So now we come to the end of quite a long series. We are trying to answer the question "What Makes A Happy And Successful Life?" As we saw, there are many dimensions to this question.
Article 2 examined motivation and how it can contribute to our success through our commitment to improving ourselves by motivating ourselves.
The essence of motivation is picking a goal that will intrinsically motivate ourselves. We looked at motivation 2 more times in this series.
In Article 3 we examined goal setting in more detail. We talked about SMART goals and chunking down our actions to make goals more achievable.
We also made a distinction between goals (things we want) and values (things we consider to be important). It is important to understand that a goal is simply something that fulfils a value.
Ultimately we recommended starting a journal to make you become aware of what your values are.
In Article 4 we looked at 20 qualities of a successful life. These include, amongst others, sincerity, honesty, humility and personal integrity.
Part 5 discussed 2 ways to manage your life. These are Stress Management and Time Management.
With stress management there are at least six methods to do this, including meditation and mindfulness.
We also discussed 7 tips on managing your time, including ensuring you have clear goals and objectives, setting the correct priorities, and always making time for life outside of your work.
In Part 6, we delved into motivation for a second time in the series.
We talked about 2 separate types - intrinsic and extrinsic motivation - and suggested you set yourself a challenge to motivate yourself. We gave you a tip on overcoming 'overwhelm' called 'What 3 Plays'
Part 7 discussed 6 ways to maximise your potential. These included being an avid reader, expanding your exposure to life, finding a good coach or mentor, as well as other things.
In Article 8, we discussed ways of crushing your limiting beliefs. We are all brought up with beliefs about life, people, work, etc.
Some of these beliefs serve us (they are empowering) and others do not serve us (they are limiting beliefs).
We discuss 5 ways to eliminate limiting beliefs that include positive thinking, relaxation and meditation, perseverance, opportunism and self inspiration.
We also briefly looked at 'The Work' by Byron Katie.
In Article 9, we delved back into the topic of motivation in more detail.
We talked about the 3 facets of motivation - arousal, direction/focus and persistence, as well as other factors that trigger motivation.
We then discussed 5 reasons why motivation is important to lead a happy and successful life.
Part 10 dealt with aspects of self education, an important factor in a happy and successful life.
We pointed out that getting an appropriate amount of education, self directed or not, is important but not essential.
Some very successful people, including Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs, were incredibly successful and happy, but who were also college drop outs, who never stopped learning despite making mistakes.
Part 11 talked about our social relationships and how we can use them to become happy and successful in life.
Tip 1 recommended focusing on the motivations and passions of others in your social realm.
Tip 2 suggested that making complaints on their own is a net social negative and you should 'complain strategically' by pointing out a mutual problem and proposing a solution.
In Article 12 we talked about maintaining a healthy work/life balance.
These tips included: talking small breaks during the day, prioritising your time and planning accordingly, making a clear distinction between work time and 'life time', as well as taking leave regularly.
At home, planning to relax on a regular basis, devolution of tasks amongst family members, exercising and hobbies, meditation, etc.
We also recommended taking a role in your local community and 'giving forward' to them.
Article 13 took a look at why people are unsuccessful. Here we included more on limiting beliefs, taking responsibility for your actions, as well as persisting and persevering in tough times.
Additionally, we suggested being flexible not rigid, and planning vs no planning at all.
We recapped SMART goals (see Article 3) as well as recommending believing in yourself, being resourceful, and eliminating fear.
Part 14 looked at 6 ways to deal with challenging situations in life.
Initially we pointed out that it all starts in the mind and the way we see things - whether something is bad or good is largely a choice, even if it is not a conscious one.
In Part 15, to counter Part 13, we looked at 7 qualities of successful people.
These include having a positive mental attitude, valuing time, being accountable, being proactive, being creative, communicating well, and resilience.
We also refer you to another series called 13 Essentials For Success to get more information.
Finally in Part 16, we do one last deep dive into the topic of motivation.
We talk about the 3 dimensions of the mind that lead to motivation and look at the role of positivity, as well as refer you to an excellent article called '16 Things You Can Do To Stay Stay Motivated'
This series has been an in depth look at success and happiness - how to understand how to be successful at what you do and to be happy in the process.
It is pointless being 'successful' if you are not happy doing so. Likewise people may think they are happy in life, but they may not be as successful as they would like.
I truly hope you have gotten a lot out of this series and wish you Happiness and Success as you go about your life!