Success Built on a Moral Foundation

All successful people say that success is based on hard work. That if you work really hard and work harder than everyone else you will be successful. I do not necessarily agree with that. There are people who work hard all over the world every day and struggle putting food on the table. What I do believe is that success is built on a foundation that is morally sound. When this foundation is, laid success will look different from what the majority expects. 

To begin building a moral foundation you must be a person with integrity. I define integrity as you and your word being one in the same. You are not a person who is wishy washy because you do what you say and you say what you do. This, of course, is based on moral soundness. Meaning that you do what is right regardless of the cost. To add to this, you must also be concerned about others. You will be a person who realizes that you cannot get to where you are going without the help of others and in doing so you bring them up as well. You must also be a person of character. By this, you must focus on build yourself into a person who is the same regardless of where you are and who you are with. Building one's character requires that you take an honest look at yourself and face the real you. Then begin the demanding work of dealing with your character flaws and reinforcing the good about you.

Success is not just working more hours or dedicating more effort to a project. What success is, is the building of a moral foundation where you look to succeed by being a person of integrity so that others around you know that you and your word are one in the same. People will rest in the fact that you are not a chameleon but that you are true to yourself and others at all times. This foundation also rest on knowing that your success is based on others around you so you focus on making those around you better as well. So maybe I got it wrong. Success does require hard work it is just centered on building a moral foundation.

Character Key of the Day: Live Life

Learn to live life and enjoy it for what it is. Do not be so consumed with trying to live such as earning money, paying bills and all of that other stuff. Of course we have to do all of the mundane things but you should not get so caught up in the mundane that you forget to live. Even if you are at a job you do not enjoy do the things you do enjoy when not at work and if possible try to find a job that encompasses your passion. Enjoy family and friends because life is nothing without them and without them memories cannot be made. Pursue your passion with intensity and let success be the pursuit of your passion and not money or fame. We all have one life to live and the choice to live it to the fullest or just make do. Live life!

Going Where You Have Never Gone Before: Doing New Things for Different Results

     You may have heard the definition of insanity which is, "Doing the same thing but expecting different results."  So many people get into this rut and feel like there is no way to get out which can be very frustrating.  As a result, a person might think they are doing something different but it is actually the same thing.  So if that is the case, how does someone do something different to get different results?  I am so glad you asked. In order to do something different does not mean coming up with a new idea or scheme to reach the level of success you are looking for.  It actually means that your thought process has to change in order to achieve different and more specifically better results.  Ideas are great and wonderful things but if the idea is not carried out using the right plan and strategies all you have is a good idea. So in order to go where you have never gone before requires you to be willing to get out of your comfort zone.  Here are some steps you can use to help you achieve different results:

1. Read- The wonderful thing about reading is that it is the quickest way you can expose yourself to different ideas and ways of thinking.  You don't necessarily have to spend money traveling to attend conferences or workshops.  You can read books, magazine articles, blogs and numerous other publications.

2.  Networking- Associating with others who are like mind as well as others who are where you want to be is invaluable.  Networking can help to keep you motivated as well developing contacts that can help you in your journey.  One area of networking can your local Chamber of Commerce where weekly or monthly networking events are often held.

3. Conference/Workshops-  Although it may involve some travel and possible participant fees, conferences and workshops are great ways to hear directly from experts who are successful in their fields and are willing to share knowledge.  Conferences and workshops are also opportunities to network and build key relationships

4. Life Coach- Working with a life coach is a wonderful way to have someone help you to break out of your rut and do something new to get different results.  A life coach can help look at what you are doing and provide you with feedback so you develop new ways of thinking. They can also help you overcome any mental blocks you may have that are preventing you getting to the next level.

5. Study Successful People- By studying successful people, you can see what road blocks in their lives they had to overcome to achieve success.  It will help you to see that they are regular people like you and had challenges they had to overcome.  One major thing you learn is that successful people think differently and see the world in a different way.  You will also see that successful people look at failure in a different way than others.  They look at failure as feedback and use as a spring board to get to the next level.

    Success can be yours for the taking but you have to be willing to get out of your comfort zone.  Having a good idea and simply working hard is not enough but you have to be willing to do new things to get different results which is done by learning to think differently.  This can be challenging because at the end of the day the thought of falling flat on your face is not attractive and can discourage you from moving forward to success.  Once you get out of your comfort zone and achieve the success you have been looking for you can go on to teach and encourage others who where you are at now.

My Thoughts: Relationships

One of the biggest struggles that I find that people have are relationships. All kinds of relationships ranging from romantic, family, business/work, and friendships. I believe that one of the keys to a wonderful life is learning how to become successful in all of our relationships that we have and when we do this our lives will be richer and fuller. The question is how do we do this? The answer is rather simple but at the same time very difficult to do.

The first thing that we must do first is evaluate our relationship with God. People, especially christians, do not understand that God is relational. All relationships are important to him and they help to show us our relationship to him. God uses natural things in our lives symbolically for us to really understand him but often times we are so caught up in ourselves that we miss the point because we think about how it often affects us. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about the story of the good samaritan and how everyone passed the man by on the side of the road who had been robbed and beaten then left for dead. Then the samaritan man, who was actually looked down upon, help the man. Dr. King said that there were two questions that were asked. The first by those who passed the man by was, "If I help this man what will happen to me?" The second question asked by the samaritan was, "If I don't help this man what will happen to him?" We often treat our relationships so selfishly by always looking at how it affects us and what we can get out of them.

The second thing that we must do is realize that our gifts, talents and possessions were never meant for us. Everything that we have and who we are is always for the benefit for others. God uses our relationship with our children to show us this. Our children never really give anything to us but we give all that we have to them because their survival depends on it. When you look at the world as a whole we depend upon other in order to live. Someone needs to grow the food and sell it in order for you to buy it. So forth and so on. Never rest on your status. Whether you have money or not. Whether you are a manager, supervisor or just an employee. You are important.

The third thing is that how successful we are in our relationships shows where we our in our relationship with God. The scriptures says, "If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must also love his brother also." 1 John 4: 20-21. Our relationships on all levels were designed to help us become closer to the Lord and how we are in our relationships can help someone really see the Lord. Forgive others when they have done wrong to you and ask for forgiveness when you have wronged others. Do not treat you relationships selfishly and remember that it is better to give than receive and figure out how you can be a blessing to others instead of how they can be a blessing to you.