Of Passion and Success

Do you ever get a fleeting memory of how you used to feel when you were a kid; that incredible feeling of freedom and passion for trying new things? Life seemed so exciting. It is okay to want that again. It’s not the good old days that you want – it’s the passion for trying new things with a confident feeling of succeeding.

Do you know what stole your passion and confidence? No, the process of aging; did not steal; the thief is simply your confused mind. After hearing thousands of NO’s as you took chances and tried to grow, you decided that life is too difficult and the best you can do is cope. That’s a lie!

Until you are willing to admit that it’s a lie that life is too difficult, you are caught in the role of helpless victim. Helpless victims don’t thrive; they don’t feel fully alive; they certainly don’t succeed with much more than barely getting by.

I know of what I speak; I’ve been there. So, what does it take to turn matters around? Henry David Thoreau said, “If men would steadily observe realities only, and not allow himself to be deluded, life, to compare it with such things as we know, would be like a fairy tale …” YES, your life can be like the fairy tales you once dared to conceive. The point of everyone’s life is to be happy and successful. Not unduly struggling, not constant suffering, but to be happy and successful. Think about that. Just think about it. If you really take the time to ponder this fact – you will have the power to refuse to feel powerless.

When I stopped trying to find my successes outside of myself, I no longer felt like an unlucky victim. When I began realizing that my fantasies of succeeding were meant to come true, everything changed. What did I have to do to do this? I had to do the work before the work; I had to do the inner work to revitalize my passionate nature before going out into the world and doing the outer work to make my dreams come true.

The sparkle of a diamond is found in the diamond, it’s not found outside the diamond. The sparkle of passion and confidence to succeed is found in you, it’s not found outside of you. You can only get to the point of your life, which is to experience success and feel happy, when you see yourself as you truly are. You are a superlative creator with limitless potential. That is what you knew about yourself as a child when you felt that incredible feeling of freedom and passion for trying new things … and it’s still true about you.

I use this mental image to help me reveal my true self to myself when I find myself falling back to the role of helpless victim. I imagine myself driving down a dirt road toward a desert. It gets very hot and dusty. I don’t like the experience. So what do I do? I go into Operation Opposite Mode - I make up my mind to make a U-Turn and head for the beautiful green countryside that is in back of me.

I don’t screech on my breaks, but I do slow down, knowing there will be a perfect place ahead to make the U-Turn. Soon I am heading in the right direction, and I gain momentum as I speed toward the beautiful green scenery. Immediately, I begin feeling better. I experience cooler, fresher air on the inside of me. I rekindle my passion for life, for sweet victory with my dreams and aspirations.

What happens when I change direction in my mental image?

1. I smile at things that a moment ago were making me anxious.
2. I begin thinking in terms of opportunities rather than obstacles, when looking at my goals.
3. I take risks, knowing that success requires learning from my failures
4. I feel passionate about life once again, as my confidence rises and my visions of success become clearer.

Remember, you want to get to that point where you once again can imagine accomplishing something meaningful, and feel passionate about it. The sensible first step is to dwell in healthy ideas that make you feel good about yourself and the world in which you live. Try my mental exercise the next time you’re feeling frustrated. If you persist, the original sparkle, inside of you, will begin to shine. And the next thing you’ll notice is delightfully startling thoughts of succeeding will come to you. Now the rest gets easy.