Searching for a Higher Quality of Life in 2020

by Dr. Edward E. Hubbard, Ph.D., Certified MPNLP, President & CEO, Hubbard & Hubbard, Inc., An International Organization and Human Performance Consulting Corporation.

It's important to "Think about how we think about things" and how those things show up in what we believe, value and how we behave in life. To get what we want, we need to change the way we behave to create a lasting change. The way we behave gives us a peek at how we run our supercomputer (our brains). Think about it…consider what you would accomplish if you could get a hold of the instruction manual for your brain. It could help you learn to master things such as: ? How to run your supercomputer – your brain – the way it was designed. And to expand it as new situations arise (using previous lessons learned). ? Change your thoughts, actions, and feelings “when” and “how” you want to. ? Change your habits, in less than an hour, even after you’ve struggled for years. ? Be the way you’ve always wanted to be: confident in times of crisis, tenacious and motivated when it really counts. Remember those times when you were “in the zone”, things just clicked and worked perfectly. You experienced a sense of control to your actions such that everything flowed like a well-oiled machine. And then there were those “other times”, when the pieces just didn’t fit together, when nothing you did seemed to go right. Well...in order to change your life, you have change your mind and TAKE ACTION to master how to keep the change! You can build muscle through the habits you develop. This all starts with an empowered mindset to commit to changing your life.

Successful people believe: "I am in Charge of my Mind and Therefore My Results"

If you’re not in charge of your mind, who is? ‘Stay on Purpose and Mission’ by taking responsibility for your behavior and state of mind rather than being affected by those around you. Recognize that you have choices.

Responsibility = response + ability. Recognize that you have the ability to choose how to respond. You are “Response” “Able”

Consider this... What if you adopted the belief that "There is No Such Thing as Failure, Only Feedback"?

If you truly accepted the principle that “There is No Such Thing as Failure, Only Feedback”, how would your life change? What if you integrated this principle into the way you live? How would your stress level change? How would conflict situations change? How much more resourceful would you be to generate more successful alternatives. Adopting this "Life Lens" changes how you view the world and how the world interacts with you. It allows you to generate more life options since you would not define yourself as a “failure” simply because you didn’t get the results you expected. As you will learn, when successful people experience that something isn’t working, they do something else to get things back on track!

Your Habits will Determine Your Future

What is a habit? Simply stated, a habit is something you do so often it becomes easy. In other words, it's a behavior that you keep repeating. If you persist at developing a new behavior, eventually it becomes automatic. For example, if you learn to drive a car with a standard gearshift, the first few lessons are usually a significant emotional event for you and the person teaching you. One of the big challenges is figuring out how to synchronize the clutch and accelerator pedals so you have a nice, smooth gear change. If you release the clutch too quickly, the car stalls. If you press down too hard on the accelerator without releasing the clutch, the engine roars but you don't go anywhere. Sometimes the car jumps down the street like a kangaroo, surging and stopping as the new driver struggles with the pedals. However, with practice, the gear change eventually becomes smooth and you don't think about it anymore.

The great news is that you can reprogram yourself any time you choose to do so. If you're struggling financially, this is important to know. Let's say you want to be financially independent. Doesn't it make sense to check your money-making habits? Are you in the habit of paying yourself first every month? Do you consistently save and invest at least 10 percent of your income? The answer is either "yes" or "no." Immediately you can see if you are moving in the right direction. The key word here is “consistent”. That means every month. And every month is a good habit.

This is called a no exceptions policy. In other words, you commit to your better financial future every single day. It's what separates the “people who have” from the “people who don't have”. Let’s look at another situation. If maintaining excellent health is high on your list of priorities, exercising three times a week may be the minimum standard to keep you in shape. A No Exceptions Policy means you will maintain this exercise habit no matter what happens, because you value the long-term benefits. People who dabble at change will quit after a few weeks or months. And they usually have a long list of excuses why it didn't work out for them. If you want to distance yourself from the masses and enjoy a unique lifestyle, understand this--your habits will determine your future.

It's that important. Remember, successful people don't drift to the top. It takes focused action, personal discipline and lots of energy every day to make things happen. Sure, there are the “serendipitous few” who through no real focused actions on their part land in great circumstances, however, to stay there and grow, they must learn some key skills to sustain their windfall. This can be seen in what happens to people who are instant millionaires and lose it all in a short period of time. Or the recording artist who has a mega-hit that sells millions but loses the money and fame after their “one-hit-wonder”. The habits you develop from this day forward will ultimately determine how your future works out. Rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, fulfilled or unfulfilled, happy, or unhappy, it's your choice, so it is important to choose deliberately and wisely.

Discovering Your Mission

What is a Mission? A mission is a sense of purpose that lures you into your future. It unifies your beliefs, values, actions, and your sense of who you are. It's a fabric woven of the various threads of your interests, desires, and goals. Sometimes it's big, comprehensive, and even grandiose. Most of all, a mission is fun. When you are living your mission, you tend to behave like Steven Spielberg, who says, "I wake up so excited, I can't eat breakfast. This search for a higher quality of life is, in part, a study in the thinking and behavior of people who demonstrate models of greatness in achievement. An obvious characteristic of individuals who achieve greatness is a sense of mission that gives their life purpose and direction. This is the main difference between those who achieve and those who don't. Now that you've learned some of the basic success principles, a few Secrets of Personal Success Mastery, and your motivation strategy, it IS important for you to discover your mission. People with a mission, focus on developing their skills to reach their full potential. They “Live ‘on’ and ‘with’ Purpose”. They relentlessly pursue achieving their mission with every resource they have. They do it day after day, and they thoroughly enjoy it. You can, too.

Searching for a Higher Quality of Life in 2020

Many people today are concerned about their lifestyle. Phrases like, ''I'm looking for a better quality of life," or "I just want to simplify my life" are now commonplace. It seems the headlong rush for material success and all the trappings of a so-called successful life are not enough. To be truly rich includes not only financial freedom, but developing rich, meaningful relationships, embracing and appreciating family, enriching your health, and enjoying a rich balance between your career and your personal life.

The nourishment of your own spirit or soul is also an essential requirement. This takes time to explore and expand. It is a never-ending process. The more you learn about yourself-how you think, how you feel, what your true and “higher” purpose is, and how you want to live, the more your life will flow. Mark Twain once said "There are two great days in our lives...The day we were born and the day we find out WHY!" Instead of just working hard every week, we must begin to make better choices based on skill, intuition, and instinctively knowing the right thing to do. It is this higher level of awareness, or mastering the skills to control your “executive level powers of the mind”, which determines your daily quality of life and ultimately forges your future. That is the essence of my personal success and empowerment research (excerpt from my books: "Mastering Secrets of Personal Success: Tools to create the Life You Want", "Experience Leaves Clues: 7 Keys to Self-Empowerment", and others). Based upon these foundational elements, you can begin your journey to unveil your “Secrets of Personal Success Mastery” which can help you dramatically improve your efforts to create the life YOU WANT in 2020 and beyond! Here's to celebrating your success and wishing you all the best for a healthy and prosperous 2020. Dr. Ed. ([email protected]).