Success is an elusive prey. Some struggle hard to catch it while others seem to do it almost effortlessly. Is there a practical, surefire way to catch and tame success? As children, we managed to succeed in most things we did at school and home. Little children learn to walk and talk without a teacher and use a smartphone long before they can read. This almost limitless inborn ability is still sleeping within all of us.

Success in any field can be achieved by developing six key attributes symbolized by Heart, Mind, Body, Passion, Focus, and Health, as explained in my new inspirational book, Flying Penguin. Developing these six holistic dimensions is like developing the different skills required for excelling in any sport. It enables anyone of any age to reach the highest levels of success in their endeavors.

Heart

Heart symbolizes emotional intelligence and kindness. To develop your Heart, start with self-love. If you have no love for yourself, you cannot give love to others. Your relationship with yourself is mirrored in all your relationships with others. Once you develop self-love, you will be happy no matter what happens around you. Feeling grateful is another easy way to fill your heart with love. Gratitude is one of the best anti-depressants. It changes your point of view and makes you feel grateful for all the good things in your life.

Mind

Our left-brain is associated with the rational mind while our right-brain is related to the creative mind. Using these two halves of the brain in tandem significantly boosts brain power. Children, with their naturally well-balanced left- and right-brain consciousness, are amazing learning machines in their early years. They lose this natural mental balance as they grow older. Simple ways to reestablish whole brain integration include dancing, playing music with both hands, and doing things with the non-dominant hand.

Passion

Children are passionate about everything. As we grow older, we think that a display of passion will make us look silly or immature. On the contrary, that is what will keep you young and make you an exciting person to be with. Passionate people have an inner radiance that makes them very attractive. Doing what we love develops passion. Start doing the things that you probably did when you were younger and less worried about succeeding in life: music, dancing, painting, poetry, sports, etc. Doing what you love will make you happy, and happiness is the gateway to success – not vice versa.

Focus

Focus is about the convergence of beliefs, resources, and effort into a laser-sharp one-pointedness that can achieve ambitious goals, despite setbacks. Focus needs mindfulness to screen out distractions. Mindfulness means observing sensations and feelings with non-judgmental awareness and relaxed concentration. Chewing each mouthful mindfully at least 32 times is one of the best ways to relax your mind and develop focus. The repeated clenching of your teeth during chewing leads you to the relaxed alpha-level mental state of young children. Mentally counting the times you chew will help you to stay focused.

Health

Avoiding all forms of processed food and drink is the key to natural health. Medical missionaries who examined more than a million natives in Central Africa many decades ago found no disease, no cancer, no crime, no insanity, no alcoholism and no drug addiction among them. When they studied illnesses in villages only a few miles away, where foreigners had brought products of civilization such as white sugar and white flour, they found ulcers, heart and kidney diseases, cancer, high blood pressure, colitis, and tuberculosis.

Body

To boost your body energy, breathe deeply as you vigorously shake every part of your body including head, neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, fingers, hips and legs while bouncing gently on your heels. Do this for about one minute and then relax your mind and body and stand still for about 30 seconds. Doing this to music makes it more enjoyable. Another way is to rub your ears vigorously with your palms. Rubbing your ears helps you relax, and releases body energy trapped by feelings of stress or anxiety.

Developing all six dimensions

You can use the simple techniques described above to develop each dimension. By developing all six dimensions of success, anyone of any age can awaken the vast inborn human potential we all possessed at birth. It enables every member of your family, irrespective of age and field of activity, to reach and sustain the highest levels of success.

First appeared in Family Capers

by Dr. Asoka Jinadasa, PhD
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