What Really Divides Us From Success

Good Morning...

At the end of each week...I stop and assess my journey...

I look back at where the week started...(my point of departure)...

and then I look down...(my current position)...

and I look outward...(to my destination)...

These 3 data points give me a pretty good idea of my progress...DUH!

Yet I often wonder if my assessment is accurate...or perhaps my optimism or pessimism has tainted my perception...

Is my progress REAL?

This is the foundational question that often leads to "Is this all worth it?"

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The Basics of Any Journey...

If the journey to success was as simple as traveling from point of departure to a destination...

...Success would be simple...and...

...This weekly assessment would be simple...

In actuality, I find it to be one of the hardest activities within my routine...

Why?

Because it is not only an assessment of progress...but one of value...it is me taking personal stock of my decisions and the value of each...it is me being critical of myself...it is about me being personally honest with myself...

I have observed...that it is easier for people to be more honest with others than they are with themselves!

That is a weird thing...but I am beginning to see it more true that not!

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Success is an Elusive Goal!

If success were as simple a defining it...and assessing what was needed to get there...anyone who desired success would obtain it...yet...

Few achieve the success they desire!

Why?

There are as many reasons or excuses...as there are people in this world!

The answer actually lies in the previous statement...

EXCUSES!

Excuses are simply explanations for delays...failures...or quitting!

When an individual encounters a delay or a failure...they excuse it!

A successful endeavor generally contains no excuses!

When we add (or allow) excuses into our life's equation...we have opened the door...and invited FAILURE in!

I know that you are thinking...

We need understanding or explanations or answers to the question "Why did this happen?"

Understanding and excuses are not the same!

The difference between the two is subtle...but critical!

That difference can be explained in a single sentence...

An excuse carries with it the demand or expectation for forgiveness...

What?

An excuse looks for comfort...and a confirmation that "It's OK!"

It is an expectation of oneself and others to "EXCUSE" and accept the failure...

Truly successful people seek to understand the cause/effect equations...but they make NO EXCUSES for them!

Success is elusive because many (perhaps a majority of people) allow excuses into their life's equation...

Still others fail to seek true understanding for each of life's events...

In the end...it is simply that they have treated life improperly...and allowed subtle but destructive elements to travel with them on their journey!

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This Makes No Sense!

Many may think that what I am presenting is simply a matter of definitions...

Excuses are often used to explain situations...they are a surrogate for understanding...

WRONG!

Excuses include an emotional expectation ("A Free Pass")...and...

...Simple understanding doesn't...

Nature does not care!

Nature does not include emotion...

It is unrealistic to insert emotion into our journey toward success and expect it to drive us forward...

Emotion (in the form of an excuse) is wasted energy...and oftentimes,,,has a negative affect our our efforts!

Am I advocating "Excuse-Free" existence?

Yes and No!

We need to minimize the use of excuses and replace them with understanding...

Just like "Excuses" carry emotional expectations with them...True understanding also carries a subtle element...

A change in behavior!

When one understands something...it results in either a focus of activity or a ceasing of an activity!

Seek understanding...

Does this make sense?

I do agree that this is a matter of definition...

It is the understanding of those subtleties that makes all of the difference...

What is important is agreement and action!

Think about this...It is not personal, political or religious views and beliefs that cause divisions between and us...it is a matter of definition and a clarity of understanding...

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Back On Path

Life has a macabre way of using curves and "twists and turns" to straighten our path!

The truly successful people use those "twists" to gain understanding with the express purpose of avoiding them in the future!

Life will continue to throw the same things at us until we understand the real lesson it intends to teach us!

That is why we say..."History repeats itself!"

It does!

Because we make excuses and not efforts to understand and adjust!!!

As you assess your daily journey...take time to gain understanding...

...Look at where you are...

Say to yourself...

Yesterday...I was there...

Today...I am here...AND...

That is because of "X"

Some "Xs" are good and need to be repeated...

Other "Xs" are bad and need to be avoided!

In its simplest form...success on any level is a matter of understanding of today and the appropriate action tomorrow...

Yes it is a matter of definition...

