Success Secrets for January 1, 2003

Success Secrets - Insider Strategies For High Achievers
Issue: 01/01/03

PREMIER ISSUE
January 2003


Success.bz is proud to launch a brand new newsletter called "Success Secrets...Insider Strategies for High Achievers."

This newsletter is devoted to providing you with insider information that will allow you to break away from the crowd and forge a unique and special path of success for yourself. If you want to step up and live life at a higher level, "Success Secrets" can help.

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Robert Stuberg
Founder & Chairman
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IN THIS ISSUE:

-> Success Quotes
-> Featured Article: How Will You Know When You're Successful?
-> Featured Article: The Power of Imagination


SUCCESS QUOTES

"The honor of the conquest is rated by the difficulty."
- Baron De Montesquieu

"Tact: the ability to describe others as they see themselves."
- Abraham Lincoln


This issue sponsored by:

Hypnology Research Institute
HYPNOLOGY is simply one of the most amazing and innovative systems for personal success and healthy living ever developed. Learn about the newest success technology today!


FEATURED ARTICLE

How Will You Know When You're Successful?
by Robert Stuberg

Not long ago I was looking over the latest listing of the world's billionaires and while I was trying to visualize a personal fortune worth billions of dollars, I found the list interesting for a couple of other reasons. For one, the list seems to get longer every year; the number of individuals joining that exclusive group is growing. And then I was struck by how the annual listing seems to foster a competition for the title of "The World's Richest Person."

As sometimes happens, I then wondered, when does a billionaire feel successful? Does it happen with the first 100 million, or does it only hit home after that first billion is tucked away? And then again, if the competitive juices are really flowing, does real success come by locking up that ultimate title, "The World's Richest Person?"

Please understand, I'm not looking askance at the accumulation of wealth. Far from it. I believe everyone should be rewarded in direct proportion to the extent he or she contributes to making life better for the rest of us. And I agree with the person who said, "I've been poor and I've been rich. Rich is better." But still, I think it's fair to ask, when does the average billionaire feel successful? And then, inevitably, another thought comes to mind: How does anyone know when they're successful?

It shouldn't be too surprising that my reflections generated some additional Questions. For example, is it really possible, after all, to put a dollar value on success. And once that element of doubt has been raised, it's only fair to ask, how should we measure success?

There's a view widely ingrained in our culture, of course, that success is measured primarily in dollar amounts and other material possessions. According to this definition, our standing in life is assessed strictly by such yardsticks as total wealth or income level, job title, social status, and lifestyle, even coming down to such criteria as looks, where we live and what kind of car we drive.

I'm not comfortable with that definition, though, and I'm sure you're not either. True success in life is something entirely different than having lots of money, social position and good looks. In my opinion, the essence of success has less to do with what we achieve in life and much more to do with the direction you're heading in life. I think it's far better to define success in terms of the goals you set and the quality of your pursuit of those goals than by any riches you may amass. Think about that for moment and ask yourself these Questions:

Where is my life headed right now? Is the direction in which I'm heading making the best use of my time and talents? Is it worthy of what I'm capable of doing with my life? And, is it serving constructive purposes by making a positive contribution in some way?

Those aren't easy Questions to answer but they're undoubtedly some of the most important Questions you could ever ask yourself. Another question I think it's important to ask is: Am I enjoying the journey? Am I finding joy and satisfaction in my day-to-day life? I hope so, because you don't need to spend your life in unfulfilling work or unrewarding activities. True success lies in loving what you do. The world's most successful people love what they do. They've found paths that excite them and they spend their days expanding their abilities in areas they enjoy.

You know, in thinking back about that listing of the world's billionaires, I feel sure, when they've taken time to reflect about it, that all billionaires at some point enjoy a sense of achievement, the thrill of success. But it's unlikely that awareness of success ever comes from attaining a particular monetary benchmark. These are individuals who knew they were successful once they had worthy goals firmly in place, believed in their abilities to succeed and were committed to making the most of the journey. Billionaires don't realize success because of their wealth; they realize wealth because of their successful lives.




FEATURED ARTICLE

The Power of Imagination
by Robert Stuberg

Charles Darwin wrote that reason is the greatest of all human faculties, but he also said, "The Imagination is one of the highest prerogatives of man." And of course, he was right, because we all are free to exercise our imaginations at any time and in any way we want.

Certainly, one of our greatest gifts as human beings is this ability to visualize or make pictures and images in our minds. And like all of our other abilities, the more we exercise our imagination the better it gets. The ability to increase the power of imagination and creativity is well within everyone's reach.

In his book, Writer's Mind, Richard Cohen describes imagination and creative thinking as forms of daydreaming. He adds, "When writers are doing their most intense, creative work, they look like they're doing nothing."

Maybe this is why so many people don't try to improve their imaginations. Why give serious attention to something as frivolous as "daydreaming?" Well, the answer of course is, because the world's greatest achievements have resulted from individuals using their powers of imagination. Every achievement is the result of someone daydreaming about things that didn't yet exist but that could be brought to reality by the right combination of ideas, inspiration, and action.

I think it's important to emphasize that the kind of daydreaming we are talking about is not an idle reverie, a distracted absent-mindedness. Rather, it's a condition of mind Richard Cohen describes as "receptive, aware, and highly concentrated." It can be controlled at will. Cohen says, "You can train yourself to get inspired. You can get inspired as a habit."

But each of us will find inspiration in different ways. The conditions, settings or times of day that inspire you and get your creative juices flowing will be different than those that work for me. Perhaps you find early morning best. While most of the world is sleeping and quiet, you stare out the window, watching the sun rise and think about something you want to create, to change or improve. For others, late at night is the time when imagination soars to new horizons.

Actually, our imagination is at work for us all of the time, even when we sleep. But it's the time that we set aside for focused, highly concentrated daydreaming that is most important-time when you work on solving a specific problem by actively visualizing possible solutions. And be sure to have pencil and paper handy to jot down those ideas that come to mind.

The answers may not come to you during the actual "daydreaming" session, but could surprise you by popping into your head while you're driving the car, or taking the dog for a walk, or listening to some music. You might even have a dream that gives you just the information you're after.

While there's much about the human mind we've yet to discover, we do know that its power is unlimited when it comes to solving problems and reaching goals. Of course, we have to do our part by supplying our minds with problems to solve and goals to reach!

So find some time each day when you can work on improving your imagination. All you need to do is a little active daydreaming.

I know it's hard to accept the idea that anything is possible, but in the realm of the mind that's literally true. You can visualize anything. And it really is possible that with a little added inspiration and action, those things you've been daydreaming about will become reality.

Disclaimer and Copyright

The contents herein are solely the opinions of Success.bz editors, and should not be considered as a form of therapy nor advice. There is no guarantee of validity or accuracy. Success.bz assumes no responsibility for injury and specifically disclaims any warranty, express or implied for any products or services mentioned. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, services of a competent professional should be sought.

Copyright (c) 2003-2012 by Success.bz. Permission is granted to reproduce or distribute this newsletter only in its entirety and provided copyright is acknowledged.