The 7 Keys to Success
by Will Edwards
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The 7 Keys to Success Will Edwards
Your Wake-Up Call
When I was quite young, someone told me, “If you
want to be really successful, find out what God wants to you to do with your
life and then dedicate yourself to achieving it”.
At the time, I didn’t really like that idea; I did
not believe that my life could have any particular purpose; and I did not think
that anything God might have in mind would be of any interest to me in any
case. Gradually, I have come to believe that what that person said to me, all
those years ago, is true.
As human beings, we all share certain basic wants
and needs: we have need for food, water, shelter, safety, love, respect and self-esteem.
We all share an in-built tendency, as Freud stated, to want to move away from
pain and toward pleasure. This tendency is part of the human condition for our
own good; it keeps us away from harm and generally helps us to make good
choices. Most people settle for pursuing a career that satisfies these basic
human wants and needs; and never really think beyond them to what their life
could be about.
Somewhere along the line, I came to realise that
what God wanted for my life, and what I wanted, were one and the same thing.
This understanding came after I had determined to find out what God actually
wanted me to do with my life.
It was a profound moment for me. I gradually came to
understand my inner hopes, dreams and deepest desires as being implanted by
God. So pursuing God’s purpose for my life was, in fact, also pursuing my own
purpose. When it really came down to it, I finally realised that I needed to
look within to discover my own purpose; and once I had found out what it was,
it then became possible to dedicate myself to fulfilling it.
So my message to you is simple: it is time for you
to wake-up! It is time for you to start thinking of your life in a different
way. It is time for you to fulfil your dream - whatever that may be. That is
why you are here on the planet right now. By finding and fulfilling your own
unique purpose in life you will be living your life to the full.
It is my hope that you will begin to see yourself as
a special person, with a truly unique purpose in life - because that is the
truth!
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The 7 Keys to Success Will Edwards
Commitment
Committedness: the trait of sincere and steadfast
fixity of purpose.
Commitment: the act of binding yourself,
intellectually or emotionally, to a definite course of action.
1.
Commitment
2. An Open Mind
3. Persistence
4. Flexibility
5. Faith
6. Thankfulness
7. Passion
What are you doing with your Life: would you say you
are living your dream; or are you living from hand to mouth, making the best of
things, just getting to the next week - what we might call: existing rather
than living?
If you are living your dream, then well done: you
are truly on the road to success. If you are not living your dream - or even if
you have no dream at present - then do not despair because this little book was
written for you. We are going to help you to find your dream, develop it and
then to actually achieve it!
To live a truly successful life, you do need to
first have a dream. As Carl Sandburg, American historian, poet and novelist put
it, "nothing happens unless first a dream".
If you think about it, nothing at all now exists
within our experience of physical reality that did not first exist in the mind
of the person who made it or brought it into being. In all cases, everything is
created twice: the physical creation follows the mental creation.
To succeed, you must have a dream, or you may prefer
to call it a vision - and you must completely commit yourself to its ultimate
fulfilment - that is the essence of the mental creation.
Here
is one of the real secrets of success: you should dream big dreams, because you
can have anything you want! Read that statement again and let it really sink in
because it is true that you can have anything you want; you can be anything you want to be; and you can do
anything you want to do. This may at first seem self-indulgent, but remember,
your deepest desires were implanted by God.
What does it mean: to commit yourself to your dream?
To illustrate, let me tell you a little about the story of Charles Lindbergh.
You know, of course who he was - he was the first person to fly the Atlantic
solo - non-stop all the way to Paris. An incredible feat which he eventually
accomplished in May 1927.
He used to dream of flying the Atlantic during his
long-haul flights delivering mail. Once he had imagined the possibility of
being the first person to do this, he completely committed himself to its
achievement overcoming all kinds of set-backs. He did not allow the negative opinions
of the doubters who surrounded him to influence his resolve.
When he was unable to purchase the single aircraft
in existence that he calculated would be capable of making that momentous
journey, he had his own airplane designed and built. He didn't have the money,
but he got a group of St Louis businessmen to sponsor him - that's why the
plane was called The Spirit of St Louis - now that's commitment!
Once you have your dream. you too need to
demonstrate that kind of resolve - and let me tell you plainly - you are
capable of it!
It requires you to take actions that are congruent
with your wishes in order to translate them into reality, but the first step is
to have that dream - your own dream, not anyone else's ideas about what is best
for you in life - and then absolutely commit yourself to its achievement.
