The 3 Ss of Success
Article by Briana Borten and Dr. Peter Borten
Many people chase goals and some even achieve them, but true success comes not from simply setting and attaining goals. It comes from creating a whole life structure that supports your true desires, deepest longings, and overall health.
When it comes to creating a holistically successful life, there are three essential elements: sweetness, structure, and space.
Sweetness is the essence of all the feel-good, nourishing, and beautiful things in your life. You can learn to find it within all kinds of everyday situations.
Structure is the means by which we organize and plan a life that works without feeling crazy and overwhelmed. Healthy, efficient structure will help you achieve goals and bring your purpose into the world.
Space provides the opportunity to connect with your highest self. It's the opening through which you receive, get inspired, and experience real peace.
So, how do these three elements relate to success?
1. Sweetness
As you're working toward your goals and creating your empire, you must consciously remember to slow down enough to actually enjoy the life you're creating. If you rush toward the dream with blinders on, you might miss a lot of the beautiful lessons, moments, and experiences happening every day.
When you do finally create that multimillion-dollar company or invent a way to reverse climate change, it's important that you take the time to celebrate those accomplishments. Even huge milestones can often get lost in the sea of your own perpetual drive rather than becoming the pinnacle moments you envision them to be when you set out to achieve them.
You're responsible for your own moment of awe when you succeed. Bring all the sweetness you can to it.
2. Structure
The ability to organize and plan toward your ultimate goal is a crucial skill for epic success.
You must:
- Be crystal clear about what you want.
- Hold that vision and articulate it with precision and grace.
- Break down the goal into projects.
- Break the projects down into actionable tasks.
- Have a ritual around planning every single week so you can actually complete the tasks that will drive you forward.
- Reflect on what's working and not working and adjust quarterly (or even monthly).
A healthy structure is the difference between building your big dreams on a solid foundation and building them on quicksand. By putting all the parts in place, you can ensure that what you're creating is sustainable and will set you up for ultimate success.
3. Space
Most people striving for success pack their lives full of networking, planning, hustling, and – maybe, if they're lucky – sleeping. This doesn't leave a lot of room for magic to enter our lives.
Uh oh, did someone say "magic"? Yep.
When we create space in our lives, we're able to connect to something beyond ourselves, and a new kind of creative energy moves through us.
Have you ever tried to figure something out, thinking and plotting and still not finding a solution? But then you step away, get outside, or take a shower, and all of a sudden a totally out-of-the-box answer just comes to you? That is the magic of space.
You can create more space in your life by meditating, praying, sitting still in nature, taking a long walk, staring at the clouds, or literally doing nothing for a period of time. Space is one of the most underestimated elements of true success, and when you prioritize it, life feels lighter, creativity and inspiration flow, and you have easier access to your own inner guidance.
With these three elements of sweetness, structure, and space infused into your goals and dreams, you will not only achieve more, but you'll also feel balanced and fulfilled along the way.
A version of this article originally appeared on SUCCESS.com.
Briana Borten and Dr. Peter Borten have made it their mission to create a more peaceful world by helping individuals reestablish a sense of inner peace and balance. They are the founders of The Dragontree, a wellness organization with holistic spas in Portland and Boulder, online courses, natural body care products, and resources for vibrant living. They are the coauthors of The Well Life: How to Use Structure, Sweetness, and Space to Create Balance, Happiness, and Peace.
Peter is a doctor of acupuncture and Oriental medicine and a certified Qi Gong instructor. He has taught extensively and has authored hundreds of articles on psychological and physical health. Briana is a certified Ayurvedic specialist, peace engineer, and CEO of The Dragontree. She writes frequently on personal development and helps people achieve their dreams and live extraordinary, healthy lives.
For more information, please visit TheWellLifebook.com and follow the authors on Facebook and Instagram.