Seven Secrets for Inspired Success
Secret Six The sixth secret is to release your attachment to the outcome. You may wonder how it is that you create success if you are not attached to the outcome. The purpose of any goal or intention in our lives is personal growth. As we create a vision of how we desire our life to be, we commit to growth and to the service we give, rather than the outcome. We do have a vision of the destination but are not attached to it happening in only one way. If we were attached to it, we would be saying, Only this solution will do. Attachment to a single outcome limits our concept of success to a single experience. If we believe that a single outcome is the only measure of our success, then any experience other than the one we are attached to will lead to disappointment and a plummeting self-esteem. If we attach personal success to a certain car, job, relationship or piece of real estate, then we are again becoming a victim. Attachment to an object or outcome allows that outcome to define us. It shrinks our unlimited creative and spiritual potential down to the size of a pea and separates us from others and our Creator. The best example I can give of this is a trip I recently took to the Bahamas for my brothers wedding. It was to be a lovely barefoot event on one of the only pink sandy beaches in the world. I had imagined it for months. I love the ocean and was so looking forward to relaxing on the beach, feeling the sun on my face and listening to the sound of the surf. Just days before our departure hurricane Wilma crossed the Florida peninsula leaving devastation in its path and the Fort Lauderdale to Bahamas flights cancelled. The hotel we had stopover reservations at had lost most of its roof and south Florida was without power, water, and food and was under curfew. Our Bahamian resort was thankfully unscathed. We arrived later that day at our destination, Harbor Island, weary from the adventure but happy to be in the Bahamas. While there, the trailing edge of another hurricane blew up several days worth of gale, covering the steps to the beach with deep sand dunes and drenching us with torrential rain. Much of the town remained closed, shutters drawn during the storm. On cue, the clouds parted on the day of the wedding giving us a spectacular sunset as the backdrop for a touching event, crowned with conch shells filled with tropical flowers. Had the success of my experience been attached to a beach chair and sun tan I would have missed the precious time I enjoyed with my family in still, one of the most beautiful places on the earth. The ultimate glory came when on the last day I watched a double rainbow appear over the ocean and the setting sun cast the most amazing iridescent orange pink on the ceiling of tropical clouds that stretched from one horizon to the other. It was the most vibrant and breathtaking sunset I have ever witnessed, lasting over 30 minutes. I watched with other resort guests who stood in breathtaking silence. Without the storms, I would never have had that experience, for there would not have been the clouds nor the extra measure of gratitude I felt for this peaceful and brilliant gift. |
