May The Fourth Be With You

My eldest son, Jason, was born 31 years ago today on May 4th. For me, as indeed for any parent, it can sometimes seem like yesterday, yet, now Jason has his own family with a lovely wife, daughter and son. At the time he was born the movie world was in awe of the new cinematic adventure: Star Wars. So, of course, on the occasion of celebrating the birth of my first-born son one witty well-wisher was quick to adapt the Jedi motto: “May the Fourth be with him.”

Every year, again of course, I issue the same greeting on Jason’s birthday – and the truth of the matter is that “the force” has always been with him. Through his own Consultancy he founded in Vienna, he is one of Europe’s leading authorities in his field – and as one of the world’s few aspiring wine masters – writes for the Decanter magazine and is on the judging panel for the annual ratings of wine. More importantly for him, he does what he loves and loves what he does – the key ingredient to ensuring that the “Force” is with you.

Because the real truth of the matter is that when you align what you do with what you love the Law of Focus in invoked. What is the Law of Focus? Well it takes the same energy to light a spotlight as it does for a laser to cut through. steel. Yes, the same energy, yet the latter is simply focused. When we focus on what we want to do we unconsciously gravitate to that which is most dominant in our thoughts. That is why it is so important to keep your mind on what you want – and NOT on what you don’t want.

Importantly, the ultimate truth of the matter is that everyone has an area of excellence in which he or she can excel. This area has to be first discovered by asking some simple questions, for which you actually already hold the answers. You have to know what it is that will really absorb you.

D.H. Lawrence wrote: “There is no point in work unless it absorbs you, like an absorbing game. If it doesn’t absorb you, if it isn’t any fun, don’t do it.”

The challenge is what questions to ask, for we are certainly not taught to ask them during our formative years. For my part I apply The One Percent Solution – something that I have developed over many years – which involves taking just 1% of your day: just 14 minutes to ensure that the other 99% of your day improves.

Success in anything we undertake comes about through hard work. But there is a difference between doing hard work we hate and doing hard work we love. The former can seriously damage our health; the latter significantly improves both health and wealth.

Life is about choices: Do what you love and you will discover that the Force is with you.