Success, 14 Truths

The Basics

Stay Healthy: Respect your body. It is your most vital tool. Eat well. Stay active. Sleep.

Respect Yourself: Dress well. Stay clean. Give yourself a clean place to live.

Love Yourself: You must, must, must be your own biggest supporter. Treat yourself with the same compassion you would offer your children. Commit to yourself. Commit to doing what it takes to make yourself happy and successful.

Be Kind: To yourself, to others. Everyone knows the pain of loss, of loneliness, of dreams dashed and heartbreak. We're all in this together. Really. Do your part to make the journey enjoyable for those you share the road with.

The Next Step

Seek Growth: Learn, educate yourself, ask questions, always seek to move forward, to face bigger challenges.

Celebrate Success: Appreciate and honor what you've accomplished.

Play to Win: You owe it to yourself, your playmates in life, the universe that put you here, to always play to win. You might not always, but if you're not trying, you're wasting our time and your own.

Protect Your Integrity: You are responsible for making sure your faith remains strong. This means choosing what you allow to influence you, and who gets to impact you.

The Expansion

Accept Responsibility for Your Own Happiness: Your life is the result of how you have chosen to be. Your happiness is in your hands. If you're not happy, change.

Understand that You are the Maker of Reality: You are a part of the world. To make it a better place, make your own life a point of joy and inspiration.

Honor your Bliss: Love exists for a reason. Commit yourself to spending your energy on what you love. You'll only get this one chance.

Pay Attention: Life is happening now, here. It is not happening on the other end of a smartphone, or in your past, or even in your dreams about the future. You want a good life? Then make use of it as it happens, not after the fact.

Never Lie: Dishonesty, even in small things, is a concession to a world that does not exist, to your own weaknesses, or to false expectations. Each lie degrades your reality a little bit further. Nothing useful can grow out of such soil.

Worship your Divinity: God, the Universal One, Karma, your inner Buddha. Whatever it is, it is on your side if not something you are a part of. Recognize the power that comes with being an expression of God.

Photo credit: Simply CVR on Flickr