It is those definitions that provide us with understanding...

Now it is a matter of doing the things that will make tomorrow better...

Pura Vida!

How many "Senses" do you Possess?

Good Morning!

Believe it or not...I have been focused on teaching...

One of the classes that I have now taught multiple times is psychology...

One of the specific lectures was focused on "The Senses"

The lecture begins with the question..."How many senses does a "fully functioning" human" possess?

I find (almost without exception) that the answer that I receive is..."5"

If I give the class a look of disappointment...The number increases to "6" and they reference ESP as the "sixth sense."

At this point in the lecture...they begin demanding the correct answer...and I play with them for a few minutes...asking questions related to looking inwardly and becoming aware of things that they sense that transcends what they sense with their eyes...ears...fingers...nose and mouth...

Guess what?

With a little bit of prodding and directive thinking...they discover the other 2 for themselves...

That's right...normally functioning human beings possess 7 senses!

Hearing - The ability to detect variation in sound and interpret it...
Sight - The ability to detect variation in light and interpret it...
Taste - The ability to detect solid chemical compositions and interpret them...
Smell - The ability to detect gaseous chemical compositions and interpret them...
Touch - The ability to detect physical interactions and interpret them...

That's 5...what about the other 2?

No...Extra-Sensory Perception does not count among the remaining 2!

They are:

Kinesthesis - The ability to detect the position and motion of parts of one's body and interpret them...

Vestibular - The ability to detect the "uprightness" of one's body and respond to it...

This is a great piece of trivia...but...

So what?

Awareness of these "facts" helps establish an understanding of ourselves and potential application to activities that lead to meaningful and significant differences in our lives...

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SO WHAT?

You either have been thinking...

"Tell me something that I didn't know..."

...or...

"What does this matter in the scheme of things?"

It is because life is simply a replication of patterns of success!

Mother Nature has a simple method...that which works...it repeats and adds to...

...and...

That which doesn't work..."she" quickly and effectively stops!

From a Mother Nature perspective...that is how we went from a simply combination chemicals...in the primordial ooze...to a "self-gathering and self-sustaining single cell" to a human being...

The fact of the matter is...we are not an apex organism...Mother Nature is not yet done with us......or...Life on a whole!

Success will occur, despite our best efforts at doing what we want to do and standing in its way!

It is our "stupidity" that "tests" Mother Nature's creations...but...

...Rest assured...she stops STUPID quickly...

If it doesn't make her work better...she doesn't waste her time!

Remember that Successes are repeated...failures are discarded!

This FINALLY takes us to the "So What?"

The 7 senses are an example of a successful evolution!

My guess that Mother Nature tried other senses (what I will probably never know)...and...

They didn't work!

...and at this point in our species' development...this is what we have to work with!

Because...given our current environment and challenged to survival...it is the 7 senses are what works!

Since they work...perhaps we can look at them and apply what we know into other aspects of our existence!

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The Senses of the Successful...


Over time...Mother Nature had found a a successful combination of senses...

As far as we know there are no more...but let's not forget that there may be more planned...

But for now...this is what we have to work with!

The 7 senses are positioned as the foundation for human (perhaps every complex creature's) ability to survive in this or their environment...

If we consider "success" as another world (or environment)...like trying to live on Mars...we may be able to learn something!

To be successful we need to be aware of our "success senses" and optimize their use!

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Upcoming Submissions...

I just realized that I have written quite a bit today!

More than I had promised...

Over delivering is often as bad as under-delivering or not delivering at all!

Think about what I just wrote...it is also important to success...and another topic!

Over the course of the next 7 weekends...the Weekend Update (WEU) will focus on one of the success senses at a time!

They will parallel our human senses...but will give you insight into the elements of success that we often overlook!

As it is with a human being...not using a sense causes it to atrophy...

Even more important...not having one of the senses...handicaps and individual...just like not having sight makes life more difficult for a "blind" person!

These are things to think about...

I am finding this journey VERY interesting and I can tell you that it is already changing my life!

Have a great weekend!

Life is good!

PURA VIDA!!!!!