This past weekend I had the honor and the privilege of attending a 4-day conference called Success 3.0 Summit among some of the world’s leading thinkers, innovators, entrepreneurs and change-agents.
The goal was simple: To explore a new vision of conscious living, innovation and social impact that would ultimately help us find a new definition of Success.
Sounds fun, doesn’t it?
The event blew my mind and filled my heart in so many ways, but today when I sat down to share with you some concrete essentials needed for a “successful” cleanse, I thought there’s no possible way I can do that without spending some time talking about this oh-so-loaded word: Success!
Over the years I’ve explored what “success” means to me. There was a point in time that my husband and I had a quote from Earl Nightingale on our ceiling above our bed that said, “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”
Culturally we’ve been conditioned to think of success in very black and white terms. You either win or you lose. Success means that you accomplish your goal, that you get the fancy car, the fashionable clothes, the hot husband (or wife), two well-behaved children, the beach house, the perfect body, and on and on the list goes. The hope is that the day will arrive when we finally have all the external circumstances lined up just right, and we’ll be “successful” and happy.
Sound familiar?
The truth is that Success is none of these things.
We meet people in our program all the time that equate having a “successful” cleanse to the amount of weight they lose. They think, “If I could just shake these 15 pounds, I’ll finally be happy.”
While I’m not suggesting that losing weight isn’t a lovely goal (it’s is!) – it’s just not going to lead you to the true and lasting happiness that you believe it will.
And after all, isn’t that what we’re really after when we talk about Success?
Success is an inside job. It’s not a number on a scale or the size of your thighs. It’s an energy (like our quote above) that we carry with us through the journey of our lives.
So how do you activate this powerful driving force?
For me, it all comes down to setting a powerful intention. When we walk people through the intention setting exercise in our program, we take it very fiercely because we know that it has the power to lay the foundation for not only their cleanse, but also the next chapter of their life.
Setting the intention to lose weight or even to love and honor your body – these are beautiful sentiments. But what will does it ultimately give you?
What will loving and honoring your body give you?
It’s a big question and everyone will arrive at a slightly different answer. But I believe if you’re courageous enough to keep asking, “what will that give me?” you’re going to strike on something so divine it will blow your mind and give you goosebumps.
In our view, a Successful Cleanse means showing up and committing to playing full out. It means committing to your Intention every step of the way.
One of the deep truths of the Conscious Cleanse is the sheer willingness to show up and to slow down. The conscious part of the Conscious Cleanse will ultimately help you wake up to your life and when you do, there is no turning back!
Ahhh sweet Success!
Now it’s your turn. What’s your definition of Success? Leave me a comment below.
With love and sweet Success,
I just turned 50 and feel 60. I am focused on Loosing weight (and keeping it off) and feeling better physically to keep up with my family and a demanding job! This would be a successful point in my life!
Great article and even greater message!!!
Love the article Julie! I too believe success is an inside job (and it’s only taken me years of struggling to realize that, lol). Maybe your message will help shorten the learning curve for someone.
For me, success has come to mean living mindfully and intentionally and being content with who and where I am. That doesn’t mean I can’t want to set goals and make changes, just that I appreciate where I am in the process. That’s actually what attracted me to the Conscious Cleanse; the “conscious” part. It’s more than about a meal plan or exercise routine and I think that’s why I have stuck with it for the past few days and feel motivated to continue. I have a long way to go to feel “successful” but, this process is helping me slow down and take inventory of what’s important rather than living one day into the next without noticing who I am or what I’m doing.
I clicked on the link you provided to the Success 3.0 Summit. Wow! Knowing many of the speakers and their work, I am so impressed that you were able to participate. How exciting! Your push to set intentions and lay the foundation for cleansers is what why I’m such a fan. Your cleanses are more about numbers on a scale. I’m excited to see how this inspiring weekend will continue to impact your amazing work!