We have talked a great deal about various strategies in the past several articles. Is it possible to develop happiness strategies?

 

Ever come across a person that just always seemed to be happy even though their life seemed in the pits?

 

Or how about the person undergoing some type of medical crisis yet they’re the ones that cheered everyone up.

 

Just recently I caught an interview about a gentleman that came from poverty; left home at age 14 to live on the streets, built a business worth millions in the oil industry only to have it crash.

 

Then he built up a business from scratch, worth 3.5 Billion in the debt collection business. Seems he had lots of experience from the other side; the debtor side. 

 

Then only to have a partner’s choices bring it crashing down and cause him to face a life in prison if wrongly convicted.

 

They even cut his mansion in half as part of his bankruptcy!

 

For the third time in his life he was dead broke!

 

All the time his life was happy and he had his wife, whom he met in high school, which kept him looking at life in a positive way.

 

Today he is worth millions by helping others to create happiness strategies in their lives.

 

Here are some of his strategies….

 

His comment was that good and bad things are going to happen to everyone no matter what! It is not what happens to you that counts, it what you do because of it!

 

1.) He kept a list of all the positive experiences he has had, all the good decisions and all the good things in his life. Yeah, you can be skeptical now or hold off till you try it! After all, how many times have you started a 3.5 Billon Dollar company?

 

This list was carried with him and he would look at it regularly and add to it. This way he had a balance in his life of both the good and bad things. It was not loaded to one side just focusing on the bad or negative, he had far more good to be happy about!

 

2.) The other major point he made was how he looked at failure. Far too many people have a failure and then base the rest of their life on that incident. The fear sets in and they never pickup and move forward.

 

His strategy was to always look at any type of failure as an opportunity to do better, to improve your understanding and grow from it. His strategy was to always frame a failure as a positive learning experience! His positive list helped him to do this.

 

With a happiness strategy that a failure or negative incident is an opportunity to grow, you can acknowledge the errors made and then move on. It does not become an anchor that holds you back. Perhaps the biggest is what others may be thinking! His comment is “whose life is it?”

 

3.) One other key point that was brought out was how success can also be limiting!

 

You ask how success can be limiting. I see it far too often in business’s that I call on.

 

A level of success is attained and people get comfortable with the situation. The emphasis becomes maintaining rather than growth. Creativity and forward motion begin to diminish. Holding on what they have becomes the new purpose.

 

Competitors love this, it’s like the sleeping bear that you can sneak by and get ahead of without them knowing it! All of a sudden your not number one anymore, you’re being bought out by your competition.

 

Ok, you have heard this story before and how we need to change how we look at things in our life. Then how come it’s not happening for you and me?

 

It comes back to the issues of Beliefs! You see without a strategy in your personal life how do you reframe the negative issues in your life?

 

This is something I have struggled with all of my life.

 

Being the dumb farm boy in my youth and never being told the positive side, a fatalist belief was developed. I had no control over my life or future so all I could see was the negative.

 

Most of my behaviors were self-serving and many times destructive because of this belief. After all if you have no control over your fate, what does it matter!

 

This began to change very quickly when my wife Joyce came into my life. We both found ourselves wanting more out of life and were willing to risk as a team. As a result we started three different businesses. Some went well and others crashed and burned.

 

But the key was that our belief strategies changed. We now looked at whatever the results were; they would be learning experiences, not failures!

 

Since then there have been hundreds of failures and success in my life. Some have really brought me down, yet there has always been a pick myself up and start again approach.

 

Even when Joyce suddenly passed away, I found myself being thankful for our short time together and the three children that have now turned into seven grandchildren.

 

A few years ago my Collector Car business was doing just under 500,000 in sales. Then 9/11 happened and the next 12 months netted less than 100,000 in sales, yet the expenses were the same. Yes, one could blame it on the circumstances of the times, and crawl in a hole. 

 

Yes, it was tempting to do just that.

 

So now we have a new business venture with good partners and a book being published.

 

If one does not have a strategy to deal with life and choose happiness, what will happen?

 

Is there really anything to this?

 

Just last night we caught a program with Past President Goerger Bush interviewing four very successful women; an astronaut, tennis pro, actress and political figure. He was asking their advice on how a leader needs to think?

 

Take the three keys from above and change the person’s name, it was unanimously the same!

 

So if you are looking for a Happiness Strategies for your life and career, you need to dial into our teleconference this Wednesday at 7:30 pm central time.

 

Vincent Harris has been helping people turn their lives and beliefs around very quickly.

 

Find out how Vince does this and how you can develop your own personal happiness strategy. It is amazing to me how the strategies of Dr. Knowles, Dr. Schaefer and Dr. Jonas fit in with what Vince does.

 

Dial in and find out more!

 

Check the side bar of the Influencer for the links and information.

 

Till next week keep your eye on the prize, be willing to try the new approach and continually do something to develop yourself.

 

Harlan Goerger

National Director of Training

 

© copy write 3-07 Harlan Goerger