What is it that makes some people more successful than others?
More importantly, what is it that makes some people happier than others?
Of course, you can always point to luck and you can always point to outside factors. Sure, there is often an element of knowing the right people. Of being in the right place at the right time. Of being born with a silver spoon in your mouth…
But if you constantly focus on the factors that are outside your control then you will never obtain the fullest of your potential. Not only that, but there are plenty of examples of people who have beaten the odds. People who were born into poverty, who perhaps didn’t have the opportunities that others did. Of course, there are plenty of examples of people who dropped out of school or college and all these people nevertheless managed to become immensely successful.
Likewise, you can have two people in the precise same situation but they might be completely different in terms of how happy they are and how they perceive their ‘lot’ in life.
The difference? The successful and happy people have the right mindset. They have the ability to look at a situation and see the glass as half full. They can spot their opportunities and they can take those and make the most of them.
Having the right mindset allows you to see the best in a situation and thus be much happier no matter what kind of situation you find yourself in. At the same time, having the right mindset allows you to spot opportunities that others might miss and to play the hand you’re dealt.
In short, everything starts with the right mindset. The right mindset can help you to accomplish more, to do more and to be more effective.
So now the only remaining question is how you get into that correct mindset in the first place. In this report, you’re going to learn five crucial steps.
Step 1 – Responsibility
The first and most important step is simply to learn to take responsibility for your actions, your mental state and more importantly, your circumstances. Learn that the situation you are in is because of you and that you have the power to change it.
The problem is that many people assume that their situation is largely dictated by outside factors. They will blame their circumstances on luck or even on other people.
You don’t have the job you want because you didn’t have the luxury to look around when you first left school. You can’t go travelling because you have a family. You aren’t rich because you were born in the wrong generation, in the wrong part of town.
There may be some truth to these things. Sure. But it is also up to you to dig yourself out of that situation and that’s something that we’ve already seen is possible. You think that Richard Branson made these kinds of excuses? Or Steve Jobs?
If you don’t take responsibility for your actions, then you can’t be expected to achieve all the things you want to achieve because you’ll just find an external reason to blame.
You need to believe that you have an impact on your life and you need to have an internal locus of control.
Only by accepting this can you then recognize the power you have to make a change. Yes, with great power comes great responsibility. But you know what else? With great responsibility, comes great power!
Step 2 – Direction
Once you’ve taken responsibility, your next task is to decide the direction you want to go in and more to the point, the goal or vision that you are working toward.
A lot of people are a little directionless in this sense.
How can you spot he opportunities that arise if you don’t know what it is that you want to achieve?
The key thing here though is to recognize that the goals or visions you set for yourself don’t have to be the cliched goals that everyone is going after. You don’t need to want to be a top executive. It is not a requirement that you try to get rich.
If you feel that you would be happier living in a cabin in the woods, then go ahead and let that be your goal!
What you want to try and employ here is a strategy that is known as ‘lifestyle’ design. So, lifestyle design effectively means that you are looking at the things that you want to get from your life and you are looking at the different factors that might be getting in the way or that might provide opportunities.
The problem that a lot of people have is that they go after the wrong goals. Many of us don’t feel all that attached to our jobs and yet we work for eight hours a day, spend a lot of time commuting… even stay in the office late on regular occasions. Then when the opportunity to take on a promotion and work longer comes along… we take it!
Instead, look at the things that really have value to you in your life. That might mean the love of being creative whether you are a writer, a videographer or an artist. Or it might mean spending time with family.
Now look at what kind of job you can do that will help you to get more of the things you love in life. Your sense of progression and accomplishment doesn’t need to come from your job. There’s no reason you can do a stress-free job to pass the time and then feel passionately about the art projects you take on in your spare time.
You might find that simply removing your commute makes you wealthier and happier at the same time. That it gives you more time to be yourself.
Finally, come up with a vision for what you want life to be like in the future. This should be a highly motivating vision, something that is emotionally charged and that you are highly excited for. It might be to become an online entrepreneur, or it might be to buy a beautiful home somewhere scenic and secluded.
