Spiritual Solutions

Successful living starts with the realization that it is in the simple acts of day to day living that greatness begins.

To be great doesn’t necessarily mean doing something heroic. Instead, it means that when we do small things in a great way then our lives are filled with those moments in which we have lived our life to the fullest.

When we draw from the store of goodness and greatness within us, our lives reflect this in every way.

In my life and work as a minister I have been fortunate to be able to help people live more fulfilled lives.

What follows are seven secrets of successful living which will lift your life to a new level.

Nurture Your Relationships

"People who love people," so the song goes, "are the luckiest people in the world."

The other day I was reading in the paper about a mother and daughter who had experienced a difficult relationship over the years. The mother was now on the verge of death with a terminal illness, and the daughter traveled from a distant state to be with her in her final moments.

Apparently, the mother had made it known to her daughter that her death was imminent. The daughter felt that she could at least be there to be with her mother in the last moments of her life.

But the mother wasn’t ready to die yet. She wanted her daughter to be with her for a while so they could re-establish their relationship before she died.

At the time of the newspaper article, the daughter had been with her mother for over two weeks beyond the time of her "imminent" death.

She had come to realize that her mother needed her to be there so they could recall together times they had enjoyed with each other over the years. The daughter found she was grateful for that opportunity.

Wisdom literature teaches that a successful life is defined by the quality of your relationships.

The newspaper story reminded me that we are at our best when our relationships are strong and that we find fulfillment as we nurture them.

If you are lacking fulfillment in your life, look to your relationships and consider what you can do to nurture them. You will be pleasantly surprised by the results you experience.

Do the Things You Love to Do

Children show a contagious enthusiasm when they are doing something they love to do, and they bring joy to everyone around them.

How about you? Do you still have a childlike enthusiasm? Are you still doing the things you love to do?

What would the child you once were think of the adult you have become?

When we were kids, there were so many things we could get excited about. Our eyes would sparkle and we would be fully engaged in the things we loved.

As adults we sometimes stop doing those things we love and our lives are apt to lose some of the sparkle.

Do you enjoy your career, your home, your hobbies, and the people in your life?

If you want to bring a surge of joy back into your life, start doing some of those things you really loved as a child.

Never stop doing the things you love and you will watch your life soar.

Be True to Yourself

Truth is not just something we learn about, or the difference between honesty and dishonesty. It is something we are called to live out. It is the fullest expression of our own lives.

So often we succumb to what we feel others or society in general expect of us and we suppress the natural expression of who and what we are.

We find ourselves in careers that do not fulfill our souls and we find ourselves involved in activities that are not to our liking.

Listen to your heart if you want to live out the truth of what you are. Reap the rewards of being true to yourself.

What is it you truly want to express? How do you see yourself? What does your heart tell you that you’d love to do?

Authentic living means greater fulfillment in your life. Does your outer experience match your inner desire?

Make sure you honor yourself in your journey through life – remember you are the person you have to live with!

Turn Stumbling Blocks into Stepping Stones

Adversity can often be the precursor of success, and failure gives us the opportunity to learn from our mistakes. Our past can serve to help us become wiser in the present and future.

In my own life I have learned the most from difficult experiences. I have found that when things seem to be falling apart they are often in fact falling together in a greater order.

One philosopher has said that “chaos gives birth to dancing stars.” I love that!

Every setback or seemingly negative event can be fuel for your fire in the future.

Adversity can be turned into adventure, stumbling blocks into stepping stones, wounds into wisdom.

A failure is not a failure unless you name it so, letting your hopes be deflated and your feelings hurt.

As always, you can turn within to adjust your perceptions of the event and be better for it.

Make Your Mark on the World

Generations after you are gone, what will be your contribution to the world that will be remembered by other people?

Each of us wants to live for something more than ourselves; we want to leave our mark on the world.

Ask yourself what value you are bringing to not only your own life but to the lives of people around you.

It doesn’t have to be something that has a global impact. Great acts of courage, commitment, and contribution can add tremendous value to an organization or a community.

A single person can bring special value to others through their chosen careers, or to a church, to a school, or to their own family.

Make your mark on the world while you are here. Be a blessing to yourself and others.

Live From Within-Out

Power comes from accepting total responsibility for your own life.

This means doing the inner work that you need to do, letting go past mistakes and old beliefs that contributed to them.

Stop blaming others for what has happened in the past or is happening in the present.

Every time you blame some other person or situation or circumstance you take power away from yourself and reduce your chances of success.

Take the time to get clear about your life, what you want to achieve, what you want to have. Set your intention and write it out in the form of a life purpose or mission.

Then identify the different areas of your life and see how your endeavors in each area contribute to your overall purpose.

Go to seminars, read books, listen to audio tapes, set yourself up with a journal and work with it on a regular basis, pray and meditate and ask for God’s guidance.

Be open, receptive, and responsive to that guidance, and then move forward in the way that is for your highest good and the highest good of those around you.

Challenge Yourself

Adventure and challenge add interest to life and help bring excitement and enthusiasm to our days and years. They also have the added advantage of bringing greater results and success in our living.

It’s easy to get complacent, doing the same thing in the same way with the same people every day. If you want to see a new reality in your life, make a commitment to do some things differently.

Read a book you would not normally read, try some different kinds of food you’ve never had before, plan a trip to somewhere you’ve never been, volunteer your time at your church, a soup kitchen, or some other not-for-profit organization in your community, take up a hobby that is new and different.

As you infuse your days with new challenges and new interests, taking a risk and stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to have a lot of fun and you’ll begin to see new results in your life.

At the end of your life you will have few regrets, your heart will be full, and your accomplishments many.