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The 7 Keys to Success Will
Edwards
An Open Mind
Openness: characterized by an attitude of ready
accessibility about one's actions or purposes
Receptiveness: willingness or readiness to receive -
especially impressions or ideas
1. Commitment
2. An
Open Mind
3. Persistence
4. Flexibility
5. Faith
6. Thankfulness
7. Passion
Once you have committed yourself to achieving your
dream, you should begin to notice something rather odd starting to happen in
your life: the universe actually begins to help you to achieve it!
You just need to be Open-Minded - that is, you need
to be ready and willing to receive what the universe (you might prefer to say
God) has in store for you. Some people call this principle the Law of
Attraction, but whatever you call it, it is quite true that you will absolutely
set in motion unseen forces which will definitely assist you with the
manifestation of your dream.
People, events and circumstances will be drawn to
you that will actually assist you in the achievement of your dream. You can
probably only fully accept this truth when you experience it for yourself; and
once you have committed to your dream, you will begin to experience it. Things
will start to happen: they may seem like co-incidence at first, but you are now
living in an altered reality.
As an example of this principle in action, let's
take a brief look at the true story of Rudy Ruettiger. You may know that Rudy
had a dream. His dream - now the subject of a truly inspiring movie - was to
play football for Notre Dame. Everyone told him it couldn't be done. But this
is how the universe helped him to achieve his dream.
When he was 22 years old, a friend bought him a
Notre Dame jacket for his birthday. When he presented it to Rudy, he commented,
'Rudy, you were born to wear this jacket!' These words
resonated with something deep within him and he resolved, there and then, to do
something about it. So he took a bus bound for South Bend, Indiana with the
specific goal of meeting the Notre Dame Championship football coach, Ara
Parseghian to discuss the matter further.
It turned out that Rudy needed to get his grades up
prior to ever being considered for Notre Dame which he did by attending Holly
Cross Junior College. With nowhere to live, he slept in the maintenance room;
and after numerous applications and trials, Rudy was finally accepted to Notre
Dame and eventually made the football team as a walk-on.
Rudy was not really considered good enough to make
the team, but he never missed a practice match and was there suited-up during
the final game of his senior year. Now many people in the crowd knew of Rudy's
goal to play for the team; and in the final minutes of the last game, the crowd
started chanting: Ru-dy! Ru-dy! Ru-dy!
Coach Dan Devine was so moved that he put him into
the game in the last 27 seconds and in the final play, he sacked the
quarterback. Rudy was carried off the field in triumph on the shoulders of his
team-mates.
When you carry your own dream within, you too will
be able to touch the hearts and minds of the people around you in much the same
way; and it is a truly wonderful and uplifting experience when you find out for
yourself that the universe does indeed help you to achieve your goal.
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The 7 Keys to Success Will Edwards
Persistence
Persistence:
refusing to give up, especially when faced with opposition or difficulty;
continuing firmly or steadily
Persistence: the act of continually pursuing
something in spite of obstacles
1. Commitment
2. An Open Mind
3.
Persistence
4. Flexibility
5. Faith
6. Thankfulness
7. Passion
If having a dream and committing to its ultimate
achievement is something like plotting your final destination ahead of an
exciting journey, then persistence is rather like the engine you need in order
to get there.
Persistence is what drives you on to take the next
step in your journey; persistence is what prevents you from getting discouraged
by what may have happened in the past; persistence is where the rubber meets
the road!
Here is a story, of unknown origin that illustrates
what persistence is all about ...
There was a certain young man who went to meet a
famous guru to ask the question: "which way is success?"
The wise old sage did not speak but instead pointed
to some place far off in the distance. The man, delighted at the thought of
quick and easy success, took off in the appropriate direction. Suddenly, there
was a loud "splat!" Eventually, the man staggered back, bruised and
stunned, assuming he must have misunderstood the message. He repeated his
question to the guru, who again pointed silently in the same direction.
The
man walked away once more. After some time, there was another “splat!” and,
this time, the splat was deafening. When the man crawled back, he was broken,
wounded, and angry. "Hey, I asked you which way is success," he
shouted at the guru. "I followed your directions and all I got was
splatted! No more of this pointing - talk!" Only then did the wise old guru speak, and what he
said was this: "Success IS that way, just a little further on than
splat!"
Translating your dream into an action plan and then
constantly taking actions, each and every day, that will move you in the
direction of your goal is what will get you there in the end. No matter how big
your goal, you can get there if you will keep your destination in mind and then
continually take actions that move you toward the goal.
