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How to Create a Great Life: According to HH Dalai Lama, Napoleon Hill & Woody Harrelson

I went to a property seminar on the weekend. Lots of useful facts and figures about the current economic climate, property cycles, area reports, strategies etc. What made the biggest impression on me though, was the mindset stuff they discussed.

It impacted because it was a great reminder that our external world is a direct reflection of our internal world. You want a great life? Get great on the inside!

HH Dalai Lama Says…

The property guy phrased it like this: It starts with your thoughts; they become your feelings; they create your actions, which brings your results. It’s wisdom I’ve heard in many other contexts. The Dalai Lama for example says:

Take care of your Thoughts because they become Words.
Take care of your Words because they will become Actions.
Take care of your Actions because they will become Habits.
Take care of your Habits because they will form your Character.
Take care of your Character because it will form your Destiny,
and your Destiny will be your Life.

At the property seminar they also discussed the concept of a wealth thermostat. Some of us are automatically set on high and some on low, according to our mindsets.

I think it’s worth defining ‘wealth’ at this point. I’m not just talking cash. The truly wealthy don’t just have money. They have time, health and happiness. That is true wealth.

Here’s a comparison between the average mindset and the wealthy mindset:

Average - Wealthy
Get lost in detail – Think big picture
Think scarcity – Think abundance
Think small – Think Big
Play not to lose – Play to win
Life happens – Control their lives
Justify – Have high self esteem
Don’t need to learn more – Invest in education
Think failure is bad – Failure doesn’t happen, everything’s a choice
Know it –  Ask questions

Napoleon Hill Says…

Napoleon Hill’s seminal work, Think And Grow Rich, was also referenced in the seminar. It was written early this century but the distinctions are timeless.

Here’s a summary of Hill’s characteristics of the ‘rich’:

- Burning desire – The rich have a burning desire to achieve their goals
- Specialist/Expert – The rich become specialised experts in what they do
- Discipline – The rich have discipline to take the steps and actions necessary to achieve their goals
- Decisive – They are decisive. They take action.
- Mastermind team – They understand the power of a collective.

Woody Harrelson Says… 

I’m a sucker for a good romantic comedy and while I was watching the movie Friends with Benefits I came across some golden wisdom for the attainment of wealth. The following quote comes from Woody Harrelson who plays Tommy, the very ‘OUT’ gay sports editor for GQ magazine. His performance is genius and his lines are gold!

“Everybody wants a shortcut in life, my guidebook is simple: You wanna lose weight? Stop eating, fatty! You wanna make money? Work your ass off, lazy! You wanna be happy? Find someone you like and never let em go!”

There you have it. Timeless advice for life, from three great sources!

The ‘M’ Word…

So, coming back to the ‘M’ word – our Mindset. It’s defined by our thoughts, and created by our belief system which we acquire from parents, teachers and significant others along our journey. It’s the program that runs us. It’s worth checking in with yours. Is it supporting your goals? Is it allowing you to be the full expression of what you’re here to be?

The lucky few are automatically tuned for success. For most it’s a journey of lessons and learnings… And un-learnings in many cases.

In the way we run our businesses we are often our own worst enemies. Richard Bach says “argue for your limitations, and sure enough they’re yours”. I’d say we all do it. We all put an illusionary ceiling on what we can achieve. Or worse still, we don’t start because we tell ourselves we can’t do it. Even when we do, if our mindset isn’t supporting us, sooner or later we sabotage ourselves because we don’t feel worthy of the success we are achieving.

You want a great life? Get a great mindset! 

Working with mentors and coaches who can help you change your belief system and create new automatic behaviours is a powerful way to foster a supportive mindset. The master – apprentice relationship is the most effective way to attain the knowledge you need to create the life you want. Once you have the knowledge, confidence will come and then the true wealth starts to flow… In the form of money, time, health and happiness.

Homage to all the amazing mentors out there. Where would we be without you! And I’d like to send a special thank you out to my high school English teacher – Ms Shennan. Your support and encouragement has helped shape the trajectory of my life.

So, a seminar about building a property portfolio has channelled wisdom from three bold sources. And when boiled down, they all say… “You want a great life? Get a great mindset.”

And make sure the words you use to communicate your business are speaking from your success mindset, not your limiting beliefs. I can help you with that. And please download my free guide: Writing Winning Words as an easy first step.

Oh, and here’s the clip of Woody’s wisdom. Enjoy!

LEONIE ORTON is a business writer and marketer.
She extracts your thoughts, gives them structure
and then converts them into words that work.
Find out more about her here. Connect with her
on Facebook & Twitter.