Inspirational Living: Life Lessons for Success & Happiness

Listen to episode 564 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: The Rules of Success. Edited and adapted from Success Psychology by Coleman Hall Bush.

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Success Podcast Excerpt: We must have a clear idea of our Goal of Success, and where it is; then run in that direction only. In other words, we must have an AIM, and we must aim at the target if we would hit the bull’s-eye of Success.

Broadly speaking, we may say that success is that condition which gives us a “life more abundant” through growth in Health, Wealth, and Happiness. This, of course, can only be obtained through the constructive and creative power of right thinking. And it is this power which carries us directly to a study of all the departments of mind and body.

Listen to episode 563 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: The Unlimited Business of Living. Edited and adapted from The Wonders of Life by Ida Luella Rettinghouse Lyon.

Inspirational Podcast Excerpt: Welcome to the Inspirational Living podcast. Get add free podcasts with full transcripts, plus our spiritual series Our Sunday Talks by visiting LivingHour.org/patron. Thank you.

I am indebted to Christian D. Larson for the pleasure of repeating the following inspiring truth, that is: “To simply think of an accumulation of energy within yourself will, if you are in a calm state, cause your energy to become stronger and stronger, until you feel that you are full of living powers. This method will also remove every condition of weariness, as well as threatened symptoms of every description. If you do not feel well, fill your system with new energy, and you will, even in a few minutes, feel like a new being."

The reason why this works is that our nerve-centers are "centers of force," and the greatest problem which confronts us is that of using them intelligently. That wonderful power-house, the human body (together with its subtle inner forces), represent the capital with which we begin the business of living — a business in which we are all engaged — and it rests with us whether that business shall be profitable or otherwise.

Listen to episode 562 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: Building the Habits to Set You Free. Edited and adapted from King of Mind, Body, and Circumstance by James Allen.

Inspirational Podcast Excerpt: Habit is repetition. We repeat the same thoughts, the same actions, the same experiences over and over again until they are incorporated within our being, until they are built into our character as part of ourselves. Faculty is fixed habit. Evolution is mental accumulation. Humanity, today, is the result of millions of repetitious thoughts and acts. We are not ready-made. We become, and are still becoming. Our character is predetermined by our own choice. The thought, the act, which we choose — that, by habit, we become.

Thus each person is an accumulation of thoughts and deeds. The characteristics which you manifest instinctively and without effort are lines of thought and action that become, by long repetition, automatic — for it is the nature of habit to become unconscious, to repeat itself without any apparent choice or effort on the part of its possessor. And in due time it takes such complete possession of the individual as to appear to render their will powerless to counteract it. This is the case with all habits, whether good or bad.

Listen to episode 561 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: Building a Personality that Attracts Other. Edited and adapted from The Secret of Success by William Walker Atkinson.

Inspirational Podcast Excerpt: A valuable trait of Personality is Self Respect. If you have real Self Respect, it will manifest itself in your outward demeanor and appearance. If you don’t have it, you had better start in and cultivate the appearance of Self Respect, and then Remember that you are a MAN, or WOMAN, as the case may be, and not a lowly, Human Door Mat.

Face the world firmly and fearlessly, keeping your eyes well to the front. HOLD UP YOUR HEAD! There is nothing like a stiff backbone and raised head for meeting the world. The person with bent head seems to apologize for living and being on the earth (and the world is apt to take such as their own valuation). An erect head enables one to walk past the dragons at the door of Success.

Think Self Respect and act Self Respect. Let the "I AM" within you manifest itself. Don’t crawl — don’t cringe — don’t grovel – but do be a Real Human Being.

Listen to episode 560 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: Finding the Energy to Accomplish Anything. Edited and adapted from The Secret of Success by William Walker Atkinson.

Inspirational Podcast Excerpt: Most of us have little or no conception of the reserve mental energies and forces contained within our being. We jog along at our customary gait, thinking that we are doing our best and getting all out of life there is — believing we are expressing ourselves to our utmost capacity. However, we are living only in the first-wind mental state. Behind our working mentality are stores of wonderful mental energy and power — faculties lying dormant, power lying latent, awaiting the magic command of the Will in order to awaken into activity and outward expression.

