Keith Lightfoot Blogosphere

We often learn by observing “what not to do”.

By studying the formula for failure we can discover the ingredients for our own success.

“The wise have more to learn from the fools, that the fools from the wise” Erasmus’s Apophthegmata

HOW TO AVOID SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS

1. Protect your mind from any valuable information

Make sure that your brain diet consists only of advertisements, soap operas, newspapers, gossip magazines and trash. This may sound difficult, but most of your daily intake can be achieved simply by turning on the television. We all know that fast-food is bad for our health, so most of us would never consider eating from the trough of free radicals on a regular basis, yet we deliberately poison our greatest asset with junk-food every day. Should your brain begin to surface or complain about the diet, alcohol or dugs will quickly get you back in the groove of stupidity.

The key to success in this area is to avoid thinking at any cost!

2. If it feels good, do it

I fear Sir Richard Branson’s famous philosophy of “Screw it, let’s do it” has been misunderstood. Richard is one of the world’s greatest thinkers and his decisions are based on facts, wisdom, courage, intuition and experience, not pure feelings. In the 1960’s people wanted love and peace at any price, and were prepared to take drugs, have sex with whoever/whenever they felt like it, and if necessary go to war and kill for it! Somehow we have all carried this ”governed by feeling” lifestyle into 2010, often with no real understanding of why the movement started, or how it is destroying our own life.

The key to success in this area is to always do what you feel, despite the consequences!

3. Hang around with like minded people

Motivational speakers and business mentors constantly talk about the importance of association, with “like minded people”. Napoleon Hill lists the “Mastermind Group” as one of the most powerful tools on the road to wealth in every area of your life. The same principle applies to misery and failure. Make sure you frequently associate with negative, critical, foolish people and your unhappiness is assured.

The key to success in this area is to blend in, even it means losing your soul and your dream!

4. Be stubborn

“To continue to do, what you have always done, and expect a different result” would be considered insane. Yet most people do exactly that, every day of their life! Barbara Tuchman defines stubbornness as “It consists in assessing a situation in terms of preconceived fixed notions while ignoring or rejecting any contrary signs. It is action according to wish, while not allowing oneself to be deflected by the facts”. One of your greatest assets in this area is your association with like minded stubborn people. They will support you and help you to stay on your course of mental destruction.

The key to success in this area is to learn nothing new and always seek advice from uninformed people!

5. Criticise everybody for everything they do

It is so easy to find fault in everybody. Nobody is ever going to match your expectations, so be liberal in your criticism and sprinkle a little negativity on everyone, behind their back. Perhaps imagine yourself as a eunuch in a harem. You can see what everybody else is doing, you can criticise the technique, but you don’t have the balls to do it yourself. Be especially mindful of the “law of sowing and reaping” in this area of your life, because whatever comes out of your mouth is likely to come back full circle via one of your like minded friends.

The key to success in this area is to be consistent and ruthless in your flow of back stabbing remarks!

There you have it! Five simple lessons to stay spiritually, mentally, physically and financially bankrupt.

To achieve wisdom, happiness, purpose and peace … just “flip” the lessons and apply the principles in reverse.

“If men could learn from history, what lessons it might teach us. But passion and party blind our eyes, and the light which experience gives us is a lantern on the stern which shines only on the waves behind us.” Samuel Coleridge

Special thanks and acknowledgement to Philip Baker, the author of “Wiseheart, the forgotten factor of success” for his inspiration for this blog

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to get caught up in the things that go wrong?

It is hard to be mindful of how well your other three tyres are performing when you suddenly have a puncture in one. On occasions we even allow ourselves to dwell on the things that have not yet happened, but might go wrong.

I hear people complaining all the time about their life, their kids, their spouse, their car, their health, their house, their job, their clothes, their weight, their voice, their friends, their hair, their feet and their faith.

Some people say “they got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning”, I am just pleased to get out of “any side of the bed” every morning!

There is a famous saying … “Never complain about what you permit!”
Either fix it, by changing yourself (the most likely cause for your complaints) or by changing your circumstances!

You get one shot at this brief time on earth, just one short burst of human existence.
Despite what some people tell me, I have seen no evidence of anyone having another go, in the same human form, or as a snail, a dog, a bird or a unicorn.

I believe that when you are dead and gone on this earth, you are dead and gone! That’s it!
(Where you go after you die and why, is a whole other subject).

Whatever you thought was important, the colour of your teeth, the shape of your bum, the size of your house, the size of your car, the colour of your skin or the size of your nose, is now completely and absolutely of no consequence to you, or anyone else.

