Have you ever wondered why success and stress seem to be inseparable companions in the world today? Success in business means long hours, political maneuvering, and the never-ending struggle to achieve. Success in love means constantly sacrificing and working on the relationship. Success in school, art, music, science, and sports means the ever-increasing pressure to perform.

When you take a step back and look at the whole picture, it’s hard not to wonder if success today is worth the cost. Is the fear and anxiety you feel in the present moment worth the promise of some perfect moment to come?

If you look objectively at the fruit of your stressful days and the deteriorating state of the world, you begin to realize that this is not a profitable investment. Compromising yourself in the now to ensure a positive moment to come is a flawed formula for success.

Listen to Your Intuition

On the other hand, in those rare moments when you happen upon a pure moment of peace and contentment—like a glorious sunrise, holding the hand of the one you love, the clarity of an insight or epiphany—it is obvious that success itself is an integral part of life. It is in these moments that you can hear a faint voice whispering from deep inside your heart, telling you that you were born to be successful. It is your natural right to strive toward excellence and enjoy the fruits of achievement.

This is the voice of intuition telling you that striving toward success is not supposed to be a drag; it’s supposed to be light, bright, happy, and fun.

Intuition is trying to reveal the beautiful truth that success without stress is possible. The only problem is that you have ceased to listen to its wise counsel because you have been conditioned by society to place your attention on the objects of success, instead of on the principle of success itself. When you realize this simple misdirection that has taken place, you take the first step in learning to attract everything your heart desires.

And that’s the main point: It is possible for you to learn to attract success, instead of trying to chase it down through years of toil, disappointment, and heartache.

Doubt What Compromises You

So how do you do it? How do you learn to attract the success you want instead of letting the desire for the objects of success push you around from problem to problem?

The answer is simple: Begin to doubt what compromises you.

You begin to doubt stress when it tells you that you have to rush through your day. You begin to doubt fearful thoughts when they tell you that you need to worry. You begin to doubt feelings of greed and inadequacy that bully you around by telling you that who you are isn’t enough.

Doubting negative states is a great key along the path to gaining your heart’s true wish. It separates your true self—who you really are—from whatever dark thought or feeling happens to be passing through you in the moment. You realize that you don’t have to listen to dark thoughts and feelings; instead, you understand that you have a choice to not sacrifice happiness now for a future happy time that may never come.

Want What Is Already Happening

One specific technique you can use to begin doubting these dark states is to ask yourself this question whenever you find yourself trying to overcome any person or situation that stands in the way of winning some imagined future success: “What would happen right now if I were to want what life wants, instead of wanting what I want?”

This may sound like a strange idea at first because you are so used to trying to get hold of what you want. But, when we begin to experiment with the power contained in this question, you realize that it has the power to raise the level of your entire life.

This is what happens when you want what you want:

• You are often stressed and unsettled because life may not go the way you want it to go
• You are often tired because you spend your energy struggling against the natural flow of events
• You are unable to sit quietly or go to sleep peacefully because your mind is always busy trying to resolve problems that stand in the way of your desires
• You are easily agitated when someone or something interrupts your plans
• You harbor resentment toward those who have “wronged” you in the past
• You lose sight of your true nature because you mistake what you possess for who you really are

Now this is what happens when you want what life wants:

• You are always on the winning side
• You are free from stress, anger, and anxiety
• You maintain confident self-command in any situation
• You are never sad or disappointed because things didn’t go your way
• You always know the right thing to do
• You can never be taken advantage of
• You are fluid and responsive to what the moment asks
• You are free to be kind and compassionate, even in the presence of perceived “enemies”
• You are never bored because you are perfectly happy just being yourself
• Your mind becomes quiet, peaceful, clear, and sharp

Can you see the power in this simple idea? When you invite life, instead of resisting it, you are freed from the stress and negativity that drains the energy required to be truly successful. You are given the ability to participate more deeply in the present moment, which allows you to access the higher mental and emotional states required to be a kinder, and more creative, intelligent, and loving human being, everything your heart truly longs for.

Want what life wants, and harvest the fruits of true and lasting success for yourself.