“… it takes years to become an overnight success” – Richard Branson
What is success? I don’t think I’m the only one who often asks myself this question, am I? What defines success? Is it different for men, women, business people, creatives, elderly, children? Is it the same or different for a poor and rich person, for a deeply spiritual or money-driven person? (I am not saying that a spiritual person can’t be rich or vice versa).
What is your definition of success? Are you happy and motivated or sad and frightened when you think about success? Does Success only exist as an “antidote” for Failure? Are these two sides of the same coin or 2 separate Worlds – like Yin & Yang? Are they complimentary? Can Success and Failure coexist depending on your own situation, your values & beliefs, or your limiting beliefs, your goals, Mission and Purpose in Life? Is it always “black & white” scenario or are there some “shades of grey”? How does Success feel in your body? What do you experience when you are successful? If you are a struggling financially surviving serious illness or multiple traumas vs. a healthy, successful entrepreneur working toward becoming a multi-millionaire, will your success definitions be different? Does success exist outside of You? Or is it an “inner feeling”? Can you be simultaneously Spiritual and Prosperous? I am sure Success would be defined quite differently in the East vs. West, right? What are the habits & strategies of Highly Successful people? Would you like to become one of them?
My own definition is: SUCCESS is a Journey requiring a synergistic combination of strategies, such as authenticity, integrity, trust, perseverance, collaboration, dedication. Being true to myself, staying committed to high ethical standards, persevering through challenges, having a strong sense of Purpose, working synergistically towards Mission and Vision, building trusting relationships, finding joy in the process, and practicing gratitude – are my key ingredients to achieving success.
We understand that SUCCESS can be defined in multiple ways, but one thing is certain: it requires a synergistic integration of hard work, determination, and a set of guiding principles that help us navigate the challenges of life. I’ve examined and discussed here just 10 major principles and 10 habits of successful people which I believe are critical for your Success. You, of course, can have very different ones that you consider more important to you personally.
10 Habits of Highly Successful People (money-driven and spiritual)
1. Ambition and Drive: Highly successful money-driven individuals possess unwavering ambition and a relentless drive to achieve financial success. Similarly, successful highly spiritual individuals channel their ambition towards inner growth and spiritual enlightenment. It’s like a race between the hare of material success and the tortoise of spiritual enlightenment—just remember to enjoy the journey and not get too caught up in who crosses the finish line first.
2. Financial Planning and Management: Money-driven individuals excel in financial planning and management, maximizing their wealth and investments. Successful spiritual individuals practice mindful stewardship of their resources, ensuring their material well-being aligns with their spiritual values. It’s like a finely choreographed dance between budgets and blessings -swaying to the rhythm of financial abundance while staying grounded in spiritual principles.
3. Risk-Taking: Successful money-driven people embrace calculated risks to seize lucrative opportunities. Likewise, successful spiritual individuals take risks in their spiritual pursuits, stepping into the unknown to experience profound spiritual growth. It’s similar to a daring tightrope walk between the risks of the material world and the risks of diving deep into the spiritual realm – just make sure to have a safety net of positivity to cushion any falls! 🙂
4. Networking and Relationship Building: Money-driven individuals excel in building connections and fostering relationships to expand their financial endeavors. Similarly, successful, highly spiritual individuals cultivate meaningful connections with like-minded souls, creating a supportive network for spiritual growth. It’s like hosting a party where you mingle with both money and spirit, sharing investment tips and discussing the universe’s mysteries over a glass of sparkling enlightenment.
5. Adaptability and Innovation: Successfully abundant people thrive in dynamic environments, adapting to changes and embracing innovation to stay ahead. Likewise, successful spiritual individuals adapt to the ever-evolving spiritual landscape, embracing new practices and perspectives to deepen their spiritual journey. I can bring a “visual” – imagine surfing the waves of change with a surfboard made of both dollars and mantras—catching the best financial opportunities while riding the tides of enlightenment.
