THE STRAIGHT LINE TO SUCCESS
I've been thinking about what a successful life really looks like.
Not just success at work, in relationships or financially, but the whole picture.
And why do we so often make creating a successful life harder than it needs to be?
Perhaps an even more important question is:
What is success — and does success include being happy?
We often talk about success as though it is a destination.
A better job.
More money.
A successful business.
A soulmate relationship.
A perfect house.
The things we believe will finally make us feel that we have “made it”.
But underneath all of that, there’s something else many of us are looking for.
Happiness. Contentment. Inner peace.
If you had to put the things that matter most to you in order, what would come first?
• Work or career
• Relationships
• Family
• Health and wellbeing
• Finances
• Home and lifestyle
• Friendships
• Personal growth
• Creativity
• Spirituality or purpose
• Time and freedom
• Contribution to others
Does the way you actually live reflect that order?
There can be a surprising difference between the life you value and the life you are actually living.
Years can be spent working towards what you believe will make you successful, only to discover that when you get there, something still doesn't feel right.
Instead of wondering:
How do I achieve success?
Ask yourself:
What would a successful and happy life actually look like for me?
Finding success seems to be difficult for so many of us because we are not necessarily taught how the choices we make today can shape the life we have tomorrow.
Some people grow up seeing how money is made, how businesses work and how opportunities can be turned into something more.
Others don't.
We may be taught to work hard and get a good job, but not how our everyday decisions can shape the life we want to have.
And even when we learn how to achieve material success, that doesn't always teach us how to be happy.
Why Do We Make It So Difficult?
Instead of simply going for what we want, we often look for the perfect plan or the right opportunity.
We tell ourselves we need more confidence, more experience or more self-belief.
We search for an elusive secret that will finally make every piece of the puzzle fall into place.
But what if the answer is simpler?
What if creating a successful life becomes easier when you stop getting in the way of what you truly want?
Sometimes you can find yourself repeating the same patterns, reacting in familiar ways, and continuing to wait for your life to be different.
You may know something needs to change.
This “knowing” is something within you trying to help you, without judgement or a hidden agenda.
I believe this to be your Higher Self.
But often you don't trust that knowing.
Instead, you start thinking about what you should do.
You worry about it.
You look for another answer.
And the more you think, the more you worry, the more complicated it seems.
As your thoughts go around and around in your mind, day and night, searching for a solution, you can become so caught up in your thinking that you keep searching for an answer from the same thoughts.
The universe cannot create anything new for you if you don't change your thinking.
Now there’s a thought.
This concept isn’t new, but it’s worth reminding ourselves of it.
What we think about the most, we receive — even if it’s what we don’t want!
The Circle Or The Line?
I don't think going round in thought circles is necessarily a mistake.
Sometimes you need to think something through several times before you can truly see or understand it.
When you revisit an experience, relationship, desire or fear, you may see it from a slightly different perspective.
Sometimes going round in a circle is exactly what you need to do.
But there can also come a point when you find yourself constantly:
Thinking rather than doing.
Doubting rather than trusting.
Waiting rather than moving.
I don't feel the answer is to think harder, but to think differently.
So which are you choosing? The circle or the line?
I'll assume you've chosen the line.
On a straight line, you can see where you're going — and you can choose to change it.
You can turn the line into a circle.
Do you want to loop around again, or do you want to see where the line could take you?
A line has direction.
It takes you from where you are towards somewhere you want to be.
But where is that somewhere?
That is the question.
What If The First Question Isn't "How Do I Achieve This?"
When you want something...
What if the first question is:
IS THIS WHAT I REALLY WANT?
What if some of the desires and goals you chase aren't necessarily yours?
Sometimes, they can come from someone else's dreams and expectations, comparison, fear, what you've been taught success is supposed to look like, or simply what you think you should do.
You can spend so much of your life trying to become successful according to somebody else's definition.
And then you wonder why you aren't happy.
So before asking how to get there, perhaps you need to discover where you actually want to go.
This is where listening to your Higher Self can help you.
Sit quietly and ask:
What do I really want?
Don't try to force an answer.
Listen.
Allow yourself to become still.
When you have your answer, ask:
Do I really want to put the work in to achieve this?
Listen again.
Then ask:
If I put my energy into learning new skills and working towards this dream, is this the right path for my soul?
Notice what comes into your mind.
Ask another question, and another.
Follow the line of enquiry.
You may begin to discover what you really want and, sometimes more importantly, what you don't want.
This isn't about finding an answer that sounds right.
It's about recognising what feels true for you.
When You Know Where You Want To Go
Once you have a clearer sense of what you want, the next step isn't about relentlessly pushing towards an outcome.
It's about consciously aligning what you think, what you believe, what you choose and what you do with the life you want to have.
In other words, keep your attention on what you want, rather than giving your energy to what you don't.
This is where the straight line becomes important.
It isn't necessarily the shortest route to an achievement.
It gives you a sense of where you are going.
A way of bringing the different parts of your life closer together.
Because you can be very successful in one area of your life while feeling completely unsuccessful in another.
You can have the career, but no time to enjoy it.
You can have financial security, but little freedom.
You can have a relationship, but feel you have lost yourself within it.
You can achieve something you've wanted for years and still find yourself asking:
Is this really what I wanted?
The Line Can Change
Following a straight line doesn't mean you never change course.
You may discover something along the way that changes what you want.
You may learn something about yourself that you couldn't have known at the beginning.
You may reach a point where you realise the line you were following wasn't really yours.
So you change it.
The straight line is not about certainty.
It is about direction.
Knowing enough about yourself to make the next choice honestly, while remaining open to what you discover.
The line can change.
You can change.
And perhaps that is part of what makes a life successful.
Not knowing exactly where the line will take you, but being willing to look honestly at where you are, decide where you want to go, and take the next step.
The path might look something like this:
Question → Clarity → Choice → Action → Experience → Deeper Question → Greater Clarity → Understanding → Joy → Happiness
That is what a successful life can really look like.
It isn't only about reaching some perfect destination.
It's also about continually discovering what matters, what is true for you, and what your next step needs to be.
Draw Your Line
Take a piece of paper and draw a straight line.
At one end, write where you are now.
At the other end, write where you would like to be — what a happier, more fulfilling life might look like for you.
Now pause and ask yourself:
What might I be missing?
Don't try to find an immediate answer.
Simply pause and notice what comes to you.
Then ask:
What more might I need to understand?
And then ask yourself:
What do I really want?
Not what you think you should want.
Not what someone else wants for you.
What do you want?
You don't need to know everything that lies between the two.
You don't need to have the whole plan.
Just look at the line and ask:
What is my first step?
Not the whole journey.
Not every step you will ever need to take.
Just your first step.
Write it down.
And, when you're ready:
Try it.
The line is in front of you.
Where will it take you?
This article has been supplied by Eunice A. Stott. All content is the opinion and copyright of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of DrumRoll Promotions Ltd. If you have any questions regarding this article you may wish to contact the author direct.
