Simply Successful Secrets

I've been tagged by She Who Held My Hand as I started my blogging journey, Business Blog Angel, Claire Raikes.  I've done a bit of research and this meme was started by Aaron Potts at Today is that Day who is conducting research into success habits to share with his readers, based on the premise that one of the best ways to achieve success is to emulate the efforts of other people who are successful.

I'd say that's a project worth being part of, so I'm going to play.  What I do nearly every day to be successful is:

I set an intention for how I want my day to go, and particularly how I want to be today.  I believe in deliberate creation and I also believe in unconscious creation.  And I'd much rather create my day deliberately than unconsciously so, for me, setting an intention at the outset is the way to go.  I also set intentions for specific outcomes I would like during the course of the day.

I read affirmations.  I have about twenty affirmations posted strategically all around the house so that I can't help but come into eye contact with them several times a day.  They help me to remember to focus on what I want, rather than don't want, and to keep my energy high.

I keep a gratitude journal.  For me, success is about being happy with who I am and what I've got in my life right now.  Having an attitude of gratitude is a powerful tool in developing and maintaining personal happiness, and I try to record what I'm thankful for every night.  Doing so helps send me to sleep not only feeling happy about the day I've had, but looking forward to the delights of tomorrow.

I am mindful of my health.  I'm not as good as I'd like to be on the exercise front, but I do make an effort on the diet side of things.  I also listen to the needs of my body and make self-care a priority.

I (sometimes) meditate.  I've been trying to make a habit of this over the last couple of years, but I have to admit to being somewhat unsuccessful at doing it regularly!  However, I haven't given up, and in recent weeks I've noticed quite an improvement, and I'm very hopeful that I will succeed in making meditation a daily habit.  On the days I do meditate, I have much higher levels of focus on concentration on the tasks I set myself.

I read books, blogs and online articles on personal development and spiritual themes everyday.  (I try to avoid newspapers and celebrity gossip magazines) The more I read, the more ideas I get to try on for size to see if they fit me.  And the more it sparks my own ideas.

I write a "Could Do" list of everything that I could spend some time and energy on today.  And then I do some of it - rarely all of it.  But because I no longer view it as a "To Do" list, I don't have the stick to beat myself up with anymore when at the end of the day I've invariably not completed all the tasks on the list.  Instead of thinking now "I have to do that tomorrow instead", I think "well, maybe I could do that tomorrow, or maybe I could do it next week..."  I've accepted that my inbox will never be empty, and on a day to day basis I go with what feels like the right thing to do right now.

I try to remember to give to the world what I want to receive.  (When I enquire as to why I'm not receiving what I want I usually realise I haven't been giving it of late) I do unto others as I would have them do unto me, and I do unto me what I would do unto others.  I am my own best friend (sometimes worst enemy too, but I catch myself in the act and start being my friend again). 

This meme has been running for nearly two months now, so I apologise if I'm tagging anyone who has already taken part.  I did scroll through the comments and trackbacks for Aaron's original post, and I haven't found anything from the following, all of whom I know will have some great success tips, so I tag:

Starbucker at Ramblings from a Glass Half Full

Phil at Make it Great!

Kammie at Passion Meets Purpose

Kirsten at Think Postive! Blog

Alan at Made to Be Great

Andy at The Daily Positive

Anybody else who wants to take part is also welcome to join in.  The rule is that you when you post you include a trackback to the person who tagged you, and also to Aaron's post (http://www.todayisthatday.com/blog/simply-successful-secrets/trackback/).

Comments

[Andy Schmitt]

Thank you so much for tagging me Hilda! I greatly appreciate being a part of this project!

Stay Positive!

Andy

Link to my post: Simply Successful Secrets

http://thedailypositive.com/archives/41

[Hilda]

Hey Andy,

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Keep posting - really enjoying your blog.

All the best,

H.

[Terry Starbucker]

Hi Hilda - thanks for the tag; I'll tackle this one soon (I promise). All the best!

[Kammie K.]

Hey Hilda...

Here's a link to the post where I answered this one (I got tagged easlier last month on this already...good thing I always liked a good game of tag!) thanks for the tag...playing in the blogosphere is FUN:)

http://www.passionmeetspurpose.com/blog/index.php/site/permalink/happy_birthright_day_bring_your_big_goals/

Stay passionate,
Kam

[Aaron Potts]

Hilda,

I love your list of success secrets, and I apologize for taking so long to get over here to comment on them. As I've been wrapping up the project, I have made it a point to make sure that I stopped by everyone's Simply Successful Secrets post, and I am not surprised to find yours chock full of wisdom! :)

I love your concept of a "Could Do" list. I have a similar philosophy that I call "Choose To" or "Want To". It is so easy to fall back on the feeling that we "have to" do something, when in all actuality, there are very few (if any) things that we actually have no choice in the matter about.

Great stuff, Hilda, and thanks for sharing! Look for the master list of success secrets to be posted on my site on the 16th of May!