Happy and Successful? Is It Possible? An Interview With Byron Katie.

If I asked you which you would rather have- happiness or success- what would you say and why?  And please, don’t give me what you think is the politically correct answer.

Here’s an interesting thought for you to consider: what if you don’t have to choose one or the other? What if you can be happy and as successful as you want/think you can be?  Does that sound radical and crazy, or totally possible to you?

The truth is we often believe we have to be accomplished and get to the “top” then we can finally be happy.  I know, and work with, many accomplished people who are not happy.  So I’ve found that we have it backwards:  We first need to be happy, then and only then, we can be successful, however you define your own success. 

I was a happy, practicing lawyer until I realized that we didn’t have the best image as lawyers.  I became fascinated with this issue and wanted to turn it around for lawyers.  I also then realized that my natural gift was in personal brand management- that’s what makes me happy as a human- and guess what else?  It also makes me successful, too.

Here’s the dilemma.  I’ve discovered most of us don’t even stop and consider this distinction, let alone get to the possibility of “having it all” by being happy and successful. I believe it is because we have developed by being conditioned by society (your family, friends, etc.) to THINK this way.

I believe that if we started being aware of our thoughts; we could then be more in control of all our thoughts and in control of our happiness and our success and thus- our lives.  This sense of control could and should be liberating- you would then have a focal point behind which to put your energy. And of course, a self-aware person is an effective personal brand.

To help show us how to be more aware of our thoughts with the right tools, I recently had the privilege and honor to interview the great Byron Katie (Katie, as she prefers to be called). In brief, Katie believes your thoughts are the cause of your suffering.

It was in the late 1980s when Katie experienced this belief first-hand.  Katie is a best-selling author of numerous books.  She has helped millions of people over the years and continues to do so with her process of self-inquiry called, The Work. The Work applies to all people alike.  So how can it help you?  To answer this question, let me ask another question:  does the notion of looking at your thoughts seem scary, perhaps?  If so, you’re not alone.

Katie has been quoted as saying, “[w]hen we are not fearful, we are unlimited”.  I wholeheartedly believe in this.   How often do you find yourself stuck and almost paralyzed by a sense of fear?  My hope is you have the self-awareness to stop and notice. I remember how scared and stuck I was when I was initially leaving the practice of law.  I often had dreams where everyone was swimming in a pool and I was standing there watching them- I wanted to get in but literally couldn’t move.  Those nasty and telling dreams tapered off and gradually stopped once I worked to get past my fears and really embrace my unlimited nature and new career.

I believe when we are not trapped in fear then we can be so much more effective and kind and successful at anything we chose to focus on.  This is an abundance mind-set.  As I always say, when we know our uniqueness, then there is no competition, but collaboration.   Being able to find your uniqueness rests in feeling abundant mentally, fearless and unlimited.

Katie has also found, “[w]hen people take a fearful or rigid stance, they often bring about what they are trying to prevent.” The bottom line is our thoughts lead to our suffering.  Katie says we always prepare for winning and losing in our minds.  We put so much upon ourselves to win and be right and be a success.

So our thoughts can be stressful and torture, if we believe them.   However, listening to our thoughts and being aware ultimately makes us kinder and less aggressive. We are then more aware of all the possible solutions to our problems that we perhaps weren’t aware of before we actually sat still and allowed our own knowledge to flow through and guide us.

When I first started to do The Work, I remember how disgusted and shocked I was with my thoughts.  How could it be, I used to think (and still do, but less!), that I am thinking this self-defeating thought?

In fact, The Work is actually meditative in application. But are you open to meditation and sitting still? Or are you stuck in your own ways and can’t even consider anything new to try? Is it just “fluff” to sit still and be with your thoughts? Or is it just too scary?

In actuality I believe, and know to be true, that being self-aware/self-realized makes you:  1) a better person: more positive, more grateful and happy AND 2) even a greater force in other areas in which you want to succeed.  The more I practice self-awareness the more I relate to others and find gratitude each day.   This is particularly true for my second career- I find I am so much more “in the flow”, in harmony with my ultimate purpose and on the path to big, big things.

