5 Keys To Your Very Own Success

DISCLAIMER: Success can be professional or personal. Success is a concept that can be applied to everyone and everything. So whether or not you are currently working towards a particular goal, I suggest you take pen and paper because after reading, you might begin to, and, as the saying goes, 'it's best to strike while the iron is hot.'

MY DEFINITION OF SUCCESS

I consider myself lucky. My primary goal in life became crystal clear to me when I was only about eighteen years old. (More about the reasons for that in my first blog.) I set my mind on the life-long pursuit of being happy and healthy before anything else, no matter what I would be doing, or where I would be doing it. Even though the wording has slightly changed over the years, my inner and outer well-being is still my absolute priority and I do not doubt that this will remain that way until I die.

And boy was I unwell over the years. I suffered from chronic pain, constant shame & insecurity, depression, an eating disorder, skin disease, ..... to only name a few. But nothing, absolutely nothing, could stop me from continuing the pursuit of my goal.

There were setbacks and times I wondered if I should just give up, because I had 'failed', with zero signs of improvement. But knowing that success is not a destination but a way of living and the simple decision of not giving in keeps rewarding me with a life of physical and mental health and happiness. Here I share the keys to success I have found on my path that will hopefully help you achieve yours too:

THE MAGICAL 5

1. Get clear on what you want

Some people take what they get, and some people get what they take. In other words: If you don't know what it is you want to take, you will only get what is offered to you. And don't get me wrong, this is not necessarily a bad thing. But if you're anything like me and what society is providing so far is not enough for you then grab your pen and answer the following questions for yourself:

• What does success look like to me?

• What do I want in life?

• If money wasn't an issue, what would I love to do?

In the Traditional Yogic philosophy, we are all micro-expressions of the macro, the universe. Which means we hold immense creative forces within us and are inherently powerful. This is present in our day-to-day lives; we create mental structures, whole countries and societies, technology, architecture, art, experiences, meals, homes, relationships, and the most magical creation: new life in the form of babies. All of that is simply based on an intention! So what is the intention for your life? Stop 'going with the flow' and trotting along with the next best thing you come across or following your parents' plan or your friend's ideas.

You are a creator, start creating!

2. Get clear on why you want it

My why wasn't clear from the beginning and that is most likely why I struggled in those years a lot. The more I processed my childhood I realized that, had my mother been physically and mentally healthier and happier, she would have been a much stronger support and role model for me and my sister. I knew that I also could only fully show up for the people around me when I was well and in my highest spirits. And that's what I wanted.

So what is even more important than knowing what you want? Knowing why you want it. The why will infuse the what with real Shakti (Sanskrit for Power). As humans we are wired to need purpose, a reason for what we do things for. This will let you push through challenges and uncertainty, it will remind you that the goal is much bigger than you, because it comes from the heart and not from the ego.

Answer the following questions:

• What values will I honor with my success?

• What do I want to feel like by living it?

• What will the achievement of it bring to my life?

• How will it affect others?

3. Stay unattached to the outcome

Once you know your why, you have found your heart's desire. It's the why that really matters because it can already be lived in so many ways on your path to your success. The exact 'outcome' of your success is always uncertain, it might change 500 times or you might not even live long enough to see it! (And yes, being very realistic here: there is the possibility that our life ends way before our plan does.)

It is important not to make our fulfillment, happiness, and success entirely dependent on something external or in the future - outside of our reach and outside of our immediate control. All we will ever truly have is the present. This is what we can really influence and that will eventually lead to our success when influenced in alignment with our desired success. This leads us to key number 4:

4. Make the process your success

My way of saying 'enjoy the process'. Considering my personal story here, enjoying the process might sound a bit like a joke. In all seriousness though, I developed a mindset that would make me look at mental and physical challenges with so much curiosity that I even started loving exploring and experimenting with my body and mind. Nowadays, finding the source of my discomfort, the cure, and eventually the learning I can extract from it feels amazing and I am grateful for those processes.

As mentioned in key number 3, your life will be defined by the quality of your processes, not by their outcome. And don't you want an amazing life? Make sure your path is the inspiration for reaching your success. You need to move towards your goal with love and joy because dread, misery, and frustration are low-vibration frequencies that will only attract more of those same frequencies. Once you are clear on what you need to do to be your kind of successful, use the following tricks to stay motivated and at your highest frequency:

• Keep a track record/journal to revisit your efforts and milestones

• Find ways to integrate fun in your to-dos, make them playful

• Remember to recharge your batteries every day, never sacrifice your wellbeing

• Define what you enjoy and see if you can outsource the things you don't

• Celebrate the small wins

• Make every day your kind of successful

5. Start practicing your success from day 1

Extracting the essence of numbers 3 & 4 - the only time you are ever able to act is right now. You might be thinking: 'Yeah but right now I'm sitting at work and I can't save the children in Africa...'. Not directly. However, you can ask yourself the following:

• Is you being e.g. at work right now enabling you to save money, gain experience, etc. to support your desire or success?

• Is it aligned with what you want from life, honoring your values?

• If not, what are other options that would be?

Living your life so it fulfills your heart's desire, your why, and your inner truth, requires constant, repeated choice in every moment. In one day, you make thousands of unconscious and hundreds of conscious choices. Train yourself to make your conscious choices in alignment with your success. Snoozing your alarm or not: does it support my success? Eating junk food or cooking fresh veggies: which one supports my success? Watching TV or social media while you have tons of things to do: supporting your success or not?

Your life is the summary of all your previous choices. And you hold the power in every. single. moment. to make different choices that finally serve the life you want to live.

Choose like your life depends on it because it does.

Praying that you make the right choices to honor yourself and your success, I am sending infinite love and light for your path toward an amazing life.

Anja