The fifth Secret to an Excellent Life: Planning to Succeed

In previous articles, we’ve looked at the attributes of people with Excellent Lives, and we began with personal integrity. From there we moved on to the excitement that comes from having a crystal clear vision coupled with the power of self-discipline and unstoppable optimism.

In this article, we turn to the more practical nuts-and-bolts of creating an excellent life.

Change and how it comes about is a strange thing.

Today was clean up day on my desk. Now, everyone who knows me would realise MY desk is NEVER untidy but, I did it anyway. After all the dust had settled the only thing left was this piece I am posting now.

I don't even know how long I’ve had it sitting there. I do know however, every time I feel a bit stuck it turns up to remind me of the very first flip chart I ever saw in a personal growth seminar, over 20 years ago: FOR THINGS TO CHANGE, FIRST I MUST CHANGE. I also know it feels right to put it up here, NOW!!

Its In Everyone Of Us

I find it quite funny when people derive 'meaning' from a word that was invented to capture just that. How well a word is defined, depends on the insights people had at that time. And you can't make flower and eggs from a cake..

Analysing the origin of the word intelligence is not the same as explaining intelligence. As far as genius is concerned - I find the following indicators fairly accurate:

The fourth Secret to an Excellent Life: Optimism- nothing works without it!

For the past few articles, we’ve been talking about the behaviours and traits that create excellent lives, and although one is no more important than another nothing works without optimism. Successful people expect to win, they expect favourable outcomes, they visualise the results they want IN ADVANCE, and they fully expect reality to match what they have imagined.

The Third Secret to an Excellent Life: The Feedom of Self-Discipline!

Self Discipline, now that doesn’t sound like to much fun and the idea of writing about it isn’t to attractive either. However, after studying people I consider to have excellent lives, who are very successful in all areas personal and professional, I can’t avoid the truth: Successful people do what needs doing. They keep their commitments. They do the hard things and always finish what they start. People who seem to be less successful avoid doing the things more successful people do.