The Success Mindset

            I had a conversation with a great friend of mine today who was remarking about how happy he was to have returned to school. Of course, there was frustration about having to “shake loose the cobwebs”, because he had been out of school for a few years. He is taking Spanish: he loves learning to “speak” Spanish, but hates having to learn formal grammar, because “the average person isn’t going to be worried about strictly following grammatical rules”. I laughed, and I said to him “who are you planning to spend your life with: average people or outstanding people?” At that point, he laughed, too.

Robert thanked me, because he knows that this kind of “mental settling” is exactly why so many people end up being UNNECESSARILY UNHAPPY in their daily lives. They wake up every day to face a routine of passionless existence. And because misery loves company, it is likely that the people in their environment feel exactly the same way, which creates an endless cycle of tedium and mediocrity. This is not the way life is supposed to be.

Why are people so obsessed with celebrity? Because in most cases, “celebrities” live lives that matter. People listen to them, and appreciate what they do. They have taken the path that leads them away from monotony on a journey characterized by passion and achievement. They live lives that are 180 degree polar opposites of the lives of most people. They have made strategic choices that put them on the inside of the velvet rope. The funniest part of this sequence of events is that these self-made celebrities have many characteristics in common, and these characteristics can be duplicated by anyone.

There is a certain irresistible swagger that successful people display. It comes from the confidence one develops from the repetition of tactics that lead to favorable outcomes. Think about it. If every time you did something you loved doing, you had a better than average chance finding yourself in the winners circle, concepts like fear and boredom kinda lose their significance, don’t they?

I’m not going to tell you that living good is easy. If it was, everybody would be doing it. What I will tell you is there are some things that you can do that will make your situation better than it is. These new practices will include outlandish ideas like slowing down and taking time for yourself, finding out what you like to do, and learning to do it to the best of your ability.

Steve Jobs will tell you to do what you love to do. Will Smith will tell you to find your drive to be great. Kim Severson will tell you to stop comparing yourself to others. J.K.Rowling will tell you to that you CAN turn your life around. This is why we started Huh?! Blog. When you have your spiritual awakening and realize what you are supposed to be doing (Huh?!)We will collect for you the support and tools that you will need to make your situation work. We want for you to make it. You deserve it. Good luck. And remember, most of your luck, you make for yourself.

“Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.” -Shaq

“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan

"People seek and find delight in the lives of those who succeed because in their success they find that they, too, may succeed. In other words, we admire successful people because they are like a beacon of hope, a proof that dreams do come true; an urge for us to keep on striving and hold on." 

- Barrister Philippos Aristotelous

                                                                                    

Huh?!... The Beginning

I’ve been asked exactly what “Huh?!” means. After all, you don’t spend hundreds of dollars on a trademark for a word that you can’t define. Everybody knows that “Huh?!” can mean “what?” or “I didn’t hear you”, or “I don’t understand”. However, it wasn’t until I put together a couple of ideas in my rather abstract mind that everything fell into place. “Huh?!” represents the curiosity that a person must have in order to lead a truly fulfilling life!

Greg Anderson, author and founder of the American Wellness Project, says “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” Kids know this. As long as they are exploring, discovering and growing, they are as happy as clams (whatever that means... it’s also why they never want to go to sleep). Unfortunately for many of us adults, we find ourselves settling into routines, often ones that clash with the hopes and dreams that we had as children.

Children possess the sense of enthusiasm, and discovery that people need to break the stressful monotony their lives have become. Ever watch children as they are walking around children asking a thousand questions? Look at the anticipation and excitement in their faces as they look for the answers. It is this same enthusiasm that one sees in the eyes of people who are travelers, musicians, artists and entrepreneurs. They seek out and revel in the different perspectives and many possibilities that life has to offer. Ask them what tomorrow holds, and they will say “huh?!” and smile, because each new day finds them looking for new challenges and pursuits.

It is this flexibility that epitomizes the “Huh?!” lifestyle: following the natural urge for people to explore life graciously. Look for those healthy new experiences! Find your lost sense of wonder! Rediscover the laughter and happiness you’ve lost! There is so much that you are missing. And all it takes to begin a fresh new chapter in your life is to take a good, long look at your life and say “Huh?!”

(Please join us regularly here at Huh?! Blog as we seek to collect and provide everything you will need to find your Huh?! moments : travel tips, business advice, inspiration, or laughter. We can't wait 'til you come back with YOUR stories.) Caio!