I once heard someone say, “Life is like a football game. There are 60,00 people desperately in need of exercise, watching 22 men desperately in need of rest.” Life can be very much like that for most people. Why? Most people will watch from the side lines of life, curious about change, but very few will get off the bleachers and put in the determination and work required to play in the game. They will ignore the helpful practices that will guarantee to bring them success. They would rather choose to stay in a rut of doing the same old thing everyday, then to make the changes designed to benefit them in this life.
24 Hour Period
I have also heard, “What you do privately, is more important, than what people see you do 
publicly.” If you had a friend follow you around for 24 hours, would any of your actions or practices that you do during those 24 hours, possibly be inspiring to them? I am not talking about large major events or tasks. I talking about the everyday routine things that you do. Would any of those practices behind the scene offer them motivation to take better care of themselves, or would they see a routine filled with choices that are not helpful in building and sustaining a happy life?
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3 Helpful Practices that are Guaranteed to Bring More Success.
1. Take Responsibility
LIVE with a purpose. Design and create what you are wanting to accomplish. Nothing is ever accomplished by sitting on the side lines and watching others work hard for their goals.
2. Form Successful Daily Habits
Design your morning and start your day earlier.
By simply getting up 1 hour earlier in the morning, you will add an extra 365 hours which in turn adds an extra 15 days to your life.
- A study was done of individuals who have become highly, successful financially. One of the common traits found was that they all got up early each morning to fuel their own personal soul. Each had a routine that consisted of at least 3 things. They would take the first 60 minutes, or more, to feed themselves spiritually, mentally, and physically. This was done before they would start anything else that day.
Other helpful habits are journaling, viewing your vision board of your goals, reading 
motivational material, making a daily plan to direct your thoughts, and creating positive motivation by design©.
3. BE NOW What you Want
Terri Savelle Foy said, “Honor Where You Are, On the Way to Where You Are Going”. I interpret that to mean, BE and ACT NOW what you are hoping to be and do in the future.
Many people run from the view point that they have to HAVE something before they can DO something. This type of thinking will have you always looking outside of yourself to find accomplishment, in an attempt to feel success.
The most successful viewpoint comes from the thinking that, if I will BE what I want right now, then I will eventually HAVE it. For example, If I want someday to have my own business. Then right now I must choose to speak highly of my employer, rather than complain, I will choose to be on time, I will go the extra mile. All of my choices of action and thought, come from a place of living right now. How do I see myself living in the future as I tend to my own business?
This principle can be applied to everything in your life, such as relationships, health, work, etc. Let me share a personal example. I realized early in my marriage that successful relationships do not happen on their own. I learned quickly that wishing for things to be different, or constantly talking about things to be different, did not make things different. I had to put some action to my thoughts. I began to learn how important a mental change was in the process of improving my life situation. I had to BE the changes I wanted to see happening in my world, DO those things needed to create the change, and then, with the help of God, I would HAVE the change I desired.
What About YOU?
I remember one morning early in our marriage, being TOTALLY frustrated with my husband as he left for work. As usual I was trying to tell him about what he was doing that was frustrating me, and making me unhappy. I know that sounds selfish, but at the time I really didn’t understand that concept. He quietly listened, but then seeing that it was getting late, he took off without us finishing the conversation. Or should I say, agreeing to make the changes I felt he needed to make for our marriage to run smoothly.
I, still standing there and feeling bothered, decided I would take it to the Lord. He could make my husband change. I started talking to Heavenly Father about all the things that were upsetting me. 98% of the conversation was about what I felt my husband was doing wrong, or not doing at all. I was having a great one-sided conversation, laying my thoughts and feelings out on the table.
I was on a roll, when quietly, but distinctly, came these words into my mind, “What about you?”
I heard them so clear that they took me by surprise. I stopped my complaining only for a moment to ask, “what do you mean, what about You?” Then came the thought, “You have told me all of the things that are not pleasing to you; what about the things that are not pleasing to him?”
What? Now I was really shocked. I had never considered that I was doing things that might be displeasing to him. We see our world only from our view point, and from my vantage point, I was doing everything right to build a strong marriage, at least I thought so. Thankfully in that moment, my vantage point shifted to a new perspective. A view of gratitude. I became more open to the idea of, me being the change that I wanted to see in our marriage.
If I felt that I needed him to make a change, I was impressed to start thanking him for doing those very things that I needed. For example, “Thank you for taking the time to do ____________.” “Thank you for thinking about ___________.” “Thank you for caring for me and the children, and for working so hard in our behalf.” These grateful gestures were not fake, or phony. I had made the decision to start focusing more on seeing him doing helpful, positive things, and acknowledge him for doing them; rather than focusing my thoughts on anything that was not helpful to our marriage.
I shifted my view from what I felt was not happening at that moment, to seeing it as if it was happening. The result was a stronger union and I was less stressed over little things. He no longer felt like he is being hen-pecked or nagged at. He began appreciating me for appreciating him.
So let me ask you. If I was to spend the next 24 hours with you. Would your attitudes and actions help me to feel inspired?
A Helpful Remember for designing a happy life: What you are doing NOW, and HOW you are doing it, is the most important things that will lead you to success.