Act your A.G.E.

3 Fundamental Concepts That Drive Success

There are 3 core ideals that will move you from where you are to where you want to be: awareness, gratitude and expectance. To fully benefit you must first know that there is more to be, have or do. Then you have to accept where you are in life right now. Be sincerely thankful for all that you have in this moment. Finally, you must truly expect success. Not hope or wish for it, but KNOW that it is yours. It's not easy, but it is simple. Jim Rohn said, “success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day”. By understanding these three concepts and practicing the principal disciplines daily, you will begin to see what looks a whole lot like success show up in your life.

So what does awareness look like? What does it feel like to be aware? Are you self-aware? It begins with a question. Any question that begins with "why" is a good one. Why is your life the way it is? Why do you like/dislike your job? Why are you happier building birdhouses than creating spreadsheets? Another way to become aware is asking yourself some good ole "what" questions. What is my purpose? What makes me happy? What do I love to do more than anything? What do I want to do? What is stopping me from doing what I want to do?

You can go down the line with "who", "what", "when", "where", "why" and "how". The questions should be mostly internally facing, but as you begin to answer the internal questions, some externally facing questions will emerge. "Where can I go to find out more about Professional Birdwatchers?" I kid you not, there is a certification and a JOB to be had if you care to do so. I promise you butcher, baker, candlestick maker, there is a job and industry out there for WHATEVER you are interested in. Start asking questions.

So know that you are aware that there is more to life, more to you, more to do, NOW WHAT? Hold on just a minute. Don't rush me. Five minutes ago you didn't even know you wanted to be a certified birder (BCR). Sheesh! Ok, so you want to dump the spreadsheets and get your BCR. You live in LA, but want to move to New Hampshire to study the Hermit Thrush (found mainly in Northeastern US). First you must be completely, entirely and unequivocally grateful for your spreadsheet churning job in LA. You must be appreciative of your ability to pay the light bill, rent/mortgage ($$$$$ in LA, by the way) and feed yourself on a daily basis. Every cup of Starbucks (or Dinosaur or Intelligenista for the locals) costs money, and you pay for it, likely without thinking about how much of a blessing that cup of Java really is.

True gratitude is born by considering the most basic aspects as our lives. Some would say "the little things". I wouldn't, but some would. Every day without fail, I write or speak aloud things I am grateful for. Every morning, before my feet touch the floor, I lay still and as soon as I am "aware" that I am awake (see what I did there?) I start gratituding. No, I don't need spell check. I made it up and I'm sticking to it. GRATITUDING! I list as many things as I can think of - in the few minutes before actually getting up - that I am grateful for. I am so happy and grateful that I awoke, my heart is beating properly, I have all my fingers and toes, my lungs work, my brain is active and able, my husband and children are healthy, I ate last night, there's more where that came from, there's running water in the bathroom, there is heat in my house, I have a home, I have a car, I can put gas in my car, my car is insured, I have money to pay for that, and so on. I have met people that say that they can't think of much to be grateful for. That is because they are too busy complaining about what they don't have.

Once you begin to look for any and every thing you can to be grateful for, and are truly thankful for its existence, you will be provided with more to be grateful for. What you you focus on expands. Choose wisely. Your thoughts absolutely create your circumstances. If you think you are grateful but still don't have what you want, I challenge you to recall any and every time you sprinted gratitude with complaints. Most of us complain far more than we say thank you, and wonder why we're stuck. You're exactly where you have put yourself through your own thoughts and actions. Think grateful thoughts and act from a grateful place, you will soon see a difference in your results.

Finally, you must expect to win. This is very difficult for some of us, because of the previously mentioned complaint-state we live in. Do you ever think "How can I expect to win, when there are so many things stacked against me?" Or maybe you are a plan A, plan B, plan C type of person. You think you are being resourceful and practical, by having all those contingency plans, and things to "fall back on". Actually you are diluting your concentration and creating distractions. It also means you don't really expect to be successful, so you need additional avenues pursue "just in case". That is not expectance. That is just the opposite. A divided house can not stand, and it starts within.

Expecting to win does not mean you sell your house and buy a thousand lottery tickets, just KNOWING one of those is the winner. It means you have faith that the positive energy you put out in to the world, and the deliberate, conscious, inspired actions toward your goals will manifest in positive results in your life. So, you closet bird watcher, keep crushing those spreadsheets, doing the best that you can everyday. Start to delve into those things that make you happy. Do something everyday that moves you closer to that sweet new reality. Be thankful for your current reality, and expect greatness. It is already yours!