The One Predictor to Your Success and Happiness

While some people find themselves annoyed at the lack of control over TSA, plane delays, and other stresses, it occurred to me last week that I’ve learned to really enjoy traveling in spite of those stresses!

On a flight, I have a chance to allow my mind to wander and reflect. I can be creative without boundaries! I’ve had some of my most creative and productive moments on airplanes, including writing the outline to my book, Leading with GRIT!

It could be the altitude (fly high and think big!), or maybe it’s the way I’ve shifted my thoughts and feelings about traveling. Or it could be the fact that I’m strapped in and forced to do something with my time on a long flight! Whatever the reason is, it has led me to realize the one predictor to your success and happiness…

Energy

How much energy do you typically have to do the things you WANT to do?

If you feel abundant energy to do the things you want to do, you have a higher probability of success, whereas if your energy is a bit scarce, you have a lower probability of success. And if your energy is depleted, you’re most likely headed for a crisis. (Oh no!)

But what impacts our energy? And how can we increase it and focus it, especially with all the interruptions and distractions we have today?

Let’s take a lesson from GRIT® on this one - We have to know and accept our own truth to get started.

We create our own experiences. Every choice we make right now is leading to a consequence later. How we think about our situation, the choice we made, and the consequences is also our choice.

If I think back years ago when I was stressed and not enjoying traveling, it was mostly due to my thoughts about it. It was also about the lack of sleep and attention to my diet, as well as blaming my work and others for my unhappiness. Yet these were all choices I made.

When we have that moment of awareness, are we being objective, realistic and kind to ourselves? Or are we discovering something and then beating ourselves up about it? Or maybe we’re making excuses for it, justifying it, when deep down we really know our actions are not something that will benefit us in the long run, or benefit others. I’m sure I was stuck in blame mode back then!

Accepting ourselves as we are right now is the key to making the change we desire.

Have you ever worked extremely hard for a goal in life only to find yourself exhausted, not fulfilled and maybe even resentful? Many of us were taught to work really hard, push yourself, make money, be something… and apparently this was not in alignment with our truth.  If you accept that you made choices that led to this, you can then be free to make choices today to move away from this. Blaming someone or something will only keep you trapped with depleted energy.

The cool thing is - you can change at any moment.

Life is full of opportunities to make changes. Too often we need something drastic to happen to wake us up and make a change. That’s why you hear from so many motivational speakers who’ve been through crisis. It was what propelled them to make a change and share it with you.

You don’t need something horrific to happen to wake up and lead you to an abundance of energy. There are all kinds of opportunities all day long, just begging you to take them!

As leaders, whether formal or informal, it’s so important to understand this predictor of success. It’s not only your deliberate actions that influence others. Your own energy is attracting or repelling those around you. Think about people in your life and the ones you enjoy being around versus the ones you have to really make an effort with. Often people aren’t even consciously aware of why they’re drawn to you or repelled. It’s a feeling they get. As John Maxwell said “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.”  

If you want to create more success and happiness in your life, start with awareness of your energy level. Accept where it is. Self-reflect on one thing you can change to increase your energy this week. Is it better sleep you need, is it your thoughts getting in your way, is it meditation or silence you need more of?

How do you typically find inspiration and creativity? How do you replenish your energy? Where do you find that you can usually focus? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Cheers,

Laurie