Italian Restaurant

Continuing my “26 Weeks to Freedom” accountability project, yesterday and today I’ve been gaining some new insights into success, change, pursuing goals, and all that sort of thing from three different sources–one of which was unexpected and more on the order of what NOT to do in pursuit of your dreams! (I’ll save that one for last.)

First, Bob Proctor (whom I’ve written about recently) has a great online program called “Six Minutes to Success” which I’ve just re-subscribed to for daily inspiration and staying on track while trying to achieve my goals. Each weekday, Bob sends out a brief 1- or 2-minute video in which he’s talking about a particular principle or concept of success (he’s been mastering all of them for the past 40 or 50 years!). Then, my (our) task is to use the subsequent 4 or 5 minutes to do a short written exercise related to whatever he talked about in the video–as well as consciously putting it into practice throughout the day. This is an effective way to learn and stay aware each day of these time-tested steps to personal change. If you’re curious, you can check it out along with Bob’s other programs at www.BobProctor.com.

Next, Frank McKinney (whom I’ve also highlighted recently in these posts) has a great new book (one of several he’s written about his philosophy of work and life) called “The Tap.” It’s all about recognizing and acting upon the “higher calling” each of us receives to use our blessings, talents, and success to benefit others less fortunate. I’ve read part of it so far, and am very impressed with Frank’s passion in this regard. (As I’ve mentioned before, Frank creates ultra-luxurious oceanfront homes for billionaires, but then takes the profits and builds entire villages for the poorest of the poor in Haiti and elsewhere.) I also received a copy of Frank’s new DVD featuring his 2009 experience running the brutal Death Valley “Badwater” race, entitled “Life Lessons Learned While Chasing the White Line from Hell to Heaven.” Pretty amazing stuff. You can find his books and DVD at www.Frank-McKinney.com.

Finally, the unexpected source I found as a reminder of what NOT to do in pursuit of success is the autobiography recently written by Andy Williams. (If you’re too young to remember, Andy was an extremely popular singer and television personality back in the 1960s, as well as being a close friend of Robert F. Kennedy.) In the book, he tells the story of his rise to great success in show business, while sprinkling in lots of stories about other very famous entertainers he knew along the way. The book is both fascinating and depressing, because it demonstrates (yet again) the tremendous price famous people often pay in exchange for their success. Broken marriages, ignored children, alcoholism and other drug abuse, association with underworld power-brokers…behind the wealthy, glamourous facade of show biz success, there is often a staggering price to be paid. I doubt if it’s any different today, and may well be worse than it was back then. (If you’re curious, Andy Williams’ book is called “Moon River and Me.”)

So, how is that relevant to the rest of us who are NOT in show business, and never will be? Because it demonstrates what can easily happen when people (no matter what kind of success they are trying to pursue) don’t have their priorities straight. They’re likely to be seduced by the all-consuming quest for money (and power, fame, material possessions, or whatever) while not realizing how unbalanced their lives have become until they’ve alienated the people around them and it’s too late. And that’s just the kind of thing that Frank McKinney and Bob Proctor are addressing in their message on how achieve success the right way. If we take the time to think—in advance and as we go along—about what is really important in life and how we can best use our talents for the benefit of others (using the time-tested principles of business and spiritual success), we’ll be much better off and have far more satisfying lives than many of those “rich and famous” we’re supposed to idolize.

If you’re curious about how I’m doing on this 26-week “accountability”
project–including the full, unedited blog postings for each day as I go along (with videos, photos, comments, and other links)–please visit my Creating an Internet Business blog site. I’ll look forward to seeing you there!