6. Work Ethic and Persistence: Money-driven individuals possess a strong work ethic, dedicating long hours and unwavering commitment to achieving financial success. Successful spiritual individuals always have a strong spiritual work ethic, investing time and effort into their spiritual practices and self-discovery. It’s similar to balancing the scales of work-life and soul-life—giving equal attention to both the material and spiritual realms while occasionally taking a break for a spiritual coffee break.
7. Personal Development: Successful money-driven people focus on personal development, honing their skills and expanding their knowledge to excel in their financial pursuits. Similarly, highly spiritual individuals engage in personal development, cultivating self-awareness and deepening their spiritual understanding. Imagine a “personal development buffet” – serving up a plate of financial acumen, topped with a generous portion of spiritual growth and a side of personal empowerment.
8. Long-Term Vision: Money-driven individuals have a clear long-term vision, setting strategic goals to create lasting financial success. In a similar vein, highly successful spiritual individuals possess a long-term vision for their spiritual evolution, aiming for profound inner transformation. It’s like being the captain of both a financial spaceship and a spiritual time machine—plotting a course toward financial abundance and spiritual enlightenment simultaneously.
9. Balanced Lifestyle: Money-driven people strive for a balanced lifestyle, ensuring their financial success doesn’t come at the expense of their well-being. Similarly, highly spiritual individuals seek balance, harmonizing their spiritual practices with their physical and mental well-being. It’s like doing a balancing act on a tightrope—maintaining financial prosperity without neglecting self-care and spiritual nourishment. Remember to find humor in the circus of life, juggling responsibilities with laughter as your safety net (smiling helps you live longer! 🙂
10. Giving Back: Successful money-driven individuals find fulfillment in philanthropy and giving back to their communities. Likewise, highly successful spiritual individuals embrace the principle of selfless service, using their resources and spiritual wisdom to make a positive impact on the world. It’s like a benevolent dance – finding joy in both the rhythm of material generosity and the pace of compassionate acts and perhaps throwing in a few spiritual dance moves for good.
As we navigate the realm of success, be it money-driven or spiritually inclined, or both, I wish all of us to find harmony in the pursuit of our goals. I believe it is critically important to embrace the habits that serve your purpose, to practice gratitude, and… always remember to have a positive attitude and smile along the way. After all, life is a grand performance where we can blend success and spirituality and where humor and smile are the secret sauce that makes the Journey all the more delightful! 🙂
My 10 (Spiritually inclined) Strategies for Success.
In my opinion these 10 important strategies are basic fundamental principles for anyone who’s striving to become successful. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough space here to elaborate on each one, but hopefully you can soon read about these principles more in detail in my book (when it’s finally finished & published 🙂
1.Spirituality – finding meaning and purpose in our life and work; aligning our actions with our core values and beliefs and working towards a greater good
2.Gratitude – appreciating, acknowledging & valuing the contributions of others
3.Authenticity – expressing our true Selves, being transparent, honest & building genuine relationships based on trust and respect
4.Integrity – being honest and ethical in all our intentions and actions
5.Trust – building strong relationships based on mutual respect and understanding
6.Perseverance – being persistent through challenges and setbacks
7.Dedication –
8.Synergy – working together in harmony, people can achieve great things
9.High Standards – striving for excellence to continually improve & innovate
10.Joy – very important to finding happiness and fulfillment in what we do
Of course, there’re many more various principles and strategies different people use to overcome their obstacles, resolve their difficult situations and life scenarios, deal with their challenges to achieve success – to have a Mission and live their life on Purpose. Some people however have a subconscious conflicts or “limiting / negative beliefs” which don’t let them become successful because they unintentionally “sabotage their own success”.
