A few weeks ago, I published part one of my 8 Principles for Success, which included the first four principles. I am thrilled to now unveil part two, which includes the four remaining principles.
5) Open your mind: I always tell people that I coach to commit to learn something new every day. By doing this, you automatically grow and expand, for it is true that whatever does not grow, dies. There are many ways that you can learn; you can read a book or magazine article, you can watch an educational program, you can listen to a program on CD or on an audio app like Audible, or you can even learn something new by having a conversation with someone.
6) Be kind to your fellow human beings: There are many ways that we can be kind to others. Greet people with a smile on the street. You never know what kind of day they're having or how much of a difference that smile could make for them. One way to show kindness is to listen to people when they are communicating with you. Listen without anticipating how you're going to respond, and just really listen. Being kind to others cultivates good energy, and it doesn't cost you a thing. Another way would be to be patient with people when you are out and about. Hold the door for the person behind you. One thing that I want to request is that you be kind to people on the road when you're driving, let people go first or let them cut in. I promise you it won't set you back in terms of time. It actually improves the traffic situation instead of making it worse. These days everyone is in a rush, and so hostile on the road. Don't be the person who made someone miss their turn because you wouldn't let them cut in.
7) Take care of the future you: In the first part of this series, I mentioned some ways of taking care of your well-being. I talked about things like eating more dark green veggies, getting some exercise, and getting enough sleep. By doing these things, you can literally prolong your life, and improve the quality of your life. The other way that I am referring to when I say take care of the future you is in the context of finances. One day we all have to stop working.
When that time comes, we want to be able to enjoy a certain quality of life and not have to depend on the government to support us. Even for those that have a 401k or a pension plan, by putting as little as $25 per month aside, we are being proactive and creating another financial resource for our future. Doing these things can only help you 20 years down the road, and your future self will thank you for it.
8) Don't spend your time trying to please other people, because you can't please everyone: I'm going to close with a story I heard in an audio program I was listening to last month. I believe I heard it from the book "High Performance Habits."
The story involves a little boy, an old man and a camel. They were traveling through the desert, and the little boy told the old man that he could ride the camel since he was elderly, and the little boy decided that he would walk. They passed a group of people who were gossiping among themselves loud enough for them to hear. They were accusing the old man of being selfish because he was making the little boy walk.
They felt bad about this and they wanted to please the people, so they switched places. The old man decided that he would walk while the little boy rode the camel. They passed another group of people who were criticizing the little boy, saying that he was selfish for making the poor old man walk. They then decided that they would both walk and perhaps the people would be pleased with them then. At this point, they passed another group of people who called them silly because they were both walking and no one was riding the camel.
They realized that they should just both ride the camel, and at last the people would be pleased. They passed the next group of spectators, who were criticizing them for being cruel to the camel, so they decided to carry the camel together. As they crossed a bridge over a stream while carrying the camel, they both lost grip of it and it fell into the stream and died. The moral of the story? Don't try to please other people, because everyone will never be pleased. Live your life based on what pleases you and what you know to be right or just.
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