When you meet an obstacle, as you inevitably will,
persistence determines what you will do; whether you will give up or keep
going. Persistence is what gets you back on your feet, dusted down and ready to
go again.
Persistence is what gets you past SPLAT!
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The 7 Keys to Success Will Edwards
Flexibility
Flexibility: the quality of being adaptable
Flexibility: a measure of the ability to respond to
changes in demand
1. Commitment
2. An Open Mind
3. Persistence
4.
Flexibility
5. Faith
6. Thankfulness
7. Passion
It is a sound NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)
principle that to become successful, we need to notice what is working and what
is not; and be prepared to change our approach in order to get what we want -
that is the essence of flexibility.
A wise person once said, "If you always do what
you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got". That is a
wonderfully true statement - in other words, if you continue doing exactly what
you are now doing, then don't be surprised when you don't see any increase or
change in your results.
It is the law of cause and effect in operation. The
results you are now getting (effects) are the product of the causes (efforts)
you have made in the past. To get greater benefits in the future, you need to
change what you are doing in the present in order to produce them.
Whilst persistence is an important quality,
persistence without flexibility can indeed be futile because, without some
flexibility in your approach, you could end up trying to move an immovable
object for the rest of your life. The willingness to constantly change what we
are now doing and to also demonstrate persistence is what gets us around
seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
So notice exactly what is working for you; and
notice what is not. Change your approach in some way - you will need to
brainstorm various approaches - then continue to observe. By continually
changing your approach and finding what works and what doesn't,
you will literally become unstoppable.
As an example, consider the story of Kevin Keegan,
famous English footballer (soccer) and eventually manager of England. Kevin was
told that he would never become a footballer because he was not talented
enough, he was not strong enough and he was too small.
It would have been easy enough for him to just give
up; after all these people telling him he would never make it were all
professionals - surely they should know what they were talking about! What did
Kevin actually do? Well there was nothing he could do about his height, so he
worked on what he could do: he worked on his physique until he built a strong,
powerful frame; and he worked on his basic ball skills.
After several tryouts, he was eventually signed as
an apprentice for Scunthorpe United in 1967. He became a full professional 12
months later; and in 1971 moved to Liverpool where he played on the winning
team in the FA Cup 1974, the European Cup 1977, the UEFA Cup 1973 and 1976 and
the Football League 1973, 1976-7.
Kevin eventually became the captain of England
winning 63 caps between 1972 and 1982; and he became European Footballer of the
Year 1978 and 1979. He did it all by being flexible in his approach and
persistent in the face of unfavourable odds.
Sometimes, I tell Kevin's story at my Workshop
events; and sometimes people will say something like:
'What about all the people who tried and tried but
still never made it?'
My answer is that Kevin would also have just been
another statistic along with the rest of them if he had not demonstrated these
qualities. Kevin was a winner; and you too can become a winner. To become a
winner, you simply need to internalise these qualities.
If you really want success, in whatever field of
endeavour you are pursuing, you can have it - yes you can! But you need to be
prepared to work for it - to do whatever it takes. Finding out and then doing
whatever it takes is the quality of flexibility.
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The 7 Keys to Success Will Edwards
Faith
Faith: acceptance of principles which are not
necessarily demonstrable
Faith: strong belief in something without proof or
evidence
1. Commitment
2. An Open Mind
3. Persistence
4. Flexibility
5.
Faith
6. Thankfulness
7. Passion
There will be many people who will tell you that you
will never, or simply cannot, achieve your dream. They are the 80% of people
who once had a dream but have now settled for something less. They are the
children who once stood in line at school, believing they would one-day become
pilots, doctors, actors, singers, ballerinas, missionaries, air-hostesses and
so on.
But their experience of life gradually ground them
down; and their dreams were reluctantly put away. Those dreams still live
somewhere, deep down within their hearts, but they no longer believe that they
are achievable.
First, their parents worked on them: questioning
their abilities, doubting their chances and telling them that they once had the
same dreams. Their parents told them they needed to grow-up, be more
responsible and life would work out just great.
Then their teachers worked on them: saying that we
all have such ambitions, but in the real-world, you needed a trade, a job, a
career - and that life had so very few of these exciting opportunities. They
ingrained the attitude of the 'scarcity mentality' into their charges - rather
than the 'abundance mentality'. They told these children that there just wasn't
enough good stuff to go around.
