Last week I spent four wonderful days at the Four Seasons Hotel in Kona Hawaii, where I had the pleasure of speaking to a wonderful group of Top Sales Performers and spouses of Ameritus Financial.
My job was to give them the tools they need to embrace the changes and intense growth they were currently experiencing and will inevitably continue to experience in the coming years. I knew the tension was high, but I was prepared.
One morning, two hours before my speech, I was having breakfast at a restaurant with a captivating view of the ocean. As the waitress was pouring my coffee, I asked, “Why is it that no matter where they are, or what they are doing, Hawaiian people always seem to be happy and at peace with themselves? Is there some kind of secret that I should know about? And if there is, can you please tell me?”
She laughed and looked around as if to make sure that no one was listening and in a low voice she replied, “Mr. Rizzo today is your lucky day. For today I will tell you the secret that most Hawaiian people live by”. She sat down in the chair next to me, motioned me to get closer and whispered in my ear. “We learn to dance in the rain”.
Before I had a chance to respond, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a laminated card and handed it to me and said “This is for you. It really is a secret that should be shared with everyone.” “Don’t wait for the storms of your life to pass. Learn to dance in the rain”.
Read that again my friend. That statement is a touchstone for living a successful, happier life, especially when you are experiencing intense change and growth of any kind. That in part is the message I shared with the wonderful people of Ameritus Financial.
“Dancing in the rain” is an attitude that truly happy and successful people live by and few dancers come by it naturally. Can you learn to dance in the rain when the storms of change and misfortune are pouring down on you? I believe the answer is yes. It’s a matter of shifting your focus and way of thinking when times are tough that makes the difference.
That is to say, when the storms of life are pouring down on you, you can muster up enough courage to dance and bless the things that life has given you, or you can drown as you curse your challenges and unfortunate circumstances. I don’t know
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Experiencing True Happiness
I would like to get something off my chest. As many of you know, my mission in life is to show people how to be happy and successful, regardless what their circumstances are. Let me make this perfectly clear! I am in no way expecting anyone to be happy 24-7, 365 days a year. Give me a break! Better yet, give yourself a break!
To expect to be happy all the time is to set yourself up for disappointment and failure. Furthermore, if you were happy all of the time, its meaning would be completely lost because you would have nothing to compare it with.
Experiencing true happiness invariably involves emotional discomfort and difficult experiences along the way. In fact, it depends on them. Our challenges build our character and self esteem. How we approach and respond to these challenges is what determines the quality of our happiness. A happy person can experience highs and lows throughout their life while maintaining a positive outlook on their life as a whole.
The goal isn’t to be in a perpetual state of Pollyannaish happiness. Rather, the goal is to realize that if you stay conscious of your ability to shift into a feel good state of mind and allow it to, happiness will come around more often than not.
To expect to be happy all the time is to set yourself up for disappointment and failure. Furthermore, if you were happy all of the time, its meaning would be completely lost because you would have nothing to compare it with.
Experiencing true happiness invariably involves emotional discomfort and difficult experiences along the way. In fact, it depends on them. Our challenges build our character and self esteem. How we approach and respond to these challenges is what determines the quality of our happiness. A happy person can experience highs and lows throughout their life while maintaining a positive outlook on their life as a whole.
The goal isn’t to be in a perpetual state of Pollyannaish happiness. Rather, the goal is to realize that if you stay conscious of your ability to shift into a feel good state of mind and allow it to, happiness will come around more often than not.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Attitude of Gratitude by Steve Rizzo
On May 31st I spoke to a wonderful group of people at Northrop Grumman Corporation in Connecticut. On the way home the Limo driver asked me what I did for a living. I told him that I speak to groups all over the world on how to be happy and successful regardless of what their circumstances are. I knew I hit a soft spot because he let out a big laugh and said, “I always start my day in a good mood! Do you want to know the secret is?” Before I could answer he said, “Gratitude! I always start my day with an attitude of gratitude!”
Now I didn’t know this guy personally, but I could tell by that one statement that he embraced a most profound secret about happiness; GRATITUDE! It is essential that as soon as you open your eyes to start your day you put your attention on something or someone you are truly grateful for. And for those of you who are mumbling that you don’t have anything to be grateful for; WRONG!!!!!!
I cannot stress this enough, but I’ll try. There is always, always, always, always, and always something to be grateful for. Always! Sometimes you have to dig deep, but it’s worth digging for. When you discover it, feel it with your with everything you’ve got and then build from there. This is especially important at the beginning of your day. Feeling grateful and appreciative is the fastest way to turn your life around.
Gratitude is the most powerful connection you have to your higher self, God, the divine, Bob or whatever you want to call it. The point is you always want to keep your connection to this higher part of yourself. The stronger your connection, the better you feel. The better you feel the more creative and productive you are. The more creative and productive you are, the better you feel.
When you fully appreciate what you have in the moment, good things come into your life. Why? Because the gratitude bone is connected to the happiness bone, and it’s this fun little cycle that eventually acts as a magnet to attract the things you desire most, whatever they might be into your life.
Now I didn’t know this guy personally, but I could tell by that one statement that he embraced a most profound secret about happiness; GRATITUDE! It is essential that as soon as you open your eyes to start your day you put your attention on something or someone you are truly grateful for. And for those of you who are mumbling that you don’t have anything to be grateful for; WRONG!!!!!!
I cannot stress this enough, but I’ll try. There is always, always, always, always, and always something to be grateful for. Always! Sometimes you have to dig deep, but it’s worth digging for. When you discover it, feel it with your with everything you’ve got and then build from there. This is especially important at the beginning of your day. Feeling grateful and appreciative is the fastest way to turn your life around.
Gratitude is the most powerful connection you have to your higher self, God, the divine, Bob or whatever you want to call it. The point is you always want to keep your connection to this higher part of yourself. The stronger your connection, the better you feel. The better you feel the more creative and productive you are. The more creative and productive you are, the better you feel.
When you fully appreciate what you have in the moment, good things come into your life. Why? Because the gratitude bone is connected to the happiness bone, and it’s this fun little cycle that eventually acts as a magnet to attract the things you desire most, whatever they might be into your life.
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