Success is a Journey, Not a Destination!

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Success is a Journey, Not a Destination!

by Jacki Smith

What does success mean to you? Success, in financial terms, is such an American concept.  It’s what our country was founded on – the right to come here, free of societal class restriction and on our seemingly even playing field, become a success.

We all grew up with the success stories of someone who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to live the American dream with the assumption that if they can do it, you can do it.    It is so pervasive that if you are not living that American dream there must be something wrong with you.

IF you are old enough to have been an adult in the 80’s and early 90’s you know that success had a very materialistic definition.   Driving your Lexus and living in your McMansion was the definition of our generation’s American dream. As we progressed to the new century with the threat of technology being our downfall, then quickly moving into the threat of terrorists on our own soil, the definition of success started to morph for the new generation into safety, family and spiritual balance.   Yet many of us Gen-X’ers are still stuck in the Michael J Fox “Secret of My Success” obsession with money and continue to define our success in those terms.  

Success is a Journey, Not a Destination

Time to upgrade!   Success is not about money, in the words of Tony Robins (the guru of Success)  “…(Success) has never been on my values list, I would much rather say what creates a meaningful life, what makes people light up, what makes people feel alive… what is your drive.”   Time to redefine success - is not a goal within itself, but the process of manifesting your ideas.   The first question when you are reaching for a goal is, how hungry and driven are you?  Are you passionate enough to push through the small failures and successes?    Are you driven enough to weather the alchemical process of success?

In Tony Robin’s TED talk, he says the defining factor to success is the human emotion; passion.   He demonstrates that is emotion creates action – without the driving force of passion we don’t take the actions needed to realize our goals.

It’s easy to see how you without the driving force of your positive emotions you can easily sabotage your success; meaning the small actions you take moment to moment to manifest your goal.   

Success as an Alchemical Process

That is the start of the alchemical process, turning emotion into action; water into earth.   Success is the constant churning of the elements; thought into passion into emotion into action – Air into fire into water into earth.   Add in that unique ingredient of your spirit and you are manifesting within the process of success to achieve your goals.   This is an unending alchemical process – as you experience your growing success, your targets change.  As you learn and evolve, your goals evolve with you.

Success is a process of passion, thus it can be a process of joy and happiness.   What destroys that happiness is when you use outdated cultural norms – or even the expectation of others to define you.

When you embrace success as a process instead of an end goal, you can enjoy who you are and choose happiness. The journey of success is not necessarily about money – remember money is just the catalyst to experience your passion, it does not need to be hoarded, flashy and need to be fed to be sustained.  

Success, Your Definition

What do you want to be successful at?  Parenting? Teaching? Writing? Cooking? Gardening?  Community Service? These things don’t have to make you a million dollars, they are your driving force, your passion and what gets you up in the morning.   They are what brings you joy and happiness.

The old ideal of success = money has taken the fun out of passion and turned it into a dirty work in some spiritual circles.   When I am in the moment with my passion, experiencing happiness and drive for my goal that is not unbalanced.   Living your passion and working 80-90 hours a week to make it a reality is not unbalanced.  It is when you do this without joy and happiness that takes you out of your center.   This is where stress comes from; making the happiness and expectations of others more important than your own.  It also comes when you forget about your passion and love for your goal and try to rely upon the force of your will alone.   Will needs emotion to sustain and nurture you through your process of success.

Remember that your process of success is an ever evolving one, the target continually moving.  To judge yourself or others on the successful achievement of one goal may never happen because along the way you changed.  Or you may devalue your success because once that goal was met, you had long ago changed it into something greater.   

Start living your own magic be shedding the expectations and judgments of what others deem success to be.   Make sure your ideas of success are truly our own and your happiness will grow.

7 Magical Steps to Creating Success (with anything) in Your Life:

1 – Letting go of the past, starting in the here and now.

Your past does not define your future, or even your present.   Past mistakes, fears, experiences can become the driving force in your success and the only place they will drive you is off the cliff.   

Use the Motor City Hoo Doo Uncrossing Candle to identify and clear from you those past emotions that will stop you from achieving your goal.  

On a clean piece of paper write a down who you used to be, and all the things that got in your way.Also write out your 3 greatest accomplishments to date.  Turn the paper 90 degrees and flip it to the other side.  Write out where you want to go with this magic.  Write out what the big picture of your success is to look like and the type of person you want to be when you get there.

Keep that paper open and place the candle holder on top of the paper.  When you light the Uncrossing candle, start talking aloud of all the things that have may stopped you from success.  Name them and know that you are ridding yourself of their sabotage.   Now say aloud where you want to go, what your passion is and how this will fill your life with joy.

Keep that candle burning for at least 3 hours.  DO NOT LEAVE IT UNATTENDED.  IF you need to leave, extinguish the candle while saying, “I may extinguish your flame, but you magic continues to grow”.