As I drove through the streets of the city early this morning, I glanced at the bedroom lights of the semi darkened houses and wondered how many people were already unhappy with their day:
-“Oh no, don’t tell me it’s raining again”
-“I hate Monday morning; I wish it was Friday already”
-“Do we have to go to your Mother’s house tonight for dinner; phone her and cancel it”
-“Your cat has been sick on the kitchen floor again, I am fed up with our life”
-“Have you seen the newspaper this morning, it says that petrol is going up again, we will never get ahead”
-“I bet our useless car will not start again this morning”
-“Nothing ever goes right for us”

So I started a list to see if “at least” 20 positive things happened in my morning:
1.I woke up, which is a huge bonus, because one day I won’t
2.Our kettle still works and I was able to enjoy a delicious hot coffee
3.The lights in our house came on again when I flicked the switch, the fridge was still keeping the food cold, the heater works and the oven produced some awesome porridge under the watchful care of my beautiful lady.
4.My computer popped into action again, the email connection works quickly and seamlessly.
5.Great friends and family have written to me overnight, sharing their news, photos and stories, and telling me how much they love me and value my friendship.
6.The sun is shining again, albeit behind the rain clouds, but it is definitely shining, otherwise it would be dark
7.The house protected me from the weather as I prepared for the day and now the car is keeping me warm and dry from the rain drops as I cruise along
8.The engine runs, the brakes work, the wipers swish back and forth, the gearbox does its thing and all the bulbs seem to turn on and off when they are supposed to
9.My cell phone woke up when I pressed the buttons and made it self available again for the day
10.The traffic lights are working and organising the traffic with their little coloured lights
11.The city council rubbish collectors were whisking away my garbage in their new trucks
12.My wife told me she loved me, kissed me and hugged me as we parted company for the day
13.I have been blessed with the ability to see, feel, hear, taste, think, walk, talk and pray
14.There are clothes and shoes, that fit me, in my wardrobe, and I have a choice of what to wear
15. I am free to travel wherever and whenever I want to in the world
16.The day is mine to design, I can go to work, or stay home, stay in bed or get up, walk the beach or visit a friend, we all have the ability to decide our day
17.I felt the wind touch my face as I walked and was reminded of the line in the movie “a walk to remember” which says “Love is like the wind. You cannot see it but you can always feel it!”
18.Just by opening the pantry, I am presented with a huge range of food choices
19.My children are alive and well and making their way in the world
20.I can read, write, speak and learn whatever I wish to learn
21.There is enough money in my bank account to provide the basic necessities for my family

This list could easily be shorter, or longer, depending on your willingness to look for the “good things” in life.

Everybody talks about the “glass being half empty or half full”. Forget the glass! Start to focus on your life, look beyond your current obstacles and dare to imagine a life full of health, happiness and love.

Find some uplifting and positive movies, books, audio and plug yourself into some new thoughts. Hang around uplifting people, seek out a mentor and begin to grow.

Dare to dream and become all that you were created for.

Only YOU have the power to change YOUR life!

NOTE: Please feel free to add your “positive things” to my list by submitting a comment to this blog.

Somewhere in all of us is the desire to succeed.

It may be in the area of sport, music, literature, finance, art, our career, or to be a good parent and leave a legacy of truth, commitment and love for future generations.

So why do we avoid the obvious, proven and free wisdom of the ages that waits for us in library books and in people who have accomplished success.

We want to know How to Win Friends and Influence People, find peace, be loved unconditionally, bring out the best in others, know our purpose and learn the secret of life and creation.

Yet for most of our existence we blunder our way through each precious allocation of 365 days, we reflect on all the things we meant to do, we participate in lotto voluntary tax payments and we complain about our job, debts, government, spouse and health,

These thoughts were sparking back and forth in my mind last week as I walked past some of my favourite books and wondered how I could encourage others to take the first step and begin to read.

It appears to me that everybody likes to talk about achieving The Four Hour Work Week, of finding The Success Principle That Never Fails and learning The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

People are always saying Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, telling us How to Stop Worrying and Start Living and suggesting that it is possible to achieve Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude.

Maybe it really is possible to find The Secret, to uncover The Greatest Miracle in The World and to understand that A Setback is a Setup for a Comeback.

Statistics tell us that 42% of all college graduates never read another book yet we know in our heart that continuous learning is essential to making the most of what the world has to offer to us.

Maybe somewhere in these words you will find your way to Think and Grow Rich and discover that Enthusiasm Makes the Difference.

I encourage you to find your own way, Follow Your Heart, look for the Acres of Diamonds that lie hidden in your beautiful spirit and take time to read The Official Guide to Success because Every Second Counts and Attitude is Everything.

Remember, It Only Takes a Minute to Change Your Life!

Authors Note:

My early years as a testosterone carrying, career oriented, self centred, computer guru, eventually cost me my marriage, my children and my health. I was so wrapped up in my career that it took the death of my mother and her parting words “don’t die with your dream inside you Keith” to shake me out of my own stupidity and into the world of books/wisdom.