“Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure.” Earl Nightingale

Yes, I know, sometimes it’s easier to blame it on that rascally, indefinable, elusive thing called ‘luck’, isn’t it?

But jokes aside, what is this equally hard-to-pin-down thing called ‘success’?  Have you ever thought of yourself as a success?  Have you ever done or ‘achieved’ anything that you would consider a success?

You must have heard the story about Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb.  He was asked in an interview:  How did it feel to have failed all those many times (reportedly in the vicinity of a thousand).

“Failed?” exclaimed Edison, “those weren’t failures!  They were all the ways I learned how not to do it!”

Ah, yes. It’s hard to have that kind of attitude though, when a relationship has ended or you’ve been told you didn’t get that job or you just blew the diet plan yet again.

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success.”
– Thomas J. Watson

Here are some dictionary definitions of success:

• The achievement of something desired, planned or attempted
• The gaining of fame or prosperity
• One that is successful

So, how about it?  Would you consider yourself a success?  Or do you think it would be more accurate to say that you have been successful on some occasions and not others?

It’s an important question to ask yourself because, you see, success and happiness have a lot to do with each other.  Or at least, your beliefs about success and happiness do.

Which brings me to the question in the title of this post:

What comes first, success or happiness?

Well, if you believe that success is the achievement of things, then it is more than likely that your happiness will depend on how successful you consider yourself.

If you get what you desire, aim for, work for, in other words, if you succeed, then you will be happy.  This kind of belief demands certain outcomes and your happiness is contingent upon securing those outcomes.

But is there a different way of looking at things?  Could one be happy regardless of the outcome?  Put it this way, would you rather be happy regardless of the outcome?

I know I would.  In fact, my life experiences have shown me that there is no other way of being truly happy and staying happy.  I would go so far as to say that being peaceful and happy is the greatest ’success’ one could have or be!

So, I’ll finish with a rather nice quote to which I’ve made a slight adjustment to make it more gender inclusive:

“When a person feels throbbing within them the power to do what they undertake as well as it can possibly be done, this is happiness, this is success.”
Orison Swett Marden

Notice, this kind of ’success’ and happiness isn’t contingent upon an outcome.  Rather success and happiness are experienced in the enthusiastic and fully committed (passionate) ‘doing’ of something!

Love always, Lucy

Awakening to Happiness, Prosperity and Freedom!

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You’ve decided that this is what you really want.

You’ve given it a lot of thought.  You’ve checked your feelings.  Yep, they’re completely congruent with your goal, your idea, your intention.

The weight on your shoulders has dropped.  There’s lightness in your footsteps.  It’s nigh near impossible to wipe that smile off your face.  Goodness knows enough people have tried.

You’ve shared your desire with those you trust most.  They’re happy for you, really happy.  You’ve never felt more certain, more determined, more ‘in sync’.

You’re doing all the things that you believe will attract what you want.  Yes, you’ve become the magnet.  You’re poised for success.  You can smell it in the air.  You’ve gone past waiting.  You’re expecting.

And sure enough, success does crown you, perhaps not mind-blowing success, but enough to persuade you you’re on the right track.

It was what you’d wanted, dreamed about, planned, executed, attracted, created.  It was wonderful while it lasted, thrilling even.  You’ll never regret it…

So why are you feeling as if there’s unfinished business left, as if you’re going to do it all over again…?

That’s when this big ‘little’ question that has been lurking in the background of your consciousness finally plucks up enough courage to show its face…


“What more do you want ?”

It’s the Law of Creation – always inviting you to more!

Love always,

Lucy

Awakening to Happiness, Prosperity and Freedom!

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I believe it was Earl Nightingale who used the expression ‘cheerful expectancy‘ to describe an attitude of mind in relation to our intentions and goals.  By ‘cheerful expectancy’, he meant the optimism, confidence and preparedness to receive or achieve that which we have intended.

An attitude of  ‘cheerful expectancy’ leaves no room for despondency, dread, failure or doubt.  What an absolutely marvelous attitude to have, wouldn’t you say?

Note that ‘cheerful expectancy’  leaves no room for failure.  The implication of this is profound!  Let me explain.

If you have an attitude that denies you failure, it means that regardless of the outcome of any intention or goal you’ve set, you will have succeeded!  Wow!  Is that empowering or what?

Now I know you’re probably thinking, ‘Here we go again, playing with words’ or ‘playing with your mind’.  Well, guess what?

You’re absolutely right!

I am absolutely suggesting, encouraging, actually URGING you to play with your words and play with your mind!  Because if you don’t, then you will effectively be leaving others to do it for you and relying on others who have already done it for you.

Yes, I mean all those people in your life, past and present, including your parents, teachers, bosses and peers, who have been feeding you with beliefs encoded in words and intellectual manipulations to influence your thinking.

Now, I am not suggesting that these people did any of this with malice but they probably did it to preserve a belief and value system that they had bought into and that compelled them to ‘recruit’ others, including yourself, into.  And, more than likely, they have succeeded.

Get this: You live your life according to words and intellectual manipulations i.e. beliefs, attitudes and judgments.  But these particular words and manipulations are not innate aspects of who you are.  Rather, you have learned or acquired them.  Which makes it equally possible and necessary for you to learn and acquire those words and manipulations that serve your true desires – desires for happiness, peace, abundance, love and freedom.

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So, the question that I am asking you now is this:

What words, what meanings and what manipulations (thoughts) would you prefer to have?  What attitudes are you prepared to choose now?

For instance, are you prepared to choose to

Use these words:  Every outcome is a success.
Have this attitude:  I have created this outcome and I will benefit from it no matter what!
Think these thoughts:  What is the success quality in this outcome?  What useful thing can I get out of this?

Wow!  How does that feel?

So, are you prepared to play with your words and your mind or are you going to keep letting others play with them?

Lucy Lopez

Awakening to Happiness!

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