Human beings are creatures of habit. We seek the things we want with the least possible disruption to our lives; hence we tend to resist change. The choice is straightforward – make a positive change for life… or pay the price!

As management guru Tom Peters once put it: “Change is disruptive . . . But it doesn’t make any difference. You gotta do it anyway. We’re in an era where, literally, to learn to love change is the only survival course.”

Let’s get it straight: If you keep doing what you have always done, you will continue to get the results that you have been getting. Unfortunately, there can be no improvement without change. Positive change for life is necessary. Without change you will be risking your future, as is illustrated by the following Sufi parable…

The Tale of the Sands

A stream, from its source in far-off mountains, passing through every kind of description of countryside, at last reached the sands of the desert. Just as it had crossed every other barrier, the stream expected to cross this one, but it found that as fast as it flowed into the desert, just as fast its waters disappeared into the sands.

It was convinced, however, that its destiny was to cross this desert, and yet there was no way.

Before long, the stream heard a voice whispering from the desert itself, “The wind crosses the desert, so can the stream.”

This idea was not acceptable to the stream. After all, it had never been absorbed before. It didn’t want to lose its identity. So, it asked the desert,
“Once I give myself to the winds, how can I be sure of ever becoming a stream again?

‘The wind,’ said the desert, ‘performs this function. It takes up water, carries it over the desert, and then lets it fall again. Falling as rain, the water again becomes a river.’

The desert told the stream that, if it wished, it could continue to flow into the sand, and that one day, after many, many years, it might even become a swamp on the desert’s edge. But, it would never cross the desert as long as it remained a stream.

“Why can’t I remain the same stream that I am?” asked the stream.

“You cannot remain as you are. Either you give yourself to the wind or you become a swamp.” the desert said. “By giving yourself to the wind, your essential part is carried away and forms a stream again. You are called what you are even today because you do not know which part of you is the essential one.”

The stream could not believe it, but realised that the best that could be attained without attempting the suggestion would be to become a swamp. Either way the stream could not stay as it was.

The stream was silent for a long time, listening to certain echoes deep within itself, remembering parts of itself having been held in the arms of the wind before. And then slowly, the stream raised its vapors into the welcoming arms of the wind and was borne upward and over the desert in great white clouds.

As it passed beyond the mountains on the desert’s far side, there it began to fall as a gentle rain.

At first it was hushed and quiet, trickling down the rocky slopes. But gradually it increased in strength, as rivulets ran over the rocks and around the bent and twisted trees that grew there. And soon it was flowing as swift currents of water into the beginning of a stream.

Like the mountain stream, each of us is called upon to change continuously, in every arena of our existence, whether it is in our family life, in our profession or in the world at large. Change is the dominant force in these times. Change happens to us whether we like it or not, whether we are prepared for it or not.

In almost the blink of an eye, our society has passed from the Industrial Age to the Information Age – from the age of jobs and employment to the age of the entrepreneur and the self-employed – the age in which knowledge and information are the keys to opportunity and advancement. The information revolution is a revolution in power. More and more of it is vested in people with knowledge. The knowledge revolution rewards ‘intellectual entrepreneurs’.

The discontinuity we are now living through will be as disruptive to our lives, and as beneficial, as the Industrial Revolution was to the lives of our grand-parents. The way we live will change dramatically enough over just the next few years to alter the very structure of out society, empowering some and disenfranchising others.

In a large part, our success in life is measured by how effectively we embrace change.

The greatest barrier to change is the assumption that it simply happens and you don’t have to do anything about it, or that people must change because it is necessary to do so. People will not change until they perceive that the advantages of changing outweigh the disadvantages of continuing with the way things are. People are more comfortable with old problems than with new solutions. In fact, it often takes an emotionally stirring event, such as a job loss or health setback, to jolt someone into making a change.

Change of all kinds – economic, social, cultural, technological, and political – is happening at accelerating rates. In some areas, it is not just accelerating but exploding! And none of this shows any signs of slowing in our lifetime.

Not seeing change is one thing. Seeing it, yet still resisting, is fatal. This is the future, and it won’t wait till you are ready. Either you change with the times or pay the price.

To live a harmonious life, you must not only abide by the laws of your country, but also by the natural Laws of the Universe. If you transgress, there will be consequences. Like any country, the universe is also governed by certain laws. We refer to these as Universal Laws or Laws of Nature, ‘whose content is set by nature and is therefore universal’ (Wikipedia).

The Law of Gravity is an example of a Universal Law. So is the Law of Conservation of Energy, that is, energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. However, unlike human laws, which can vary from country to country, Universal Laws are consistent and unchanging. You interact with these laws with every breath you take. They govern your existence.

Nothing about your life has been casual or accidental!

