Are there hacks for living a happy successful life? When I attended the July 2015 Australasian Association of Professional Organisers Conference (AAPO) I heard from Keynote Speaker from Austin Texas, Barry Izsak. He’s a Senior Move Manager and Organiser of 20+ years for his company ‘Arranging It All’. He spoke to us about 20 Secrets to Success as a Professional Organiser. I found a lot of his points to be poignant to how to be successful in life and I want to share them with you. I’ve turned them into “12 Life Hacks to Living a Successful, Happy Life”.
1. Our perception is our reality
Are you reflecting the person you want to be seen as, out to the world? Alternatively, are you viewing things with blinkers on? Is there any other way to view the situation?
2. Believe in Yourself
Believe in what you’re doing, and believe in yourself. Those who succeed in life are confident enough to go after what they want. They know that even if they make a mistake, they’ll have learnt something and achieved great things.
3. Go after what is important to you
Making a difference, making a mark and making money are not necessarily mutually exclusive. What is important to you? Go after that.
4. Just DO IT!
Procrastinating? Just jump in and do it. Put your heart and soul into whatever it is that you’re passionate about. Don’t wait for the perfect moment, even taking one small step towards what’s important to you will make a difference to your enjoyment in life. Don’t let fear get in the way.
5. Invest in yourself
Educate yourself and continue to find ways to grow. It might be through university studies, counselling, day courses, reading, attending conferences, talking to people you wouldn’t usually speak to. Put yourself outside your comfort zone and learn.
Also do things to regenerate lost energy. Investing in your health and wellbeing is vital.
6. Declutter your mind of negative thoughts
Minimising thoughts that limit your potential will help you get ahead. If you catch yourself worrying, stressing about the ‘might be’ scenarios or feeling negative try to cut the thought off. Put your mind to something positive, write down some gratitude’s or give yourself a pep talk. If you struggle with this on your own, hire a coach or counsellor.
7. Shine
Allow yourself to shine. Don’t be afraid to be visible. Tell people what you’re about and what you stand for. Don’t hide who you are to save someone’s feelings, you should be able to shine brightly without having to worry about what others think. If someone tries to take you down a peg, consider that this may come from envy or similar. Don’t let it get you down.
8. Value Yourself
Value yourself and what you offer others. You deserve it. This may mean charging more money for your services or asking for that pay rise. It may mean cutting out the negative comments you make about yourself, or accepting compliments.
9. Delegate
Learn to delegate. Know what you’re good at, and what needs to be done by you, and what can be done by others. Save yourself some undue stress.
10. Show Integrity
Live by your word. Do what you say by the time you said you would. Let people know that you can be trusted.
11. Exceed expectations
Go beyond what you promise, it will always surprise people and be warmly welcomed. It might be unspoken expectations like turning up to a social event and being kind to someone, smiling at a passer-by or paying it forward.
12. Shoot for the moon
Think big, plan big and do big things. If you shoot for the moon, at worst you’ll land amongst the stars.
Most of these will also help you in your home or job, and motivate you to stay organised. Hopefully, you came away with some inspiration as I did. What’s your life hack to living a happy, successful life?
