I met A Good DoG when thinking about the direction that I was traveling in my life. The Good DoG came through the realization that
when you stop trying to keep up, that's when you get ahead.
When you try to keep up, you place excessive focus on others' actions and behaviors. This takes focus away from that which you need to do for yourself. Learn from others, but don't obsess about them. Find your strengths and your passions - allow them to drive you. Don't resist that which you truly love simply because you haven't seen it done that way before or because you fear the perception of others. Live as yourself and you will succeed, you will earn respect, you will get ahead.
Getting ahead is attainable when you clearly identify that which makes you happy. Keeping up with others is tedious and often leads you along a path that is not meant for you, yielding undue discomfort and stress. Rather than trying to keep up with others, look to them for guidance and lessons, but refrain from meticulously modeling your approach, and your life, after theirs because factors for success vary for everyone. Be aware that success variables for your life can differ dramatically from those of even your closest friend, family member or colleague. Perhaps you desire the success of a well know business mogul, celebrity, or athlete and therefore expend all of your energy and resources on obtaining a similar level of success by trying to walk the same path that they walked. Just because the steps they took worked for them doesn't necessarily meant that the exact same steps will work for you. Some steps might be in the right direction, but because each of us is uniquely designed, we must follow our own path to achieve success. To maximize your level of success, it is imperative that you understand your individual definition of success.
Defined success exists in many different forms and combinations of forms, including wealth, fame, education, and acceptance, etc, etc, etc. Ultimately, success is defined by a combination of variables that promotes ongoing contentment in life. Being truly satisfied with your life symbolizes the purest form of success. Just because someone else is wealthy and happy doesn't mean that wealth will make you happy. It could contribute to your happiness, but doesn't serve as the sole definitive factor. Just because someone else is well educated and happy doesn't mean that education will make you happy. Again, it may contribute, but doesn't define it. Fame makes some people happy, but that doesn't mean that fame will make you happy.
From an alternate perspective, you may encounter a person that is poor and happy, but that doesn't mean being poor will make you happy. Or, you may encounter a person who is disabled and happy, but that doesn't mean a disability will make you happy. Maybe being poor and disabled would enhance your level of happiness, but people typically do not positively correlate these variables with one another. It's also possible to be wealthy, accepted, educated, and famous, yet lack contentment. This illustrates the idea that you cannot mimic the success of others simply by trying to keep up with their levels of wealth, education, fame, etc. Get ahead in your life by designing and following your exclusive recipe of factors for personal success. When you are happy, everything falls into place as it should. You will take the lead on the most important path, the path that was meant for you.
How do you define success?
Are you expending too much effort trying to keep up with the success of others?
Are you on the path aligns with your true definition of success?
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