The Only Way of Making it to the Top

By Dr. Raymond Comeau 

Hate to tell you this, but unless you enjoy doing what you do, there is no way that you can make it to the top and even if you defied all odds and actually made it... it would not be worth it. Rule number one for true success is: enjoy yourself.

That's a lesson that I learned from a top-notch consultant named Dr. David Singer at a seminar in Chicago Illinois. It's a lesson that turned my life around and literally transformed everything in it. That incident happened over two decades ago and I can still remember it as if it was yesterday.

Unless you're having fun doing what you do, you simply cannot perform at your highest level. The adrenalin, the energy and the enthusiasm simply are not there. That's true in any area of our life. We always perform better when we're having fun.

Moods are not only felt at the cognitive level, they have their physical counterparts. Basically, negative moods tend to contract and slowdown the various physical processes whereas positive and uplifting moods tend to favor free flow in the exchanges of body chemicals along with overall relaxation.

A cheerful mind is not cluttered with fears, doubts, worries and negativities so it naturally performs better, tends to be more alert and productive. Peace of mind fosters clarity and insight as it sharpens the imagination and heightens creativity.

In one word, to perform at peak level, we must be in a peak state of mind. The level of effectiveness is directly proportional to the state of mind. Great state of mind equals high effectiveness; lousy state of mind equals poor performances.

The question then becomes, "How can we influence our state of mind so that it's always at peak level when we most need it?"

The first thing that must be done is to adhere to the fundamental belief that a true professional, in any area of endeavor, has it in his power to master his emotions when the need to do it is important. It's a question of character and integrity.

An emotion is nothing more than a neurological circuit in the brain that has been activated by inside or outside influences. Self-mastery is the ability to determine which circuit will be activated and thus, which emotion will be felt. That type of self-mastery is something that can be learned through discipline and practice.
It is in our power to feel good whenever we want. All that needs to be done is to focus on what makes us happy. There is nothing esoteric about that and it is something that must be learned and mastered if we really wish to become all that we can be.

Shakespeare said, "Noting is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." That is especially true when it comes to our career or the job that we do. We are the ones who are responsible to determine how chose to see our occupation.

There are no insignificant jobs; there are only insignificant people. Anything worth being done can provide value and satisfaction. It's our responsibility to find out how that can be accomplished. That fact is well illustrated in the following anecdote.

Three workers on an excavation site were asked, what they were doing. The first said, "I'm digging a hole." The second said, "I'm making $25.00 an hour." The third, an impressive young man said, "I'm building the world's most sophisticated research hospital. It will help to cure children from all over the world for years to come." Guess who got more satisfaction out of his job?

If we want to make it to the top, if we want to become all that we can be, if we want to have a meaningful life, we must enjoy doing what we do. It's not only the best way; it's the only way. It might require some imagination and some soul searching to accomplish that, but it's certain worth the efforts.

Dr. Raymond Comeau aka Shamou is the Author of ShamouBlog and Owner Administrator of Personal Development for Personal Success Forums

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