Success From The Inside Out

“Simplicity, Simplicity, and simplicity is the key to Success” – Dr. S.K. Ramesh.

Thousands of years ago, and even to date the principles of success are the same. Everyone has their unique formula for creating and developing his or her success. To really comprehend success one has to experience the pain of failure. It is these painful failures that assist us in expanding our comfort zone.

Request yourself to look back into your past. When looking into it I would like you to thank for all that has happened, even if you consider the experiences to be painful or joyful. Now some of you may be thinking why to be thankful for a painful experience. Well in simple terms that is learning. Yes, it could have been emotionally painful or even expensive learning.

Despite the numerous uncertainties in your life you honestly and constantly are in learning mode. Rather than viewing them as obstacles, our thoughts and feelings need to learn to see them as situations, which assist in our growth and development.

That is it as a good idea to evaluate what has happened so that you can plan, strategise and act better. The best way to do this is by reviewing what worked and what could be done better. Many a time we avoid evaluating our performance as there is a fear of admitting our errors to ourselves or we compare ourselves to the success of others. That is why I love the quote “Comparison is the death of joy” by Mark Twain.

The purpose of our existence is not about competing with each other, but to collaborate to create, innovate and evolve us for the better. Thus this running away from mistakes or comparing becomes a self-sabotaging madness that moves us away from our true success.

One of the things that I talk about during my workshops and write about it my blog is the “ABC” and “AUC” Principle of Success. This means to evaluate your life in terms of what enhances your life and what inhibits it. In other words, think about “Areas Beyond (your) Control” and “Areas Under (your) Control”. You will be surprised what you can learn from such a simple exercise.

This leads to the simple but profound concept of having a purpose-driven life. Are you truly aware of your purpose in life? What allows you to wake up in the morning and makes you feel alive? What is important to you that you would love to do in your life? Look at yourself from the inside out.

All these are important questions yet are ignored by us; we are too engrossed in the rat race. In a world of instant self-gratification, it has become more and more important to return back to our heart rather than count success in terms of the latest gadgets we possess, likes on social media or materialist wealth. In the words of Richard M. DeVos “Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none.”

So, when you sit down to evaluate yourself, think in terms of relationships, career, family, contribution to society, finance, hobbies, health, friends, celebrations and much more. Avoid measuring only in terms of financial gains or loss, a trap we all fall into with great ease. In other words look into your whole life grid.

A while back I got a message saying:

“Our life often revolves around health, money, relationships, and reputation. Instead, if life revolves around commitment, wisdom, service, and celebrations, then we automatically receive health, money, reputation, and relationships improve.”

So, where do you need to focus on? Even though all of us will depart one day it is crucial in the time we live to maintain a continuous stream of awareness, attention and focus throughout all aspects of our life. Success or failure, always remember to focus on compassion, love, and joy.

Bruce Lee had a great philosophy both in terms of martial arts and managing life. Its emphasis was on practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency. From now until the end of your human existence learn from your past, present and do your best to succeed in whatever you wish to.

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy