93 TRUTHS TO UNLIMITED HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS
… in your life, work, and relationships
As a kid, all I cared about was being happy. Having fun, being popular, getting my way, doing what I wanted to do, and not giving very much thought to the people around me. It took me a while to figure out that was a selfish road going to nowhere significant.
As a high school and college student, my focus shifted to being successful. In fact, I became so obsessed with being successful that I had to get the top grade in every class and be the outstanding student in every activity. I worked so hard at being successful that I literally worked myself into a debilitating disease that took years to overcome.
Talk about a lack of balance. I had traded happiness for success and it wasn’t a good trade.
However, I learned something truly significant through these experiences. When you learn how to put BOTH happiness AND success into your life, work, and relationships, the world opens up to you in marvelous ways.
But I’ll have to admit this discovery didn’t come to me all by myself. This discovery came to me as a university professor, as an author, as a researcher, and as a professional speaker who has worked with and spoken to more than one million people. When I asked these people what they really, really, REALLY wanted out of life, their top two answers were always the same: “I just want to be happy” and “I’d like to be more successful” … whatever that might have meant to them.
Right then and there, I adopted a radical approach to education … and that is … my presentations must show my students and my audiences HOW to have happier, more successful lives, careers, and relationships. I wasn’t going to waste their time or fill their heads with fluff that wasn’t worth remembering. (After all, haven’t you read enough books or attended enough seminars that were a waste of your time?)
I believe this radical approach is why 92% of my work has come from absolutely delighted repeat and referred clients. They know my “stuff” works and they want more of it.
And now, as I look back on my years of formal education, my decades of self-education, my ever-growing insight and wisdom, on the five books and the 1000 articles I have published, I have tried to distill all that knowledge into 93 truths that will put more happiness and success into your life, work, and relationships.
In fact, you might even call these 93 truths a part of my legacy. These are the same truths I share with my friends, family members, and clients … hoping, of course, that they will adopt them, apply them, and reap the amazingly positive results that come from them.
Are all these truths original? Of course not. I wouldn’t presume to have cornered the market on wisdom. Some of the truths I’ve learned from others and some of them come from my own first-hand experience with trials and triumphs.
But I do know this. The more of these truths you follow, the better off you’ll be.
These 93 truths are my gift to you. I spent years learning them and I spent weeks compiling, writing, and refining them. They’re my way of thanking you, my loyal followers, and it’s my way of celebrating the 1000th issue of Dr. Zimmerman’s Tuesday Tip, which is one of the world’s most heavily subscribed and longest-lasting blogs or newsletters in the world.
To get the most out of these truths I’ve created for you, I suggest a two-step process.
First, read through all the truths, from the beginning to the end, at least once a month. The more you read them, the more they’ll sink in and begin to work their magic, increasing your levels of happiness and success.
Second, select one, two, or three truths to focus on each day. Think about those truths throughout your day and consciously look for ways you can apply that truth to your thoughts, words and deeds for that day. After all, practice makes permanent.
Let’s get started. If you want a downloadable, printable copy of these 93 Truths without all the other text listed click here…93 TRUTHS TO ENSURE UNWAVERING HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS4
You’ll see that all the truths listed below are focused on your two key desires … more happiness and greater success.
But the first truth is the absolute beginning point … the bottom line, if you will. If you can’t accept TRUTH #1, you’re not going to go very far. You’re going to be more of a victim than a victor. So, before you browse through the rest of the truths, make sure you get this first truth settled in your head, right here and now.
OVERRIDING TRUTH #1:
It only takes one person to change your life — you.
Okay, got that? Let’s move on to the HAPPINESS TRUTHS, because in reality that’s where all success starts … in your head. Truths 2-8 tell you how to Pursue Happiness or what it takes to be a happier individual. And your attitude feeds directly into your happiness, so truths 9-19 tell you how to Up Your Attitude.
PURSUE HAPPINESS.
(Your happiness is found in what you do, not in how you feel.)
