The Root of Success 

Their is a Zen expression that goes something like this - Success is not found in what you have achieved, but in who you have become.

Who you become is a personal choice. Life design is a choice. Consciously choosing who you want to be stirs your soul. It gives your life purpose, direction and meaning.

This is a different way of thinking for many people in western culture. We tend to think of success as things we acquire or goals that are achieved. We are socialized to believe that success is about the shiny new car, the huge house on the lake, the corner office or the family vacations in Tuscany. We are inundated with commercials and ads that seem to say to us... if only you had this one thing, all of your problems would be solved.

The toys and treasures can certainly be wonderful things to have, but they are merely symbols of success, not success itself.

If you consider why you really want the shiny new car, the big house on the lake, the corner office or the vacations to exotic places, it's really about the feelings and the experiences that you expect from that thing.

The thing itself is fleeting.

The car will be exciting for a few days but eventually it becomes just another car. The house is fun to decorate, but eventually its novelty wears off with the routine of ongoing cleaning and maintenance. The corner office comes with a bigger paycheck, as well as more responsibilities and the vacations, although wonderful, eventually become memories.

If we attach success to the thing itself, then we put ourselves in a position of constantly striving for the next treasure or achievement in order to feel good about ourselves.

What if though ... at the root of all of it ... we all just want to experience more happiness, joy and bliss? Isn't that what we are all really after? Isn't the feeling and the experience really what we are striving for?

So the good news is you can choose to feel more happiness or whatever emotion you desire without attaching that to attainment. How you choose to be or feel, need not be fleeting, if you don't attach it to a toy or desired event. We can experience anything, like happiness or joy simply because we choose to do so. Regardless of what the best minds on Madison Avenue tell us, things are not a prerequisite for true success.

So by all means, go for the stuff and achievements that bring you pleasure. Just don't attach your state of being to having something. It's simply not required.

For true success is about a life of meaning and purpose and it's up to each of us to give our own life meaning. For we have the power to be absolutely anything that we desire. We can choose joy, prosperity, integrity, peace, helpfulness, knowledge, love, freedom, appreciation, passion, enthusiasm, optimism, balance, tranquility, confidence, strength... or whatever has meaning to you.

May you know the wonder of living your unique definition of success as you discover the awesome, incredible you!

Enjoy Your Journey !