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Secrets to Success John-Paul Micek |
How fulfilling
is your business?Ever think "someday" you'll achieve your dreams, and then you'll be fulfilled, successful and content?
Is your focus on the illusionary world of "retirement" or the belief that your personal fulfillment will magically appear after some other major event occurs in your life? Do you live in a world believing that when you get "just a little more control over your business," then you'll have time to do all the things you are passionate about?
These are the type of thoughts that lead you by the nose through a passionless life lacking in performance, profits and personal fulfillment. In today's cynical, fast-paced world, we're overwhelmed with information and constantly barraged with marketing messages telling us what we "should be." Only a fraction of people actually achieve what's most important -- a life worth living.
No matter what level of achievement or success you find yourself at today, I can guarantee you there is a shift or improvement you can make to enjoy your life more fully.
My own painful experiences in 1996 and late 2001 may help you make a significant shift in your personal fulfillment. 1996 was a time of being put through the refiner's fire. A year of "hand-to-mouth" and countless, humbling experiences.
What happened in late 2001 is a little more important because the struggles with true success came not from lack, like in 1996, but came in a time of abundance. During the last few months of 2001, I had really been struggling with the absence of personal fulfillment and contentment in what I was doing in my new business. I had just sold two profitable businesses, and I had just relocated to one of the most beautiful places to live in the world -- yet I was critical in my thinking and joyless in my attitude.
"How could this be?" I asked myself. I had just custom-designed my ideal business and achieved the longtime dream of living and working in a place people from around the world call "paradise." I felt out of integrity and I felt lost. I had slipped back down to an emotional level that I had only experienced once before in my life, in 1996. The joy had slowly drained from my life.
What had I changed within me that resulted in more joy, greater peace and deeper fulfillment than I have ever felt before? What was it that made me feel more happiness and gratitude than I have ever experienced?
The answer lies in what I chose to focus on.
I shifted my focus from getting frustrated with uncontrollable circumstances, from being obsessed with the achievement of my goals and from winning at all costs -- and instead began to consciously focus on the daily activities that aligned with my personal values and passions. By consciously shifting my focus in this way, my entire view of the world changed.
Once you make this shift in your focus, your goals will become personally fulfilling in the actions that make up your journey toward your goals. Sure, you still drive hard to achieve your goals. But with this shift you no longer have to wait to experience fleeting happiness after you reach a goal.
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John-Paul Micek is a small-business strategist
and chief operating officer at RPM Success Group.
Reach him at JPM@RPMsuccess.com
or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.