Meditate on this embodiment of power every morning for 3 mornings, or longer if needed.  You need to make sure your seeds of magic are taking root within you before you go to your next step.

2 – Clearing Sabotage

Thoughts lead to feelings. Feeling lead to actions. Actions lead to results.

Take a  Spiritual Cleansing candle

Fold a piece of paper the long way, and list any and all of your sabotaging thoughts on the left 1/2 the paper.  Write down your own thoughts and the words of others that may have taken hold in your self-esteem.  Write the phase that represents the core of all that self-sabotaging talk on the candle.

Fold the paper over and write the affirmation that counters that sabotage over the original phrase.  No matter how loopy, fluffy or egomaniacal it sounds, write it down.  You are clearing out all the negative thoughts in your head and replacing them with new positive affirming ones. Your spirit will recognize the new ones and replace them if you tell yourself to.

Once you are done writing, tear the list separating the sabotages from the affirmations.  Take the sabotage list and either rip-up the paper or burn it (in a safe place outside).  Take the affirmations list and place it where you will see and repeat them.

(This silly little affirming step is pretty darn crucial to your overall success.  If you are manifesting from a place of negative emotions and self-talk, that is all you will manifest.  If you need a little spiritual help with this, call to your spirit guide and ask that they give you a spirit that will help you hold this new space of life affirming thoughts.)

Light the Spiritual cleansing candle every day, repeating your list of new affirmations to yourself at least 3 times (with meaning please!)  Let the candle burn for an hour or three while you visualize yourself having these affirming thoughts in times of doubt.

3 – Defining Success

Heart Blessed Herbal Candle – This candle is to show you where your passion lies and how you want to experience success.

What are the actions or steps you need to take to get to your place of success?  How would you know if you actually achieved your success if you do not have a benchmark to measure it against?

Everyone has a list of needs to meet before they feel that success has begun.  For instance, you need to create $500 of income a week before you can quit your job and freelance all the time.  Success to you could mean that you are home every day with your children, or that you have a garden that will feed you all winter.

List out 5 things you need to do in the physical world to promote your success.

Start with a plan, but double space it so you can flow with the new ideas that WILL come your way.

Visualize your target success every morning, take action towards it every day, and keep your eyes open for new ways of getting there.

4 – Clearing the Road

Ganesh World Magic Candle - Ganesh is known as the remover of obstacles and the bringer of joy.   When you invite his energy into your life the unexpected creates the miracles you are looking for. The Ganesh Candle helps you see those roadblock and then laugh at yourself about them.   

You know you are on the right path when you come upon roadblocks.  We actually look for road blocks to give us excuses for diversion from your goal.  “Well of course I cannot start my own business, I have too many bills (my car broke down, my boss is a jerk, etc)”.  That statement may seem farfetched, but if you bring it closer to home you may hear, “My car is acting up so I cannot drive for that school field trip” or “I don’t know how to find that resource so I cannot proceed”.  

Humor, the ultimate demon repellant…..

Light the Ganesh candle for a few hours every day as your work your plan.  Light it every time you come upon a block or fear.  If you cannot get rolling on your plan then definitely light the candles and ask to see what blocks your road.  When you open your mind to see the block for what it truly is, it gets less scary and formidable.

5 – Inviting in Success

Success Affirmation Candle

Start with gratitude, giving thanks for everything you have already accomplished and all that you have.  Honoring these successes and your current abundance opens the door for more to enter. If you have been struggling with success it is because you have forgotten what it is to succeed.  You have depleted your self-esteem and personal power through self-sabotage, roadblocks, and holding onto past mistakes.  This step helps you get back into your place of power where you can invite in success.

6 – Relaxing your Expectations

Attraction – Love Blessed Herbal Candle Let the universe bring to you what you truly need to manifest your success.  It may not be exacting to your plan, but if you open your mind you will find that what you receive is even better than the original expectation.

Take out the plan you made earlier (the one you double spaced) and track each step and outcome as you travel toward your goal.  Don’t be afraid if a new idea comes and totally changes your plan – just write a new one.  You stared it on this journey with one set of skills and a brain full of ideas, but each step on the journey teaches you something new.  It is that new piece of information that will take you to new vibrations that open up new ideas that bring you closer to your goal.

7 – Open to Opportunity

Crown of Glory Motor City Hoo Doo Candle

When the opportunity presents itself – GRAB  IT!  The universe will provide the opportunity, you have to see it and use it.  This part it totally up you!  It is the brass ring – snatch it up and run with it.

The perfect time, place and opportunity will arrive.  Every time.  Every step you take in this magical journey lead you to this moment.   It is your moment alone, your moment of glory.  Your courage to change for the better, your courage to be successful will be what helps you take advantage and travel through the manifestation of your success.  

Enjoy, be at peace and know you have traveled through to a place where you can sustain your new vibration, living a glorious life full of continued successes