Chasing Success

Ever watch a dog running in circles chasing his tail? Now I grant that most dogs do not have corporate level responsibilities, so it probably isn’t important how productively they spend their time.

An old story depicted an alley cat watching a dog racing madly in a circle chasing his tail. Finally the cat, you know the curiosity of cats, could no longer stand watching the dizzy dog. Alley cat, “Why are you running in circles chasing your tail?” Dizzy dog,”One of my friends explained to me that my happiness and success are all in my tail. If I can catch it and hold on, then I will have a firm hold on my success and happiness for the future.” “Hmmm,” stated the alley cat. “What I have discovered is that my happiness is indeed in my tail also. If I go about my business taking care of myself and my responsibilities, my tail follows me. When I am responsible I do not have to chase success and happiness, they always follow me.”

How many people follow the dog’s mindset and chase after success? Amazing how unproductive it becomes to chase after something. I fully agree that following your passion and working diligently toward your goals generally results in achieving more goals. Chasing after something has an air of desperation and need. Taking responsibility and methodically working each step on the path to success, encourages success to be attracted to you.

Attraction marketing and attraction leadership are widely acclaimed in the media. Using the attractor factor instead of the chasing mentality removes the desperation and stress. Any one who would enjoy a little less stress in their life? The medical industry receives a major portion of its income treating stress related issues. It is my opinion that the majority of the obesity problems have their origin in stress. We are creating our own stress. Why are we doing this to ourselves?

Our hurry scurry life of “I want it right now” has created an anxiety society. We have instant food from the microwave and fast food restaurants. We have ATM machines so we no longer have to wait in bank lines. We can even drive through Starbucks for our caffeine.

Success eludes us sometimes because we chase it with a desperate pursuit rather than creating value so that success becomes attracted to us. Success and happiness are attracted to the peaceful heart.

Think about the people you know and with whom you enjoy spending your time. Are you attracted to the tense and over stressed individuals or the people with whom you speak on a variety of subjects? Are you attracted to those with whom you enjoy activities and have fun? Think about the most successful people in you life. They are focused on their careers during working hours and totally present with their loved ones at other times.

Chasing success with the fury and intensity of a dog chasing his tail, results in circles more than forward progress. The alley cat wisdom of taking care of responsibility and allowing success and happiness to follow you results in a more productive life.

Re-examining your approach to life and success may result in more productivity, more success and more happiness. Having less stress becomes a bonus.

For more thought provoking articles, visit me at www.Elaine4Success.com.

Fear is the absence of faith.

Fear gives all control to the negative aspects. You will always receive more of whatever you give your time, energy and focus. When you allow negative thoughts to creep into your mind, they become negative feelings and then negative expectations and thus negative results. Fear is nothing more than requesting negative results. That is not to say that none of us ever have challenges and setbacks. Of course we all do. The key is conquering the negative thought and replacing it with courage. The enemy is not outside us but inside our thoughts. Franklin D. Roosevelt reminded us that “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Fear is the greatest enemy of mankind. When we allow the emotion of fear to create anxiety, stress and depression, we have given it control of our lives.

Simply developing the habit of courage and determined self-confidence opens an entirely new realm of possibilities. If fear were not a factor, what would you dare to do? Would you finally start that business you have been dreaming about for years? Would you take that trip to visit another country? Would you have the courage to tell someone that you loved them?

Courage, like fear, can be learned. Repeat a thought or behavior until it becomes a habit. Looking on the positive side of every situation becomes a way of life. Your thoughts become conditioned to fit into that pattern. When you really look at your life and examine your thoughts, words, beliefs and actions, what pattern have you established for yourself?

Good news. Even if you have allowed fear and hesitation to hold you back in the past, you are free to start changing that pattern right now. Just for today, start reframing every negative or fearful thought into a positive. Start by doing that for ten minutes. You can convince yourself to do anything for ten minutes. Wait awhile and repeat another ten minutes or even twelve minutes. By gradually increasing your time, you start forming a new behavior pattern. You will find that you feel better. Your step has a bit more spring to it and your soul feels more peaceful and content. Celebrate that good feeling and commit to enjoying it more and more.

With more positive and courageous thoughts and a more peaceful feeling, you will start taking more constructive steps in every aspect of your life. Your relationships will become more congenial. Your business dealings will increasingly demonstrate more goodwill. The snowball effect will continue to expand until your life reflects more courage and confidence.

A quiet little grin will cross your face as you think about how your life has changed. You’ll wonder why you didn’t start that process years ago. We can’t go into retrograde but we can start today to live a life of courage and banish fear from our thoughts, words, feelings and actions. Live the live you desire. Life is a choice. Choose to have a good one.