The Universal Laws seem to be mysterious. They have hidden truths. When you identify these hidden truths and utilise them correctly, miracles or amazing results occur in your life. It may manifest as suddenly having money when you need it the most, reversing a life-threatening disease, or succeeding in a particular endeavour. These ‘miracles’, no matter how incredible they might be, are not unbelievable outcomes. They are natural outcomes based on the correct application of specific laws of nature.

Unfortunately, some of the Universal Laws are not as clear-cut as they might seem. There are unnoticed subtleties to the Universal Laws which, when understood and applied, can make all the difference between happiness and misery, prosperity and poverty, peace and conflict, ease and struggle.

It’s easy to think that some people are born to affluence and all good things happen to them. The truth is, these people aren’t simply lucky; good things don’t just ‘happen’ to them. They’re just applying the Laws of the Universe more effectively, whether they’re aware of it or not. The laws are flawless; they work perfectly every time, all the time. If you seem to be doing all the right things, but your results are poor, consider the Laws of the Universe and how you are applying them. This book will help you.

How many laws are there? Many.

These laws govern every aspect of our existence. The supreme Law of the Universe is the Law of Cause and Effect, also referred to as karma or the parable of ‘reaping what you sow’. For every effect there is a cause; for every action there is a reaction. Positive action equates to a positive result. The Law of Cause and Effect transcends time, space or form.

It operates whether you are aware of it or not.

Every human thought, word or deed is a cause that sets off a wave of energy throughout the universe, resulting in desirable or undesirable effects. If there are undesirable effects, it simply means that at some time in the past, there was a thought, word or deed that caused a wave of undesirable energy. As normal, fully-functioning people we are quite literally responsible for everything in our lives. The following excerpt illustrates this concept. Continue reading →

A BURNING desire is one of the most important success factors. To have desire is one thing, but to have a burning desire is another thing entirely. All success stories begin with a burning desire. The extent to which you succeed in any endeavour is largely influenced by certain success factors, and in this case – the intensity of your desire. Your desire for what you want to achieve must be so strong that you would find it hard to sleep at night; you literally lose sleep over it. It becomes such an obsession that it dominates your thinking, making it difficult to concentrate on anything else. If you can’t get that wound up about something, it’s only lukewarm — not really a burning desire.

A burning desire is intense and urgent as opposed to something that is nice to have, like desiring an ice cream. It is to success what rocket propellant is to a rocket engine. It is a burning desire that propels a person into action. A burning desire is creative power that HAS to manifest or express itself in the external world. It is an emotional force that attracts. The emotion attached to your desire moves you towards your desired outcome and magnetically draws your desired outcome towards you. A burning desire has a sense of desperation to it and, as an ingredient of success, it is comparable to air, the most basic element for life’s sustenance.

A Student’s Quest for Success

A student went to his spiritual teacher and said, ‘Guru, I want to experience success. How can I become successful quickly?’ The teacher smiled and said, ‘All right, I’ll teach you the secret of success. Meet me at the Ganges River at 5:00 am tomorrow.’

The next morning the student showed up at 5:00 am at the appointed place only to fi nd his teacher already bathing in the river. The teacher beckoned the student to come into the water and join him. Keen to learn the secret of success, the student obeyed the teacher without question.

The teacher then put his hand on the student’s head and firmly held it under the water. Gasping for air, the student struggled to get out, but the teacher maintained his grip keeping him under the water for more than a minute. The teacher knew the precise moment he had to release his grip on the student. Coughing up water that he had swallowed, the student angrily demanded, ‘Why did you do that?’

The teacher then said, ‘Before I answer your question, tell me: what were you thinking of under the water? What was it that you were looking for? Success? Status? Wealth?’

‘None of that, sir. I desperately wanted air. Nothing, but air.’

The teacher then said, ‘If you want success in your life as desperately as you wanted that breath of air, then you will have it — and as quickly as you want.’

 

Whatever it is you want, it must be personal; it must be something that you really, really want for yourself, not for anybody else. It is said that the hand will not reach for what the heart does not long for.

Ultimately, your want will come down to a feeling, a feeling that will ‘turn you on’ and motivate you to take effective action the moment you get up in the morning. If it does not do that for you, then as soon as you encounter a significant challenge, you will say it is too hard and give up on your dream. To be regarded as a burning desire, on a scale of 1 to 100, your goal or desired outcome must be ranked at 100. A ranking of 80 or 90 on the scale just won’t cut it. Even a goal that is ranked 99 on the scale is not good enough.

It must be 100!

Let’s use an analogy. If you heated water to 99° C, you could make a great cup of tea. But, if you heated that water just one more degree to 100° C, it will boil and generate steam, and you know what you can do with enough steam: move a steamship or a locomotive. That one degree makes a huge difference.

