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Some experts from “7 Ways to Discover Deep and Lasting Happiness” by Seamus Anthony:

Decide What Your One Thing is and Stick to it

You must search your heart and discover (or re-discover) what the one thing you want to do with your life is, and then you must stick to that at all costs.

….Opportunities abound – but if you do not choose a single definite major purpose then you will simply bounce from shiny-thing to shiny-thing without ever making any real progress. And this will leave you unfulfilled.

For some reason it is important to your mental and spiritual health to feel that you are working towards a goal that for you holds meaning AND that this work is also meaningful along the way so that you can …

Get Your Head Out of the ‘Future Fantasy’

….Embrace the paradox. Choose a goal that you absolutely must achieve and work your butt off towards attaining this goal and meanwhile completely detach from the result and you will experience the form of deep lasting happiness that is called ‘flow’.

That’s why you must enjoy doing your One Thing along the way. You’ve got to love the work itself, not just pin your hopes for being happy on attaining the result.

Because results don’t always bring happiness, and when they do, they tend not to last. And results themselves tend to fade, which means they will require constant upkeep so you must enjoy the process of working towards your goal.

The way to do this is by getting your head out of the Future Fantasy. Don’t think “I’ll be happy when …” because you won’t. The only time you have to be happy is NOW and being happy now takes practice and is not determined by external factors alone.

….Get your head out of the Future Fantasy.

The key traits according to the author, Eric Hamm:

1. 1. An Independent Nature
2. 2. Self Confidence
3. 3. Persistence
4. 4. A Big Imagination
5. 5. A Thick Skin
6. 6. Clarity of Self Understanding
7. 7. Clarity of Intent
8. 8. Focus
9. 9. Optimism
10. 10. Passion

So my question is whether having 7 out of 10 traits can still lead to a life of success. I need to further refine my self confidence, as I often allow insecurities to overshadow my inner confidence. Depending on the circumstances, I would not always characterize myself as having ‘thick skin’. And lastly, I don’t approach life with a ‘big imagination’, instead I am rather cautious at times and focus more on being realistic and practical in my endeavors.

This article gave me more to ponder as I evaluate my New Year’s Resolutions for 2009 and the areas I want to focus on for self-improvement.

Just a few neat images I downloaded…

Quote from Elizabeth Gilbert on the “The Physics of The Quest”:

“If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared – most of all – to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself….then truth will not be withheld from you.”

Watch QuickTime video from Penguin Group website (http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780143038412,00.html#):