Your Success “Blind Spot”

Success is a quality, not a quantity. The quality you call success is a feeling. Totally separate from the stuff you accumulate. You could have 10 cars and a great title, but if the feeling of success is missing, you're not successful.

You feel successful when you attain anything you deem meaningful. So because you define what success is to you, then you can feel successful any time you want to, for any reason you choose.

Quantum physics has proven that the entire universe consists of an infinite field of ever-expanding consciousness. Our economy reflects this expansiveness. A hundred years ago, economists scoffed at the notion that the Dow Jones would ever exceed 4,000.

Mine was the first generation to see a billionaire; today there are more than a thousand worldwide. On average, a hundred new millionaires pop up in this country every week. You see, our environment expands at the rate of the collective expansion of the members of its society.

The consciousness you experience as yourself is one unique part of this expanding field. Since success is a state of consciousness, and consciousness is both unlimited and expanding, your success doesn't detract from anyone else's success. Rather, your success adds to the expansion that benefits all of us. So there's no need to fear that you're taking something away from others.

On the other hand, if you block your abilities to embrace success and wholeheartedly go after what you want, you're caving in to fear. This fear doesn't help you; it's not protecting you from harm (which is the sole role of fear). You're not less vulnerable because you fear success. It's time to leave the safety of your metaphorical fenced-in back yard and ride your bike.

As I think about it, I don't have any physical scars from playing in my back yard as a child, but I have a scar on my right knee from falling off my bike when I was about 10 years old. What scars do you have? And, like me, did you keep riding your bike anyway? We both knew that the thrill of the ride far outweighs one wound.

Here are two ways to shed light on your success blind spot:

• Give yourself props. You're already successful a thousand times over, but I'll bet my old pink Huffy that you don't give yourself credit for your accomplishments unless they're monumental. So look around your life. Recognize your little and big achievements.

You've done a lot of things really well. You've already attained countless desires. At this point in your life, success is no stranger to you; it's your constant companion. Today, you're building on your previous successes, taking success to the next level.

Which leads us to the second light shedder:

• Explore how you can enjoy more success in more ways. You'll recall from last week's post: every fear activates your amygdala, which stops your prefrontal cortex from planning and executing the activities that lead to your success. The key to success is to stay in your prefrontal cortex.

The brain areas responsible for attention and intention are closely related. Your conscious thoughts, your intentions, tell your brain what to attend to. Accordingly, the prefrontal cortex will hatch a plan that you give attention to while you execute it. Attention converts your intentions into actions, which is the path to success.

Today's Coaching Question: What new thoughts will get you out of the back yard, onto your bike, and take success to the next level?