2. Take responsibility for your happiness. (No one is in charge of your happiness except you.)
3. Decide to be happy. (Find pleasure each moment you live and satisfaction with each breath you take.)
4. Take action. (If you’re feeling down, do something. It’s an almost certain cure for despair, depression, and demotivation. So what if you don’t “feel” like it? Do it anyway.)
5. Act as if you’re enthusiastic and you will be enthusiastic. (Don’t take your temporary feelings of unhappiness too seriously.)
6. Have more fun. (Smile more often. Laugh more deeply. It puts energy back in your batteries.)
7. Create more happy memories. (Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.)
8. Focus more on others than you do on yourself. (It’s one of the secrets of the truly happy people. They know it’s not all about me-me-me.)
UP YOUR ATTITUDE.
(It is your attitude, more than your aptitude, that will determine your altitude.)
9. Take responsibility for your response. (Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. You may not have control over the first 10%, but you always have control over the other 90%. The world is not fair. Accept it. Things will not always go your way. Deal with it.)
10. Remind yourself that even though life isn’t fair, it’s still good.
11. Don’t sweat the small stuff. (Be quick to let things go. After all, many of the things that annoy you are truly petty.)
12. See all the good around you. (Take time to notice and appreciate those things, this moment and every moment.)
13. Find the positive in every negative.
14. Discipline yourself to speak only the positive—at least one day every week. (Go out of your way to talk optimistically about everything. Cut all the negative comments out of your conversations. It may the hardest thing you’ll ever do, but it will eventually put you in control of your attitude and energize your future.)
15. Write down four new things you’re thankful for every day.
16. Speak words of gratitude. (Take a walk outside and say out loud “Thank you … Thank you … Thank you” a thousand times. Make gratefulness a habit. And then speak more words of gratitude to others.)
17. Get up, dress up, and show up with a smile, no matter how you feel.
18. Feed your mind. (Feed yourself at least fifteen minutes of positive input every day … reading or listening to inspirational materials, hanging around contagiously positive people, or doing whatever works for you.)
19. Affirm yourself. (Talk to yourself, saying such things as “I like myself … I believe in myself … and … I can do it.” Tell yourself positive things dozens of times throughout the day.)
That’s what it takes to ensure unwavering happiness … the first thing that everybody wants. More happiness.
Remember I have 3 gifts to give you to celebrate this 1000th issue of the Tuesday Tip? This is the second gift. I’m giving away 1000 free copies of my hardcover book, The Payoff Principle: Discover the 3 Secrets for Getting What You Want Out of Life and Work. And if I do say so myself, it is a great book that has hit Amazon #1 on several occasions. People love this book and find the content to be life changing.
But in the spirit of 100% transparency, the book is absolutely free. I don’t get a penny in this celebration deal. I’ve already spent thousands on the writing, editing, printing, and publishing of the book.
However, my warehouse charges $6.95 for the shipping and handling of the book. Again, that is the exact charge. There is no upcharge. Again, I don’t get a penny. But that’s the charge you will be billed for getting the book sent to you.
I wish that could be avoided, because I personally hate handling and shipping charges. But I learned a long time ago that warehouses and post offices have expenses and employees that have to be paid, or they would go out of business.
(This offer expires on Thursday 08/15/2019 12:00 am EST)
The second thing everybody wants is greater success. Truths 20-35 reveal the bedrock principles that undergird all success. Follow them and you’ll do very well. Dismiss them and you’ll do so at your own peril.
Just as importantly, there are 6 specific areas that feed into or destroy your success: Health, Goals, Spirituality, Time, Relationships, and Money. Truths 36-93 outline the do’s and don’ts of those contributing factors.
ENSURE YOUR SUCCESS.
(Your destiny isn’t a matter of chance; it’s a matter of choice.)
20. Remember you are not your past. You are your potential.
21. To unleash your power, start believing in your power.
22. The secret to getting ahead is getting started. (To get to the top, get off your bottom. Don’t wait for the perfect time to get started. It’s never going to come. Now is almost always better than never.)
23. Over prepare; then go with the flow.
24. Work hard. The harder you work the luckier you get. (If you work hard, results are easy. If you work easy, results are hard. After all, no one ever drowned in a pool of sweat. And the only place where success comes before sweat is in the dictionary.)
25. Take a risk. Leave your comfort zone. (If you want more of anything (a better relationship, a more exciting career, a healthier body, a more fulfilling life, stronger finances, whatever), it always requires leaving your comfort zone. You can’t keep on doing the same old things and expect better results.)
26. Don’t worry about being the best; just do your best.
27. The best substitute for genius is persistence. (Most people don’t fail in life, business, or relationships; they simply quit trying. Even Einstein said he wasn’t smarter than other people; he simply wouldn’t quit.)
28. If you find yourself starting over too much, stop giving up so easily.
29. Count your accomplishments. (Each night as you go to bed, tell yourself, “Today I accomplished _____________________.” List at least five of them)
30. It’s better to attempt something great and fail than to attempt nothing and succeed. (If you try something new, you risk failure. If you don’t try, you guarantee it.)
31. Don’t get too upset by an initial failure. (After all, it’s the second mouse (or the third, fourth, or fifth mouse/chance) that most often gets the cheese.)
32. Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don’t fail overnight. (Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment repeated every day.)
33. Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day.
34. Remember the best way to change the world is to set an example for others to follow.
35. Pray big, think big, act big, dream big, work big, give big, forgive big, love big, live big and laugh big.
Here’s my third celebration gift for you. Indeed the biggest gift of all for some of you. I’m giving away ten $2000 bills that you can apply when you book one of my onsite keynotes or seminars.
All you have to do is claim your $2000 bill by August 18th at midnight, but you can have the program delivered any time between now and the end of March 2020.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH.
(It’s a great deal easier to become wildly successful when your body is working for you instead of against you.)
36. Cherish your health. (If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.)
37. Eat right. (Eat more foods that grow on plants and eat fewer foods that are manufactured in plants.)
38. Take a walk every day. (It will do wonders for the quantity and quality of your life.)
39. Get enough rest. (Almost everything works out better with adequate rest.)
SET YOUR GOALS.
(One of the keys to happiness is having dreams. The key to success is making your dreams come true.)
40. Make a list of what you want to become, do, or have before you die. (It’s a sure way to get a lot more of what you want in your life! Fail to do this and the chances are pretty good you’ll wind up someplace you don’t want to be.)
41. Make your goals big enough to be exciting and set deadlines clear enough to keep you honest.
42. Keep on moving toward your goals. (Do at least one thing every day that gets you closer and closer to the achievement of your goals. Any movement is better than analysis paralysis. Remember, done is better than perfect.)
43. Fall in love with what you’re doing in life or stop doing it. (Remember, if the horse is dead, get off it.)
44. Pursue life-long learning. (If you’re not expandable, you’re expendable.)
45. Invest in yourself. (If you don’t, you’re probably a pretty bad investment for anyone else.)
46. Write down every important lesson you learn and great thought that comes to mind. (Chances are you won’t remember them and it may take you another 20 years to learn the lesson you forgot.)
47. Be willing to let go of who you have been to become who you are meant to be. (It’s impossible to learn what you think you already know.)
48. Make sure you die with more memories than dreams.
NURTURE YOUR SPIRITUALITY.
(It’s your greatest source of hope and power.)
49. Do what is right. (Don’t sell out your integrity because it’s almost impossible to buy back.)
50. Be real. (Walk your talk. It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one. So be who you are and stand by your beliefs. Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.)
51. Keep your promises. (Do what you say you’re going to do. No excuses.)
52. Pray. Then take some time to listen. (Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.)
53. Keep a folder of your favorite, most empowering Scriptures on hand. (Read them often).
54. Forgive. (Most people are doing the best they can with what they have. Besides that, forgiveness is not saying the other person is right. It’s not about letting them off the hook. It’s all about letting yourself off the hook and moving on.)
55. Refrain from judgment. Offer more grace. (You have no idea what’s going on in someone else’s life.)
56. Don’t compare your life to others. (Comparisons lead to arrogance or despair, not empowerment.)
57. Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
MANAGE YOUR TIME.