Finally, their friends worked on them as they also
settled for the jobs on offer, they questioned: what was so wrong with being a
sales-person, a plumber, a secretary or a brick-layer? The world
needed these trades-people (and so it does) and there was nothing wrong with
making an honest living by providing these services. That was how, gradually,
their beliefs about the world were changed - they no longer believed that it
would be possible to reach the heights they had once dreamed of - and they made
the decision to settle for less; much less.
After all this negative conditioning, only a few of
those pilots-in-the-making believed they could still learn to fly aircraft;
only a few of those singers still believed they were destined to sing for their
supper. Many people had their dream literally strangled out of them. And when
you are once again ready to pursue what is in your heart, you need to be aware
that you are still not immune to this negative conditioning: there will still
be very many people ready to tell you why what you are now doing, or about to
do, is hopeless!
But, do you know of the work of Masaru Emoto - the
scientist who freezes water and takes photographs of its crystal structure?
Well, I don't think you could get a more powerful demonstration of the power of
faith to impact our physical reality. He has tried a number of experiments
which really challenge our conventional ideas about the power of our thoughts.
Amongst other things, he found that water which was frozen when offered a
prayer, formed better, more perfect crystals than water which was cursed before
freezing.
It sounds bizarre doesn't it, but if our thoughts
can do that to water, imagine what they can do to us - we are after all, 75%
water! If your thoughts are positive, affirmative and full of faith, then they
are transformational. You become literally changed and therefore better able to
achieve your purpose - the goal that other people don't think you can possibly
achieve.
That's why you need faith - a deep-down belief that,
regardless of the evidence, you are going to make it! You are going to achieve
what you have set out to accomplish. You are going to make a difference in this
life.
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The 7 Keys to Success Will Edwards
Thankfulness
Thankfulness: a virtue and a dynamic - activates the
Law of Attraction
Thankfulness: a positive emotion involving a feeling
of indebtedness
1. Commitment
2. An Open Mind
3. Persistence
4. Flexibility
5. Faith
6.
Thankfulness
7. Passion
Attitude affects so many things in life.
Sales-people are told to maintain a positive mental attitude because it ultimately
affects their sales, sports-people are told to cultivate a winner's attitude
because it affects their performance. The laws of success tell us to cultivate
a grateful attitude but why should thankfulness affect our success?
It may be difficult, at first, to see exactly how
thankfulness, or gratitude, can be such an important key to your success, but
by seeking to maintain an 'attitude of gratitude' you are indeed tapping into
the timeless laws of success.
Thankfulness is fundamentally related to positivity
and negativity. It is so much easier to be positive about your life and the
things that are going on in it right now when you are grateful. As A. W. Tozer
once commented, „a thankful heart cannot be cynical‟.
The work-place is full of people who are cynical -
ready to run the company down, run the boss down and run the industry down; and
do you know something, they can, and do, actually produce the evidence that
supports their beliefs. Such people are also employing the laws of success; but
by talking about what they do not like, they are using the principles to
attract what they don't want. Their reality simply reinforces their views about
the company, the boss, the industry and whatever else has been the subject of
their negativity.
On the other hand, having an attitude of gratitude
impacts your countenance and your general outlook on life; and people generally
will prefer to work with happy, cheerful, grateful people
than miserable, down-cast, merchants of doom and gloom. As a consequence truly
grateful people, literally attract opportunities that others miss or even
possibly repel.
To help acquire this positive attitude, consider the
idea of keeping a Gratitude Journal. Would you, every day for a period of one
month, be prepared to actually write down all the things for which you are
grateful? You know: count your blessings, the way you were taught as a child.
What do you think might be the result of engaging in such an exercise? Consider
the results of this scientific study into the subject.
Two psychologists, McCollough and Emmons, conducted
a study on the subject of gratitude and thanksgiving. In the study, three
different groups of people were required to keep daily journals. The first
group kept a simple diary of all the events that occurred during the day, the
second group kept a record of only their unpleasant daily experiences. The
final group made a daily list of everything for which they were grateful i.e.
the kept a Gratitude Journal.
The results of this amazing study suggested that the
exercise of daily gratitude resulted in higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm,
determination, optimism and energy. So let it really sink-in ...
A Grateful Heart Cannot be Cynical.
Gratitude is Fundamental to Maintaining an
Optimistic Outlook.
The Exercise of Thankfulness activates the Law of
Attraction.
Additionally, the gratitude group experienced less
depression and stress, was much more likely to get involved in helping others.
