ADDICTED TO SUCCESS

 What inspires you?

“Success;
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate the beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what drives you? What makes you get up every morning? What makes you go through the long hours of work, business and school? Is there a point?

Sometimes we get so caught up in the daily hustle and tussle of life, that we really lose sight of why we do what we are doing. And I think its important to constantly remind yourself of what drives you; the ultimate purpose of what you are doing.. Each person has their own unique driving force, for some its their families, for others its fame, fortune, riches, the list is endless.

Last year I read a book titled “The monk who sold his Ferrari” by Robin Sharma. Brilliant book if you ask me. And I read it at an opportune time when I was starting out in my career and needed a new perspective on attainment of my goals. One of the quotes in the books was:
“The secret of happiness is simple, find out what you truly love to do and then direct all of your energy towards doing it. Once you do this, abundance flows into your life and all your desires are filled with ease and grace. Today and this very moment is a gift. Stay focused on your purpose. The universe will take care of everything else.”
I don’t know if those words resonate with you, but they really do with me.

Robin continues on to give a five step approach to reaching your objectives and you'd be amazed at how it works:
1.Form a clear mental image of the outcome.
2.Get positive pressure on yourself. A good way is by verbalizing your goals to others to hold you accountable.
3.Never set a goal without attaching a timeline to it. A goal that isn’t committed to paper is no goal at all.
An awesome tip here would be to have a “Dream Book”. Divide your dream book into separate sections for goals relating to the different areas of your life. Fill the dream book with pictures of the things you desire, and images of people who have cultivated the abilities, talents and qualities that you hope to emulate.
Review the book daily, even for a few minutes.
Here's my Dream Book:

What I have also found works, atleast for me, is having a Dream Board.I made one last year and put it up in my room. Its a board that lists the key areas of my life which I consider intergral: God and religion, Academic excellence, Professional excellence, Enterpreneurship, Marriage and children, Blogging and societal inspiration, Charity and mentorship, Investments and Having Role models.
I got cut-outs of pictures that inspire all these areas and resonate with me; as well as pictures of some of my role models- Steve Jobs and Richard Branson and various articles written by them. You wouldn’t believe the constant motivation it gives me. And the beauty of a dream Board is that it is not static; I believe that our dreams keep on morphing and growing, so I try to change my Dream Board to reflect these various changes. And its an awesome feeling when you achieve some of the dreams on it, for instance blogging for me.

Here are some pictures of my Dream Board:

4.The Magic rule of Twenty One.
For new behavior to crystallize into a habit, one has to perform the new activity for 21 days in a row. So hey, if you are really struggling to change a habit, or form a new habit then try this. Religiously perform this new habit for 21days in a row and you’ll be amazed.
5.ENJOY the process
6.Most of all, PASSION.
A burning sense of passion is the most potent fuel for your dreams

I draw a lot of inspiration from articles on the Forbes website.
So I came across this article on “What inspires the world’s top leaders” http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/07/24/what-inspires-the-worlds-top-leaders/2/ and this is what some of the top leaders had to say:

Richard Branson
What Inspires Me: Game-Changing People Everywhere
“My professional inspiration has no separation from my personal inspiration: it is people who will stop at nothing to make a positive difference to other people’s lives. I am fortunate to come across quite a few of these game-changing people, and the desire to help (and keep up with them!) is what drives me,”

Naomi Simson
What Inspires Me: Please Tell Me I Can’t
“Tell me I ‘cannot’ do, be or have something – and that is the surest way to inspire me into action,” says the RedBalloon founder. “What inspires me is simply when the ‘impossible becomes possible’ – to tackle a problem and never give up, no matter how challenging.”

David H. Stevens, the president and CEO at Mortgage Bankers Association.
What Inspires Me: A Depression-Era Dad and Pioneer Mom
“The pair – a depression-era war veteran, hard working executive, and stern father, and a pioneering and creative mother – taught me how to live my life. Here are a few of my lessons that sum this up: Save for the future; work hard; take measured risks in your career; enjoy life; help others less advantaged; survive any change; and question authority. Nothing can sum up anyone’s parents, but I first experienced inspiration from these two. Lessons from my parents live on in my life,” he concludes.

No more making excuses for why you can’t go after your dreams.
These are a few quotes from another great article on Forbes. Make your dreams a reality. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ilyapozin/2014/01/02/15-quotes-to-inspire-you-to-greatness-in-2014/

1.“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” – Alan Kay
Lesson: You can’t wait around for good things to happen this year; you need to make them happen yourself.
2.“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” – Babe Ruth
Lesson: You can learn and grow from your mistakes if you see them not as mere errors, but as opportunities to grow as a professional and as a person.
3.“Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Lesson: The best way to succeed in 2014 is to marry pie-in-the-sky ambition with hard work. If you dream big and work hard, you’ll be able to make those dreams a reality.

I hope this has inspired you :)

Chasing perfection.

Lydia