I will share with you an example of one of my own “internal conflicts” re: whether I can be simultaneously spiritual and prosperous. I always felt that if, consciously and intentionally, I AM on my Spiritual Journey, then it is impossible for me to become wealthy. Abundant – yes (energetically and spiritually). But prosperous? No. I did not feel that these opposite (for me) things can be congruent in any conceivable way. This was one of my biggest limiting beliefs blocking my uneasy way to becoming successful – I still work on them as they are “sabotaging” my Success in many ways. This “self-sabotage” of course, is not something we do consciously! These “limiting beliefs” are hidden, they operate like “brainwashed ninjas”, and they’re definitely playing deadly mind games with us. I have worked plenty, both by myself and with various holistic practitioners, to release my negative beliefs about wealth & prosperity, as well as on many other challenges that keep me from being successful, abundant, and happy. I can’t say that I am where I want to be regarding abundance and prosperity, but I do embrace my new belief that I AM successful (in accordance with many peoples’ definition), and I AM on my way to even bigger Success! What I discovered about those “financial blocks” is that they are indeed multi-generational, multi-lingual, multi-layered, and are also related to my Self-worth, Self-Acceptance & Self-Love. I hope my example will be helpful to many of you in identifying your own “Limiting Beliefs/ Blocks to Success”, and finally getting rid of them!
Another example could be finding success in the midst of challenging and very transformational pandemic years… As a Healing Artist, I felt obligated to create more of “life-affirming” art in those years of losses and Lessons. For many it became quite difficult to continue being grateful, to live authentically with integrity, to practice Self-Love, to continue being positive, enthusiastic, and keep believing in success. Most of us had significant losses and one of the main things we definitely lost – was Trust. It is very uneasy to regain trust when it’s lost. It takes time, and healing, and effort. But it is possible. And we need to trust that.
Due to pandemics and its consequences, I personally lost many close people, friends, business, relationships, and of course, lots of art-related opportunities. When I lost my 3 very big, already scheduled, sponsored & curated SOLO “One Woman Show” Exhibits (100 artworks each) in 3 major cities – Orlando FL, NYC, and Rome (Italy), I was crashed, devastated, and hopeless. But I knew I had to create something new, to open proverbial “another door when this one close”. During these difficult times, as a result of not accepting “the negative reality” and striving only for the positive one, I invented my Wearable HealingArts®. Then I found Manufacturers who wanted to create garments from my original art, opened my 2 online Stores, trademarked my Wearable HealingArts® with the USPTO, and finally, after many mistakes, challenges and obstacles, I now have a beautiful platform www.WearableHealingArts.com – a Boutique Fashion and Home Décor designed from my Fine Art, embedded with my Healing Energies.
I’ve also become a published and bestselling author… I’ve been previously featured in many Magazines, including Authority, Thrive Global, ArtTour International, Art & Beyond, VoyageMia, Insights – mostly with my HealingArts. But in 2021, in the midst of Pandemics, I was invited to co-author and was published in “We’re All In This Together” which made me a Bestselling Author. I am continuing to work on my own 2 exciting books integrating art, spirituality and healing, and co-authored a Book on The Keys To Authenticity with Jack Canfield which was just published and became a Bestseller in several categories. Yet, my most attention & intention has been dedicated to developing my new unique venue integrating Art, Fashion, Design, and Healing – WearableHealingArts™. This is my Vision, Mission and Purpose – to make healing through art accessible to everyone – which is my personal definition of SUCCESS!
One of my own very strong and positive beliefs is that art heals. And this is exactly why I continue creating, in many different ways, regardless of the “success or failure” dilemma – because I believe that for many of us, creatives, art is a spiritual path, a transformational process, a way of being. I believe in the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. I believe that now, more than ever, our World needs the positive energy and spiritually-based intentions, beliefs, and values. I believe that art is a catalyst for healing individuals, society, and the environment. As a statement of all my beliefs, my HealingArts™ is my unique way to synergistically bring together fine art, expressive arts, and art of healing, along with spirituality, authenticity, and gratitude to enhance well-being, bring Love & Light, and embrace humanity.