So I asked Katie, how can we move past our self-limiting blocks and patterns using The Work, thus trying new methods and being open to methods that may seem like “fluff”?  Katie believes if we believe it is fluff, it could cost us something that could really expand and grow us as people.  After all, we can’t know for sure that The Work, or any other process, is fluff without trying it.  If we don’t try, then the door is shut to new ways and ideas and really, creativity as I see it.  So Katie’s advice is to stay open to The Work, stating,  “[y]ou don’t have to do it now, but there could be a time in your life when you need it and want to do it. …. We hold all the power to make changes in our lives.”

Here’s another reason to try The Work or some other way of growing.  I have found through my research that everyone suffers from some sort of self-confidence issue.  My research shows that low self-confidence is directly inversely related to high stress.  When we have low self-confidence we have a poor personal brand that doesn’t “sell” us.

My research shows we often end up comparing ourselves to others, perhaps feeling victimized and even like an outcast.  To make ourselves feel better, we project how we feel outward onto others so that they are the problem or the cause for our sorry situation. All this rings of a low self-confidence issue, which is true for all humans in one way or another.  I know for a fact that every time I sink into low self confidence, everyone around me is well aware of this shift- they may not consciously know so, but so much of what I’m talking about is subconscious processing of information.

In one of her books, Katie states that we all have this unspoken belief that unless people approve of us, we are worthless.  Katie also says that defending anything is the first act of “war” or a war-like mental state of aggression. It seems like this is exactly one of our challenges that can hold us back – many times we feel worthless and go into self-defense mode.

So how can we apply The Work to not compare, not defend and have higher self-confidence?

Katie finds that when we feel low in self-confidence, then that low self-confidence is what we think we have to sell.  In that instance, we don’t like ourselves, and we don’t expect others to like us.  As a result, we can’t attract anyone.  If we didn’t defend ourselves and looked at constructive criticism with an open mind, then maybe we’d learn something about ourselves that we may have missed.  In that way, we could also connect with another person. Katie holds that every time a person does The Work, they come out as a kinder, caring, enlightened, fearless person, which reeks of high self-confidence because we are on solid ground and we are not defending ourselves to the world.

So where should you start, you ask?

Katie recommends we fit The Work in gradually by perhaps getting up a little bit earlier than the rest of our household each morning, getting quiet and getting still to sort life out. Katie recommends doing so in the early morning because in the mornings our minds are clear before the world bombards them.  Even 20 minutes a day helps. 

Katie advises that this is not just one more thing on your list- you DO NOT have to do this.  But, Katie promises, if you try it, you will have such a shift in your mindset and ability to produce results.  To me those “results” are being happy and successful.

I myself am a testament to this process. For years now, I prescribe to “slow start” mornings.  I get up early, work out and then spend at least 30 minutes sitting still and focusing inside.  Years ago I heard Richard Branson does the same- so I kept it up.  I figured he must be doing something right and this just felt like one of those things to keep doing.  It brings me so much calmness and clarity every morning. Plus I have something to look forward to every morning.

What should you do in the 20 minutes?  Katie recommends you close your eyes and contemplate a thought that you have that is stressing you. This will allow you to get clarity on the issue and how you feel and view it.  Katie says that doing this will change the way you see everything for the rest of your life. I totally agree, as I have been doing The Work for some time now in addition to my slow morning routine.

Will it be do-able?  Well Katie advises that you just try it on with an open mind. Even if it is hard, be gentle and kind to yourself.  As Katie put it, it is all about your own world peace.  I agree.  I find that it is our job to take care of our peace in this world so we can be of service to others.

As Katie says, doing The Work will sharpen our observations and leave us in balance.  Who wouldn’t want that?

For my full audio interview and highlight video with Byron Katie see here: www.purispersonalbranding.com

For more information about The Work, visit thework.com