They also exercised more regularly and made more progress toward their personal
goals. Isn't that amazing: just by keeping a Gratitude Journal, the study
suggests they were able to positively impact their chances of achieving their
goals!
Thankfulness is an attitude and an important key to
success. It is an attitude we all need to learn to acquire - particularly when
we feel we are in difficult circumstances.
So learn to be grateful.
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The 7 Keys to Success Will Edwards
Passion
Passion: strong, enthusiastic devotion to a cause,
ideal, or goal
Passion: your heart's one true desire or the deepest
desire of your heart
1. Commitment
2. An Open Mind
3. Persistence
4. Flexibility
5. Faith
6. Thankfulness
7.
Passion
It is impossible to think about passion without
reference to the heart. Deep within your heart, there is a desire, the pursuit
of which will bring you all the happiness, success and fulfilment you really
want. To find your passion is to identify your own unique purpose in life; to
live your passion is to achieve the Deepest Desire of Your Heart.
You can achieve whatever you want. You can be the
person you were meant to be; and you can really live the life of your dreams.
Those are bold statements but they are true; and more and more people are
discovering this wonderful truth for themselves. But if this is indeed true,
then why is it that so many people - we think the figure is around 80% - are
pursuing jobs and careers they don't really care about?
For our parents and grand-parents, growing up in a
world with comparatively few opportunities, it is true to say that their lives
were consumed with the whole business of 'making a living' - looking after what
Abraham Maslow called their physiological and social needs. They worked hard
and never really enjoyed the luxury of considering what might be termed the
'higher needs' of the human condition.
Many people in today's workplace are indeed seeking
to reach higher and often people think they have reached their peak when they
have started to meet their 'esteem' needs, that is, the basic human need for
respect, recognition and responsibility. For many people, this means pursuing
an interesting career; rather than just getting a job.
However, for very many people, there is still an
inner emptiness. Often, this emptiness is experienced more starkly when they
have actually become successful in their
chosen careers. They start to wonder exactly what life has been about. The
trappings of success: promotion, automobile, house did not bring about the
happiness they anticipated. This is a consequence, as Stephen Covey puts it, of
climbing the ladder of success only to find when they reach the top that, all
along, the ladder has been leaning against the wrong wall. To really achieve
success in life, you must be bold enough to go even higher: to consider what
Maslow called. Self Actualisation. This means becoming the person you were
meant to be; and living the life you were meant to live. Only by doing this,
can you possibly hope to find the true success you really desire.
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The
7 Keys to Success Will
Edwards
The Rest of Your Life
You are a truly unique person: you can tell this
simply by taking a moment or two to look at your thumb print. Do that now – go
on, humour me – take a look at your thumb print and know this: you are the only
person who has ever lived who has had that thumb print! Isn‟t that truly
amazing? In fact, it is even more amazing than that because, as it turns out,
you are the only person who will ever have that thumb print.
So you already know, in your heart that you are
unique. But also know that this uniqueness extends to your purpose in life: you
are called to achieve something significant with your life! Do not make the
mistake of believing that life holds no purpose for you. Remember that you are
here only once. This is your life - right now! So make sure you live the life
you were born to live.
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The 7 Keys to Success Will Edwards
A Message for Our Time
Our mission is to help people to develop their own
unique talents, abilities and passion in order that they may lead more
meaningful, joyful and fulfilled lives. We can achieve this if you will help us
to spread our message.
This humble little book contains an important
message for the people of our own time. Just imagine for a moment what would
happen if millions of people were to decide to start living the lives they were
born to live - just think of the amazing transformation that would result. The
most astonishing power, operating for good, would be unleashed within the world
if a substantial number of individuals committed themselves to finding and
achieving their unique calling.
Now is it really possible that millions of people
could be so affected? Well, with your help, I believe we can indeed reach the
world with this important message. For the first time in our history, we do
have a method of achieving this: the internet is truly an amazing place.
To achieve this goal, all that is necessary is for
you to recommend this book anyone who you think would benefit. That really is
all that is necessary because this message will naturally multiply if you will
help. Eventually it will reach the right people and touch the hearts and minds
of those people who need to hear its message.
So, if you have enjoyed reading this book and would
like to help us to achieve our mission, please Click Here to send the download
link to a friend. Isn‟t it exciting to be a part of something that can actually
change the world?
Will you help us?
Thank You,
Will Edwards.
________________________________________________________________
The 7 Keys to Success Will
Edwards
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