Is Success an Inside-Out Job?
Sarah Alexander
Is Success an Inside-Out Job?
As Global Women looking to be successful in the world, I believe it is time to re-evaluate our ideas on success. Traditionally, success is linked with achievement: the ability to set a target and reach it; the ability to create economic wealth from a business concept or career; the ability to acquire material possessions and have financial security. In short, we have come to think of achievement and success as things we achieve in the physical or “outside” world.
But is there more to success than this?
Our inner wisdom is available to us all, to guide us to “our” success, our fulfilment and our sense of peace and happiness. This wisdom guides us through our inner world of thoughts and feelings and through the synchronicities in our lives. We receive this guidance by being aware of our inner nudges and gut feelings about which situations, people and business ideas and thinking are truly for us to embrace. This inner wisdom is able to see much further ahead in our lives than we are able to see, and as a result is able to guide us to what is right for us to create and achieve in the material world.
Our inner wisdom also guides us to focus not just on what we are doing, but also on who we are being in any situation. Our inner guidance encourages us to be kind, loving, understanding, compassionate, open, and giving the best of our heart and the best of our mind in all circumstances. With this focus on who we are being, I believe we can re-define success to encompass these qualities so that we are able to embrace them anytime and anywhere. From this, we are then able to truly feel successful in any situation.
Here are five steps to listening more fully to your inner wisdom, so your success can then be an inside-out job:
Step one: Take time out
The value of regularly taking time out from your business/career situation is that it enables you to see the bigger picture, not only of your business/career but also of your life. It gives you the opportunity to see where your business might naturally be headed and allows you time to gain insight on what might naturally be your best next steps.
By doing this, short term difficulties and frustrations become smaller as you re-focus on the bigger picture of what you are to achieve. You have time also to re-focus on what is important to you and how much time and energy you are giving to what is of value to you.
Step two: Spend time daily in meditation or contemplation
Time spent in the morning preferably, going within and using some form of meditation practice is invaluable. Even just ten minutes spent focusing on your breath so that you start your day with a sense of inner connection is sufficient. The importance of morning meditation is that it gives you the opportunity to set up your mind to be open and receptive to intuitive insights, as well as the input you give it to prepare your day with positive intentions. Throughout your day you then receive the guidance you need, as well as enhanced clarity of thought, another benefit of morning meditation practice.
Step three: Act upon your inner impulses
When you receive an inspired idea or a strong gut feeling to say, or do something, it is important that you act upon it. Often these inner impulses seem unrelated to where you think you should be going or what you should be doing, yet it is important to remember that there is a higher intelligence at play here that really does know what is best for you and for the greater good. So, if you are guided to people and situations that seem unrelated to your chosen outcomes, go with this guidance for it is always to be relied upon and this very action often is part of the path to your success.
Be aware, your inner wisdom can guide you to situations that seem beyond your comfort zone. This is because it knows your unconditioned Magnificent Self that is capable of far more than your limited thinking realises. If you take the bold step of following your strong, intuitive hunches, the benefits will be worth it. You will receive many gifts for stepping courageously forward!
Step four: Know what inspires and energises you
You know what activities or people open you up to your inspiration, and give you the energy to move forward. To feel inspired and motivated it is important that you allocate regular time to these activities. It may be time spent outside in a beautiful place in nature; it may be time spent reading inspirational literature or listening to music or time spent with people who are in themselves an inspiration. Recognise the value of incorporating this in your routine on a regular basis, for if you are to give of your best, you need this regular energising input.
Step five: Know what success means to you
It is worth spending time focusing within and gaining clarity on exactly what success does mean to you. If you choose to believe that true success is not just about achievement but also about how you show up as a person in every situation, you then have the opportunity to be successful all the time, even when things are not going well in some area of your life. By re-defining success to include higher values such as loving kindness shown both towards yourself and towards others, you are then available for success permanently. As a result you will feel much happier and more successful!
To sum up then, success can come easily and effortlessly by being guided from within in all that you do. And, it can also come through sharing your values, talents and passions with others, perhaps those less fortunate. The more people you positively affect with your talents and passions – even when there is no possibility of a return – the more fulfilled you will feel. It is possible to feel good all the time if you are willing to make success an ‘inside-out’ job.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Sarah Alexander is a coach, mentor, author and speaker with 14 years’ coaching experience. Sarah has worked with international sports competitors, executives from multinationals and successful entrepreneurs. She is the founder of a coaching and training system called MAGNIFICENCE.
Sarah Alexander has had a daily meditation practice for over 18 years and brings that quietness of mind and inner connection to her coaching. She offers intuitive guidance in her coaching conversations which gives clarity, inspiration and peace of mind. She is the author of ‘Spiritual Intelligence in Business: The Eight Pillars of 21st Century Business Success’ and ‘Spiritual intelligence in Leadership: From Manager to Leader in Your Own Life’
For full details and to download Sarah’s ‘Eight Top Tips on How To Be Magnificent’ go to www.coachingmagnificence.com