For you to achieve your goal, you must literally be steaming with
emotion to:

● Learn whatever you need to learn!
● Become whatever you need to become!
● Do whatever you need to do!
● Have whatever you want to have!

You can tell how badly you want to achieve your goal by observing your actions each day. When you have a burning desire for something, you will do whatever it takes to make it happen. If you don’t have a “Damn the torpedoes, Full speed ahead!” attitude, it’s an indication you haven’t hit 100 on the scale.

Achieving your goal has little to do with your ability or intellect. It has to do with HEARTFELT DESIRE! Genuine desire is powerful! As mentioned before it is one of the most important success factors. It focuses attention, establishes commitment and empowers you to deal with any challenge you might encounter as you move towards your goal.

As you are driven forward by your desire, you’ll hardly notice the effort. You’ll develop new skills and abilities, new beliefs, new attitudes and behaviours, and a new sense of self — in fact, a whole new consciousness!

You are what your deep driving desire is;
As your deep driving desire is, so is your will;
As your will is so is your deed;
As your deed is so is your destiny.

~ Maitri Upanishads

Extracted from The Inexplicable Laws of Success (Classic Edition). Take a ‘Look Inside’ the book, check out the Amazon Customer Reviews and download your copy HERE.

What is Success?

Success is different things to different people. There is no one specific outcome that defines success. For some it is fame and fortune, and for others it might be position or status, a happy relationship, a specific academic qualification, raising “good” children, running an orphanage, or rescuing animals in distress.

Understand that success in a person’s professional life does not tell us how well they do in their personal life. A successful professional life does not necessarily equate to a successful personal life. There are many successful professionals who lead highly dysfunctional private lives e.g. a celebrity might value fame and fortune above a happy and harmonious family life. Is this good or bad? That depends on which is more important to you.

Regardless, here is a quote worth contemplating:

As you climb the ladder of success, be sure it’s leaning against the right building. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The bottom line is that you determine what success is for you, and then you set your heart and mind on achieving it. To be successful is to have succeeded in your endeavour i.e. reached a favourable outcome of something you attempted. The basic foundation to attaining success is determining your purpose and values and setting goals that are congruent with those purpose and values. Your values define what is most important to you and gives your life purpose and direction. You achieve your life purpose by living your life in accordance with your values. Purpose calls forth your passion and is the driving force in all accomplishments of greatness. Purpose always seems to include making a contribution to others.

Earl Nightingale defined success as the “progressive realization of a worthy goal”.

Your Goals may be elaborate or simple. Elaborate goals are often the progressive realization of many simple goals.

The key phrases in Earl Nightingale’s definition are:

     progressive realization
     and
     worthy goal.

Let’s look at what a ‘worthy goal’ is first.

To determine a worthy goal, we need to ask the question: “Why?” That is, why is this goal important to you? What do you value most? Specifically, ask:

• What does your heart long for?
• What is it that deep down in your heart, more than anything else, you want to be, do or have in life?
• Where do you want to go with your career?
• What status or position do you want to attain?
• What material resources do you wish to have?
• What do your want with your relationships?
• What do you want for society?
• What do you want for the world?

The answers to these questions are the standard against which you measure your progress toward achieving your success.

Whatever it is that you want, it must be personal; it is something that you really, really want for yourself, not for anybody else. So, serving the disadvantaged by establishing a soup kitchen is something that will make you feel good and give you a sense of achievement. In like manner, making significant sacrifices to help your child qualify as a doctor or become an Olympic champion is an outcome that you want because it will make you feel good (even proud) albeit your child will take the honours. Ultimately, what you want comes down to a feeling… a feeling that will “turn you on” and motivate you to take effective action the moment you get up in the morning. It is said that the hand will not reach for what the heart does not long for.

What is it that will have such an effect on you?

It is easy to tell how badly you want to achieve something by observing your actions each day. If you really want it badly, it will dominate your thoughts and actions.

The second key phrase, ‘progressive realization’, suggests making steady progress by following a step-by-step, practical approach, toward the achievement of your goal.

If you are satisfied with your progress toward your highest value wants in life, then you are being a success. Keep on this path and maintain the momentum, and you will eventually achieve your desired outcome. This does not mean that you should not make course corrections, or even change course completely, if circumstances dictate.

As you work towards your goals, monitor your efforts and the results they produce. Check what’s working and what’s not. You‘ll receive feedback and signals telling you when course corrections are necessary. If things aren’t going according to plan, make adjustments as circumstances dictate. As Ken Blanchard says, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions” — feedback lets you know what you should and shouldn’t be doing.

Many people don’t understand the subtleties of the laws that govern success. Some success factors are so inconspicuous that they are overlooked entirely. Truth be told, success is attainable by ANYONE, as is so eloquently revealed in The Inexplicable Laws of Success.