I recently saw the movie Margin Call whose main characters are highly overpaid mucky-mucks in the financial industry. Something about the blatant and exaggerated consumerism and competitiveness of the characters in Margin Call really clarified my take on how we determine what success is. That is, how each of us defines success is shaped by the core values we hold as well as the external expectations of our social environment. For example, I think for most of us actually feeling useful contributes more to our feeling successful than having more money than our peers. Being in the experience of success is another thing entirely and is fundamental to moving powerfully forward in our lives.
If you are like many people, you probably have some vague notion of what success is and suspect that if it happens to you, you’ll know it. In the mean time, you plug away at your life hoping to get caught up or to just stay afloat. Or perhaps you regularly plan for and achieve your goals and are pleased when you do but feel anything but successful. There is also a chance that the concept of success doesn’t resonate at all for you. If not, pick another word that does resonate that means something along the lines of, you feel satisfied and sufficient.
The basic process of experiencing success is supposed to go something like this. Step 1: Define what goals lead to success. Step 2: Complete the things that bring about your goals. Step 3: Feel successful. Makes sense, right? Ah! But wait! This model kind of sucks because in Step 1. and Step 2, you don’t get to feel successful. And there is no guarantee you will feel successful by the time you get to Step 3. Achieving your goals may never feel like it’s enough.
What if no amount of achievement leads to a lasting feeling of success or satisfaction? What if you know there is someone you are supposed to become but your feelings have actually acted as powerful obstacles to you showing up fully in your gifts? I have developed a lot of intellectual tools to out-think our egos. I have been blessed to watch many people create new experiences of themselves by trying new actions and getting new results. However, there is a limit to how far these intellectual tools can take you if your feelings are constantly trying to trip you up.
At some point, to truly move forward with your full potential toward satisfying soulful success, you will need to get your feelings on board with the rest of your talents, core values, and callings. There are many roads to aligning your being with your doings. By far the most powerful method I have run across is the Enteleos Mapping process developed by Joe Shirley. I have found this work to shift my internal battles with myself into an easy relationship that flows, freeing up my energy to do the important work I want to do in the world. Outthinking myself takes a lot of energy because I am pretty smart! To find out more about Joe Shirley and the Enteleos Mapping process, visit www.Enteleos.com or call 360-399-6575.