How to Achieve Success and Happiness
Turn your bucket list into an action plan. The Public Speaker talks to author C.C. Chapman about how to find success and happiness.
I first met C.C. Chapman in 2006 when I attended a session he delivered at Podcast Boston. Chapman is the Chief Marketing Officer at YSN.com and author of Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness.
I’m sure he doesn’t remember me, but his words were a big part of my inspiration to start podcasting. I talked to C.C. again recently about what it takes to achieve success.
C.C.’s advice for getting where you want to go sounds simple, but most of us don’t take it far enough. We all have a bucket list – a list of all the things we want to accomplish in our lifetime. But creating a bucket list, or as C.C. calls it, “a life list,” is only the first step. We need to do two more things:
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Figure out the destination.
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Figure out the path to get there.
Your destination might be something big like “I want to find my dream job.”
Your dream job will probably not just come to you. To get there, you need to get very specific. Ask yourself:
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What does it mean to have my dream job?
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Do I want to make more money?
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Do I want to be my own boss?
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Do I want a more flexible schedule?
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Do I want to work in a different industry or location?
Once you have the specifics, you can start working toward the goal.
I love the analogy C.C. Chapman uses of skipping stones. I admit I’ve never mastered the skill of skipping stones in a river, but I can still appreciate the lesson. C.C. says to forget skipping stones. Instead, chuck a boulder! That’s a lot harder, but when you finally throw that boulder, you’ll make a much bigger splash. Do something bigger. When you get that crazy idea, don’t hold back.
Just as C.C. Chapman inspired me in 2006, I’m again inspired by both his words and his actions. As he says, “Stop talking and start doing!”
If you want to be inspired, listen to my entire podcast episode with C.C. Chapman.
This is Lisa B. Marshall, Helping you maximize sales, manage perceptions, and enhance leadership through keynotes, workshops, books, and online courses. Passionate about communication; your success is my business.
If you want even more success in your life, I invite you to read my latest book, Smart Talk and listen to my other podcast, Smart Talk: Inspiring Conversations with Exceptional People.
About the Author
Lisa B. Marshall Lisa holds masters with duel degrees in interpersonal/intercultural communication and organizational communication. She’s the author of Smart Talk: The Public Speaker’s Guide to Success in Every Situation, as well as Ace Your Interview, Powerful Presenter, and Expert Presenter. Her work has been featured in CBS Money Watch, Ragan.com, Woman’s Day, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and many others. Her institutional clients include Johns Hopkins Medicine, Harvard University, NY Academy of Science, University of Pennsylvania, Genentech, and Roche.