(You will never find peace in the midst of chaos.)
58. Get organized. (Make sure everything has its place and everything is in its place. Organize or agonize.)
59. Clear the clutter. (Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful.)
60. Write up a to-do list each day and take on the toughest items first.
61. Do it now. One of these days is none of these days. (Procrastination is nothing more than neglect and seldom delivers more than regret.)
62. Don’t count the days; make the days count.
63. Let time work for you. (Time heals almost everything. So give time some time.)
64. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present or mess up your future.
65. Make the mistakes of yesterday your lessons for today.
NURTURE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS.
(They determine the quality of your life.)
66. A successful relationship has a lot more to do with being the right person than finding the right person.
67. You cannot make someone love you. (All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.)
68. Learn to get along … just like crayons. (Some are sharp. Some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors. But they all have to live in the same box.)
69. Talk less. Listen more. (The person with all the answers is usually doing the least amount of talking and the most amount of listening.)
70. Preserve the trust. (Trust is a must or the relationship will bust. It can take years to build up the trust but only one second to destroy it.)
71. Make the other person feel important. Compliment often. (Under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be loved and appreciated. Don’t make someone feel smaller than he is; he will make up for it by behaving like a “big shot.”)
72. Give advice in two circumstances only, if at all possible: when it is requested and when it is a life-threatening situation. (K.Y.M.S. Keep Your Mouth Shut. This prevents an enormous amount of difficulty.)
73. Make at least three people smile every day. (Everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.)
74. Be kind to unkind people. (They probably need it the most.)
75. Agree to disagree once in a while. (You don’t have to win every argument.)
76. Use the so-what principle. (Not everyone will agree with you, get along with you, or treat you the way you would like. So what?)
77. Let go of grudges. (If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.)
78. Refrain from revenge. (When you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.)
79. Call your family often.
80. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
81. Always leave loved ones with loving words. (It may be the last time you see them.)
82. Stay in touch with your friends. (Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will.)
83. It’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
84. Choose your friends wisely. (If you’re tired of the rat race, stop associating with rats.)
85. Keep only cheerful friends. (The grouches pull you down.)
86. Get the negative people out of your life. (When you do, negative things happen a lot less frequently.)
87. Look beneath the hate. (Haters don’t hate you. They hate themselves because they don’t have the guts to do what you’re doing.)
88. Understand the other person’s limitations. (Just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.)
MANAGE YOUR MONEY.
(Your financial future depends on your present behavior.)
89. It’s not the high cost of living that causes the stress; it’s the cost of living high. (One of the keys to unwavering success is learning to live without some things, at least for a while. It sends your appreciation factor through the roof.)
90. Stop taking financial advice from broke people, if you want to become wealthy.
91. Live within your means. (If you can’t afford it with cash, what makes you think you can afford it on credit at 20% more?)
92. Better yet, live beneath your means. (Follow the 10-10-80 principle. The happiest, most successful people invariably save 10% of their income, give 10% of their income to worthy causes, and live on the remaining 80%.)
93. You might think you have a money shortage, when in reality it’s only an idea shortage. (Don’t confuse the two.)
Unwavering happiness and success are within your reach. These 93 Truths will take you there … if you will take them to heart.
Just remember … you must be willing to give up some things you want, to get the things you really, really, REALLY want in your life, work, and relationships.
Three Final Notes:
1. If you want a clean, downloadable copy of these 93 Truths without all the extra text shown in today’s Tuesday Tip, click here.
2. To get your free copy of Dr. Zimmerman’s hardcover book, The Payoff Principle: Discover the 3 Secrets for Getting What You Want Out of Life and Work, click here.
3. To claim one of the ten $2000 bills, click here.
It’s been a great ride. 1000 issues of the Tuesday Tip. I couldn’t have done it without your interest and support. So thank you, thank you, thank you. I look forward to writing more great, powerful, practical articles and sharing them with you in the upcoming weeks.
Dr. Zimmerman’s Tuesday Tip, Issue 1000– Celebrating the 1000th Issue of Dr. Z’s Tuesday Tip!