I have a WINZ appointment as they have decided we are earning to much for them to now help with childcare for our three year old daughter. I have one on the way as well and a lot of bills piling up, a childcare bill at the moment is just scary. I am also soon going on maternity leave and my partner has had to cut his hours down drastically just to throw a spanner in the works!
Reading you website and what you have posted has been very refreshing for me. I always knew that the path to success was not worrying about the above problems and concentrating on the good things but sometimes it is really hard! Today you made me see that again I do need to be grateful and thankful for what we do have. I too have a dream board but it is locked away in a cupboard and I never seem to have time to get it out and look at it. As of tonight when I get home this will change.
I just want to thank you for giving me hope again and turning my day around to see the positive instead of the negative. Although having to go and see WINZ is extremely excruciating I will take your advice with open arms and think positive, think of all that I am grateful for and not worry about the future instead I can now KNOW that things will work out.