You are already doing this; this is how you can do it better

Eliot Kelly
5 min readAug 13, 2021
Go from doing what others think you should do, to doing what you love

@eliotkellyofficial

One day the Buddha found his heart in turmoil. So, he retreated to the forest, to the earth, to the base of a great tree. An elephant came up to him and tells Buddha he does not like seeing him discouraged. The Buddha had attained the sixth level of consciousness and could communicate with plants, trees and even rocks.

The Buddha was troubled, so he went back to where he came from — the beginning, to find the path — the answer. When you hit a dead end, go back to the beginning to find your way. In this article I will help you to find the path by sharing with you, what I feel are the definable foundations that create a meaningful life.

Purpose

When you truly embrace purpose, you go from doing what others think you should do, to doing what you love. That does not mean that every day is a breeze, or that you will love every day. There will still be good days and bad days. So how do you discover your purpose in life?

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to identify your purpose:

1. What am I searching for?

Your answer should be something that speaks to your deepest thoughts and feelings, something that sets your soul on fire. Searching for that fire will take you back to the beginning — your ‘why.’ This perspective will help you establish priorities.

2. Why was I created?

No one else in the world has the same goals, talents, background, or future. The answer to this question avoids you from trying to be someone you are not.

3. Do I believe in my potential?

Author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership, John C. Maxwell, says that “Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their capabilities. They vary in their desire to reach their potential. Do what you can with what you have.

The most dangerous temptation is delaying the discovery of purpose. Start now!

Principles

Anyone can succeed. I believe that the path to success is not a matter of talent but rather a matter of having the correct principles. One of the three principles that I shared recently during our two-day seminar in Barcelona, Spain is that if you want to be successful, you must take 100% responsibility for everything that you experience in your life. Secondly, everything you think, say, and do needs to become intentional and aligned with your highest purpose, your values, and your goals. Finally, to achieve desired outcomes, one must replace complaining with making requests and taking action.

There are no shortcuts to success, however, by approaching the obstacles that lie in the way with the right mindset, success can be achieved by anyone.

Positive Impact

My Mom used to say, “Eliot, there are three kinds of people — those who hate their work and complain bitterly, those who tolerate their work and see it as a pay-check and are not looking for more (or they feel they can’t have more), and finally, those who love their work, and relish it.” She said that this category is a small subset of all professionals globally, but this group stands out because these are, most often, the people who change the world for the better. She also encouraged me to be one of these global professionals.

The 2016 World Happiness report ranks 156 countries around the world measuring happiness levels. Denmark was ranked number one in the world resultant of various factors such as: social support, generosity, life expectancy and the freedom to make choices. Research has found a strong correlation between kindness and happiness. Those who engage in service of others are happier. When you commit a portion of your time, energy, or resources to helping others, you will create a deeper sense of fulfilment for yourself and make an impact on those around you.

Planning

People seldom achieve anything significant by stumbling around day to day. Definition of ‘planning’: a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something. Success is created by making plans, then acting on that plan every day.

Patience

“The key to everything is patience: You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing. — Paul J. Mayer

Success is found on the other side of patience. In his book entitled Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman discusses a study involving a group of 4-year-old children who are told if they wait 15 minutes to eat a biscuit left next to them on a table, they will get two biscuits rather than one. Tracking the progress of the children involved until they reached the age of 18 revealed that this was a highly accurate predictor of future success. Who do you think went on to achieve more in life — the children who waited or the ones who ate the biscuit immediately?

It takes time to change ingrained habits that you may have been taught since childhood, but the good news is it is do-able. All good things take time.

“Wealth is the transfer of money from the impatient to the patient.” — Warren Buffett

Being an entrepreneur is hard as hell. There is no handbook on creating something out of nothing. There are plenty of books from so-called experts and thought leaders, but not many that truly connect the dots.

One of the fascinating aspects of working with thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners, is observing what seems like unlimited paths through failure to success and happiness. Back to basics is a journey of simplification. To find your way, go back to the beginning by identifying your purpose, approaching the obstacles that lie in the way with the right mindset, creating a deeper sense of fulfilment for yourself, making an impact on those around you, planning and acting on those plans every day and by being patient. We can not help but impact the people we live, work, and interact with for better or for worse. So, what or who is leading you?

Eliot Kelly is recognised as a serial Entrepreneur, and has been featured on CNN, BBC Three’s Be Your Own Boss and an extensive list of magazines and articles. His four books have been translated in over 7 languages and are sold in 29 countries, recently being shortlisted for Best Self-Help and Best Advice Books 2019 by The Author Academy.

www.eliotkelly.co.uk

info@eliotkelly.co.uk

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Eliot Kelly

Eliot Kelly is recognised as a serial Entrepreneur, and has been featured on CNN, BBC Three’s Be Your Own Boss and an extensive list of magazines and articles.