When life isn’t going the way you want, wouldn’t it be great to turn it around in your favor; to tilt the world your way a bit?! The good news is that everyone has a Recipe For Success; life ingredients, that when mixed together in the proper proportions reward us with fulfillment, happiness, and success. They make life exciting again.
A sad fact is that only certain people know their recipe well enough to access it when they most need it. Lots of people could be happier than they currently are. Knowing your Recipe For Success allows you to quickly transform a marginal situation into a memorable one.
The process to identify your recipe is simple and fun.
Step 1: Open a blank word doc or find a blank sheet of paper and label it Exciting Time #1.
Step 2: Here’s the fun part. Think about a time when life was fantastic; you were happy, content, and at peace. Identify all the things that made it great, and write them down.
Categories to consider might include:
- Relationships – with whom, how much time you spent with each person
- Living arrangement – where, what type, what made it memorable
- Free time – activities, how much or often, with whom
- Job / career situation – type of work, hours spent, commute distance
- Daily attitude about life – why it was what it was
- Other significant events / characteristics
Step 3: Create a similar list for a second and third time, and label them Exciting Time #2 & #3.
Step 4: Compare the three lists and identify items that all three lists have in common. Add them to list #4 titled Recipe for Success.
Note: In identifying the items the lists have in common, list their general characteristic rather than the specific one. For instance, if you had a different job on each list, but what they had in common was that you enjoyed them and they were rewarding, add an enjoyable, rewarding job to list #4 rather than the title of each job. Or, if you lived in three different locations, but they were all pleasant surroundings, add lived in pleasant surroundings to list #4.
Step 5: Compare the lists a second time, identify items on two of the three lists, and add them to list #4.
Step 6: Look at all three lists a third time. Is there any item from one list that is so important to your happiness you want to add it to list #4? If so, add it. Now take a long, hard look at list #4.
What you just created is a personalized template or Recipe For Success; ingredients that when mixed together in the proper proportions have proven in the past to lead to happiness and enjoyment. Anytime you want to change your life in a positive direction, it’s a simple process to look at your Recipe and compare it to the current state of your life.
Doing so will reveal what to keep, change or create. While you may not be able to immediately adjust life to what your recipe requires, knowing what to do is step one to creating a happier you! Cook on my friend!
That’s my perspective, what’s yours? Leave us a comment or question below this post and don’t miss the video on this topic on YouTube!