subject: Rule Number One for Success – Enjoy Yourself [print this page] Rule Number One for Success Enjoy Yourself
When asked what they want out of life, most people will come up with the usual litany: a big car and a big house, lots of money, fame and prestige etc That's not what they really want. What they want, above all, is to feel good. The reason that they want all these things is that they think that it will make them feel good.
Now, maybe material success can make us feel good. If so, the question becomes, "What the best way of acquiring that material success?" There are a great many ways of acquiring the things that we want but there is one element that will make it easier, faster and more effective.
The element that can do all these things is, having pleasure at doing whatever it is that we are doing. When we do something that we like to do, we are more effective, we do it with enthusiasm, we have more energy and a few setbacks will not throw us off the track.
Ideally, we should be involved in a life's work that we enjoy so much that we would still do it even if we were not paid to do it. The good news is that it's always possible. In some cases, it may demand some creativity, but it's always possible.
Here is a little story that will demonstrate what is meant by "some creativity."
"This man was taking a leisure walk in a strange city when he came upon a huge excavation site. Having nothing else to do he walked over where three workers were and asked the first one, "What are you making here?"
The man replied, "I'm making $25.00 an hours." Our visitor then asked the second worker the same question. The man replied, "We're digging a big hole." The same question was then asked to a young guy who seemed to be full of enthusiasm and energy.
The young man replied, "I'm building one of the most advanced and sophisticated hospital that will not only help children from all over the world but a place where researches will be done to find a cure for a great many diseases. This job is a dream come true. I always wanted to be involved in a project that will benefit all of humanity."
These three workers were involved in the same line of work. Can you see who was getting the greatest satisfaction out of what he was doing? It's not what you do that really matters. It's how you define what you do that really counts.
One sign of maturity is having the power to decide what our reality means to us. There is no such thing as good or bad situations. We are the ones who get to decide on the quality of our own world and everything in it. If we cannot do that, we are no better than robots -- being directed by outside influences.
I was fortunate enough to be placed in a situation where I could rub elbows with some very successful people. They all had one thing in common. They all enjoyed tremendously the work that they were doing.
Does that mean that everything was always rosy? Of course not. It's a bit like playing in a contact sport that we like. There will be times when we get the wind knockoff out of ourselves. We don't like those incidents but that does not mean that we don't like the game.
To win in the game of life, we need to enjoy what we do. That's when we are at our best. There will be times when the going gets rough. It comes with the territory. A good player will put those experiences behind him and keep going full blast. That's how the game is won.
