Life is an amazing journey. Once it starts, we are in for countless experiences which will forever affect us one way or another. How we choose to think will always be the single most important factor in determining the quality of our lives. It is crucial to realize and acknowledge that our experiences are simply just that, our experiences.

Simply put, there are certain aspects of life which absolutely must be under our control in order to live life to the fullest.

How do you know whether you can be a successful entrepreneur, or if you are better off as a salaried employee? Everyone has bad days at work, when they start to fantasize about how great it would be to be their own boss. But before you make any drastic moves, it is wise to do a bit of self reflection to determine if this is really something you’ll be naturally suited for.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Lao Tzu

Indeed, it does.

It also begins with knowing where you want to go. After all, you can take as many steps as you want and walk your entire life without arriving anywhere because you don’t have a destination. Once we choose a destination, not only can we begin to head in the right direction, we are also able to map out our precise path accordingly.

When you see yourself as being at the effect of some cause over which you have little or no control, you feel helpless. In effect, you actually become helpless, because whatever you believe tends to manifest in reality. When you see yourself as being at effect, you automatically filter out all the possible ways you could create something different, and all the ways you have personal power. You do not see them at all. They disappear from your awareness, as if they did not exist at all.

After studying the research done in cognitive psychology over the last 25 years, I’ve come to a simple conclusion: The degree to which you feel in control of your life will largely determine your level of mental well-being, your peace of mind, your happiness and the quality of your interactions with people.

Cognitive psychologists call this a “sense of control.” It is the foundation of happiness and high achievement. And the only thing in the world over which you have complete control is the content of your conscious mind. If you decide to exert that control and keep your mind on what you want, even when you are surrounded by difficult circumstances, your future potential will be unlimited.

“There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.”

Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart

Sam Walton lived a life which displayed everything he believed in. Over the years, especially since Wal-Mart became a publicly traded company on the stock market, Sam’s vision and philosophy have slowly been forgotten. Although Wal-Mart may not offer the greatest customer service today, Sam’s words on the importance of customers to any business are timeless.

There are people who take action after action, and sometimes they fail and sometimes they succeed. It may seem like that is the way to do things. But yet there are the ones who can take action and each time produce results that are considered to be success. There is a key difference in the way things are being done, that separates the successful people from the super successful ones. When you learn that success can come each time you do anything, you can have power to make every act a success.

Success is not single sided; it is a holistic experience taking into account all of life’s experiences. I view success as a Five Part Formula. Our conversation about success starts with business, but ends with the total life experience.

If I asked a group of people to write down everything they needed for success in business and life we could probably fill countless whiteboards, blackboards, flipcharts, computer files and notepads. I have found there are only five basic skills needed in order to be successful:

1. Become an Expert / Have a Great Product and/or Service
2. Develop Sales and Marketing Skills

One of the many reasons why we are here on Earth is to learn. Our experience of life can be likened to a kindergarten for souls where we naturally learn valuable lessons through the consequences of our free will. The main idea is to advance life forward as a whole from knowledge gained primarily through our own personal experiences.

Upon gaining a certain level of awareness, the wise and the fortunate realize that there is a wealth of information which has already been discovered and validated by geniuses of the past. It makes no sense to them to “re-invent the wheel” per say.

Paraphrased, J. Krishnamurti said, “Choice is an illusion. Do I do this - do I do that - all of this is confusion. I can only choose when I’m confused. When I know clearly, there is no choice.” Thirty years ago, Benjamin Libet showed that there is activity in the subconscious within milliseconds before a conscious thought occurs. In other words, our so-called conscious thoughts are given us by our subconscious.

Have you ever wondered why so many people are overweight when there are hundreds of diets and thousands of books on how to be healthy? Why so many people are unhappy in their relationships when there is more information available today on how to create loving, lasting relationships than ever before? Why so many people struggle with debt when there are known, timeless principles for financial prosperity?

Money is neither good nor bad; it is energy. It is the way money is used that determines whether or not it is a positive energy that will benefit you and others. If you come from the highest level of integrity with your money, if you make it in ways that benefit people, through shifting their consciousness, or through serving and making a contribution, by giving your best, honoring others, and putting attention and consciousness into what you do, you are making a contribution to humanity and to yourself. When you use money in ways that serve your higher purpose and bring you and others joy, you are creating money of light. The more money is made and spent with integrity and light, the more it becomes a force of light for everyone.