Step 3 – Opportunity
Once you know your goal and your vision, the next step is to look for opportunities to climb higher towards it.
The thing is that when you learn to look, opportunities really do open themselves up all the time. This is one example of just what a key difference having the right mindset can make.
The way to open yourself up to these opportunities is to recognize that sometimes the opportunity won’t come in the precise form that you expect it to.
In other words, let’s say you want to be become an author.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the opportunities are going to take the obvious form of being writing opportunities. Just as likely, you may find that they present themselves differently.
The perfect example of this comes from Sylvester Stallone, who wanted to be an actor. Unfortunately, no one would take him seriously and they all saw him as unfitting for lead roles.
So instead he wrote an amazing script. The script was of course what we know today as Rocky and in an acting audition, he mentioned that he also dabbled in writing and was invited to bring in his script. The script was such a hit that they started offering him huge amounts of money to buy it off him. He refused however. The only terms he would accept were if he was cast as the titular character. The rest is history.
So, what Stallone did here was to find a different avenue to reach the goal he wanted. He seized opportunities, he played up his best skills and he took advantage of his connections.
Let’s say you want to be a famous rock star. The conventional route is a difficult one to say the least. So why not instead try creating a YouTube channel to show off your skills and see what comes from that?
Step 4 – Will
In martial arts, there is the popular notion of ‘chi’ (also qi or ki). This is often described as being a kind of life energy and often it is treated as quite esoteric – even being mystical. This is the same ‘energy’ that we see characters in Street Fighter and Dragon Ball Z firing from their hands.
So of course, many people view chi with scepticism.
Others will describe it as being simply a way to visualize kinetic energy.
But the reality is something different altogether. While you’re free to form your own interpretations, the one that I prefer is to look at chi as being will power. Chi is the ability to call upon your strength in every day tasks. It is your energy and your vitality.
And in fact, the roots of the word are strongly connected to health. If you ask someone how their chi is, this can be interpreted as asking if they feel strong and energetic.
In martial arts, a good demonstration of using chi is the ‘spirit shout’ or ‘kiai’. Here, you yell at the top of your lungs while delivering a blow in order to stun the opponent and to deliver more strength in your blows.
What’s really happening here is that the shout is releasing a surge or adrenaline. This is allowing you to call upon reserves of strength and increasing your metabolism.
Studies show us that simply shouting in the gym can actually increase strength by as much as 30%!
So, in other words, chi here is strengthening the connection between body and mind. It is putting your very will behind the blows you are delivering.
Another example of chi can be seen by focusing on the ‘dan tien’. In martial arts, this is the center of gravity (just below the navel) and is supposed to be the ‘source’ of chi.
What’s interesting is that focussing on this area actually grounds you and if someone tries to push you over while you focus there, they find it harder.
So, whatever you call it, chi, health, will… it’s all about the unity between your mind and body. It’s when your body supports your mind and vice versa. It is when you are excited and passionate, it’s when you believe what you’re doing and it’s when you wake up with tons of energy because you’re inspired and well rested.
Develop your will and you can develop your goal.
Step 5 – Appreciation
Finally, make sure that despite looking for opportunities, despite focussing on that goal that is just out of reach, you still make sure to appreciate what you already have. To live in the moment and to take stock of everything. If you always chase after the things you want, you’ll never stop to appreciate the things you have, you’ll always be driven by stress, by anxiety and you’ll never be satisfied.
Right now, you probably already have a huge amount to be thankful for. You probably have lots of friends, a family that loves you, a roof over your head, plenty of great food in the cupboard and things to look forward to in the future.
Enjoy living in the moment and learn to even thrive on the little things… and even on the things that might be considered ‘bad’. Learn to relish a challenge and to see disappointment as a chance for growth and personal development. If you can do this, then you’ll become mentally stronger and not only will you be happier right now but you’ll also have less to fear, have less to hold you back.
Meditation can help with this, as can cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness. But for much, much more, be sure to dive into the 12 guides and to learn to truly develop your mindset to the point where you can tap into the full reserves of your mind power and accomplish practically anything you set your mind to!