We are far greater beings than we have realized. We are giants of power, if we would but know it. Many of us are like young elephants that allow themselves to be mastered by weak men and put through their paces, little dreaming of the mighty strength and power concealed within us. On the hidden planes of our mind are untold possibilities — the raw materials for mighty mental tasks and achievement, the storage batteries of wonderful accomplishment.

Listen to episode 559 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: The Power of Purpose. Edited and adapted from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden.

Success Podcast Excerpt: The woman and man who knows one thing, and can do it better than anybody else (even if it only be the art of raising turnips), receives the crown they merit. If they raise the best turnips by reason of concentrating all their energy to that end, they are a benefactor to the race and are recognized as such.

If a salamander be cut in two, the front part will run forward and the other backward. Such is the progress of those who divide their purpose. Success is jealous of scattered energies. No one can pursue a worthy object steadily and persistently with all the powers of their mind and yet make their life a failure.

The giants of the human race have been people of concentration, who have struck sledgehammer blows in one place until they have accomplished their purpose. The successful individuals of today are those with one overmastering idea, one unwavering aim — men and women of single and intense purpose.

Listen to episode 558 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: How to Keep Happy. Edited and adapted from Keep Happy by Eustace Miles.

Happiness Podcast Excerpt: Welcome to the Inspirational Living podcast. If you or someone you know would like to break free from an addiction to alcohol or cigarettes, our break free meditations can help. To learn more, please visit Livinghour.org/breakfree.

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It is so easy to say to others, or to ourselves, “Keep happy”. But how do we keep happy? Here are a few of many helps.

People will sometimes ask, "What about trying circumstances? How can we keep happy in them, whether they be past, present, or future?"

Well, a good piece of general advice is to welcome the circumstances as you would welcome either a strong opponent or a contest handicap — that is, as a privilege, and an occasion for bringing out "one's best game."

Then, Turn Your Mind to Blessings, or think of your own blessings, not only in the past, but also the present. Think of all the conveniences of civilization. Contrast the hardships of a century ago — with no internet, no air-conditioners, no washing machines, and frequent back breaking labor. Think of today’s blessings and keep happy. Think also of the blessings of friends or family. Anything is better than giving attention to your supposed injuries, hardships, and sorrows, and resenting or bemoaning them.

Listen to episode 557 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: Gain Mastery of Your Fate. Edited and adapted from Mastery of Fate by Christian D. Larson.

Inspirational Podcast Excerpt: What you are, and what you do, determines in what conditions, circumstances, and environments you shall be placed. And since you can change yourself and your actions, you can determine what your fate is to be.

To change yourself, you must change your thought, because you are as you think; and to change your actions, you must change the purpose of your life, because every action is consciously or unconsciously inspired by the purpose you hold in view.

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Listen to episode 556 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: Bringing Out the Best Within You. Edited and adapted from Mastery of Fate by Christian D. Larson.

Inspirational Podcast Excerpt: To bring out the best that is within you, you must not merely exist; you must live. When you actually live, you are what you are, and are ALL that you are. You stop trying to be something else, or someone else. You do not imitate, but continue to be yourself always. And this is one of the secrets in the creation of a greater destiny.

Listen to episode 555 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: The Remarkable Power of the Human Mind Edited and adapted from How the Mind Works by Christian D. Larson.

Inspirational Podcast Excerpt: There are many things that the human mind can do, and all of them are remarkable. But one of the greatest and most wonderful is the power of mind to see through things; that is, to cause the rays of its insight and discernment to pass through the problems of life just as the X-ray passes through opaque and tangible objects.

When this power is highly developed, practically all mistakes can be avoided. The right thing can be done at the right time, and every opportunity can be taken advantage of when the psychological moment is at hand. We are all surrounded by possibilities that can never be measured, possibilities that, if employed even in a limited degree, would make life many times as rich and beautiful as it is now.

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Support our upcoming short film One Thousand Cars at Night Looks Like a Moving Train. Visit our Kickstarter campaign at: https://livinghour.org/film.