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Today I received an newsletter from Doug Stevenson of Story Theater International Inc. in which he spells out lessons he learned as an actor that helped him succeed in business. As I was absorbing his key points, it occurred to me that his lessons could apply to life happiness as well.
Based on some of the points shared by Doug I created this list of five ways to increase your life happiness and success.
1. Go after what you want often
Actors who want to work must audition frequently. They actively look for roles and try out countless times facing rejection before landing roles.
Likewise, you have you must try out many ways to reach your goals. If returning to school is your goal, for example, you must get up the courage to seek the right school, apply and once accepted, begin taking classes that offer challenges and much work over perhaps a number of years.
If you tell me that you want to own a restaurant one day, I expect to see you devoting a lot of your time to working in a restaurant, taking classes in culinary skills, restaurant management and networking with other restaurant owners.
If one path to your goal is blocked or inaccessible, continually look for other avenues to your success.
2. Avoid sabotaging your own success.
One of my friends is very skilled at playing the piano and wants to one day play with a band. But she keeps thinking of reasons a career in music might not work out for her. Her fears lead to lack of confidence which leads to hesitance to go after gigs that could move her toward her goal.
Her negative self-talk builds up to a crescendo that sabotages her own success before anyone else gets the chance.
Doug tells in his newsletter about a time when he thought he was wrong for a role. He had to psych himself up for the audition and trust his agent. As it turns out, the director was casting against type. So Doug was right, he wasn’t the type for the role, but he was wrong in assuming that they were looking for the typical.
As you keep exploring your options you will eventually move closer to your success. Are you talking yourself out of going for your goals? Are you rejecting yourself before anyone else has the chance?
3. Respect your role
In every cast, group, family and company there will be many roles. Each role is vital to making the whole work.
When I was writing my book, Color Your Life Happy, I would sometimes to begin to feel intimidated when I looked at all the books on happiness filling the shelves at the bookstore.
“What could my book possibly add to the field?” I lamented to my coach.
He would then remind me that no matter how many books are on the market, no one could tell my message but me. And, somewhere in the world someone was waiting to hear what I had to say about creating happiness, abundance and inner joy. Thus, there even though there are thousands of books, my book had its role and its place.
Regardless of your position in a company you play an important role. Every part in the support system helps to hold up the whole structure.
Recognize that your role, small or big, contributes to the success of the whole. Then give your all to that role. Even if you are in a job that you consider a steppingstone to your dream job, do your best work with enthusiasm and integrity. You are building the foundation for your success.
4. Build your relationships with others in the drama called Your Life.
Be careful not to view the people you pass on your path to success as collateral damage. Build relationships with the coworkers and others you meet. Some will be in your life for a short time, never to be seen again.
Others will become colleagues, partners or leads in other projects and endeavors.
You won’t necessarily be drawn into close friendships with everyone you meet, but be kind and cooperate when working together.
5. Show up for the performance.
Woody Allen said “Eighty percent of success is showing up.”
Show up in your life by actively going after your goals, attending events that interest you and getting engaged with activities that inspire and encourage you.
If you have an idea, try it out. If it fails or doesn’t work out, try something else.
Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was too stupid to learn anything. He was fired from his first two jobs for being non-productive. As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb.
When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”
Think of the sun as the spotlights on your stage of life awaiting your arrival each morning. You can’t be sure how you will be received by the world, but you can ensure your own happiness and success by showing up and giving your best performance.
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