5 small steps to choose success everyday

A successful life means something different to everyone you ask. For some, it’s professional success; for others, it’s raising a family. For me, it’s being able to sleep 8 hours every night.

But what’s getting more and more common these days is young people having a similar theme for success: spending every single moment working towards a million things. The end goal now is to be asked “how to be you po” since we all seem to be running after multiple outward signifiers of success to showcase on social media. We’re founding start-ups while volunteering to save the African bullfrog while having a healthy, supportive love life with someone who screams #hubbygoals. And it’s tiring us out.

So, when I met with Eric Cruz, a speaker at SUCCESS: Ignite – Empower – Flourish on October 18, 2016 at AFP Theater, I was taken aback. Here’s someone who’s won a few of life’s races, done the whole “how to be you po” shtick, and decided he wanted even more from life. He wanted to live a happier life.

For an idea of what’s in store for all those lucky enough to get tickets, Eric was kind enough to share with me his story which in turn inspired me to write this article. From that 20-minute conversation, here are the 5 Small Steps to Everyday Success from Eric Cruz. But I think that this is nowhere near an accurate enough representation of how life changing it is to hear Eric talk.

Here’s just a small taste of what October 18, 2016 will be like:

Define success your way.

Eric felt his life change when he decided to focus more on what he thought of as success rather than what would make his friends go “wow”. He made a conscious effort to list down what he wanted to do, and not what he felt others wanted him to do, to keep him on track.

By listening to his inner voice, Eric changed his everyday actions to be in line with his new goals, leading to him being more at peace with everything that comes.

Give back where you can.

Eric is a volunteer life coach. Let me reiterate that one more time. A volunteer. Life coach.

As someone who finished the Leadership Excellence Achievement Program (LEAP) and credits it for being the major turning point in his life, he wanted to give back to the community and to see others as they go through their own breakthroughs. Thru his volunteer work in the program, he is able to help people increase awareness and take responsibility in creating a life that they truly want.

He’s investing time and energy into the growth of others because he’s felt the impact and wants to recreate that for others to enjoy. The good karma he’s incurring is coming back in its own way, since it’s through LEAP that lead to Eric sharing his secrets to a successful life with you at SUCCESS: IEF.

Believe in yourself.

As a writer and a teacher, Eric was not looking for someone to affirm him with “yes, you’re a writer.” This self-assurance is so uncommon today. We’re an insecure lot; we want our support system to pepper us with compliments and public support so that we stay on track and on brand with who we are.

When we think about branching out, we’re paralyzed at the idea of leaving our comfort zones that we freeze up. We never run to what we love without a firm push off the cliff, unlike Eric, who decided to take the leap off his cliff on his own, writing about and sharing his own reflections on life and love. We’re too frightened to face that new identity and claim it for ourselves. Eric wasn’t.

Make time for what you love.

Eric doesn’t think about how to monetize his writing right away. He didn’t think about how to quit his day job as a teacher at Benedictine International School to live on his passion for writing. He didn’t even let himself daydream about what he’d do when he becomes a world famous writer. He just wrote. Eric sat down and wrote long after most of us would have given up.

A part of being successful is having time to spend working on something you love. It doesn’t necessarily have to be useful to anyone but yourself. Just has to be something that fills you with joy and pride. When you have something like that in your life, you’ve achieved a personal success that no one else will ever understand. Which leads us to the last point.

Celebrate your personal successes.

There are some things Eric interjected in our conversation that struck me, not because of the topic itself, but because of how Eric said it.

His battle with hyperthyroidism disorder, a leftover from his intensely stressful life prior to his redefinition of success. His strong relationship with his mother and paternal grandmother, and belief in filial affection. How he now makes time to eat, sleep, and exercise properly because he’s consciously chosen to love himself.

They’re intensely personal choices to share with a complete stranger. But Eric shared them because he knew the strugglebehind these deeply personal successes, and wanted to credit them on his journey to success. I, a complete stranger, felt the intensity of his love and pride in his journey from our short conversation.

Eric is someone who believes in himself, in the potential of the “tomorrow”, in the power of the “today”, in having control over what direction his life will go. He’s someone who reflects a lot, who listens a lot, and who converses with himself a lot. He has a self-knowledge that translates in an implicit understanding of people from the stories they tell him. Because of all that, he knows that a personal success is a success, period. More importantly, it’s a success that needs to be celebrated.

He is living proof that you don’t need the applause from the many to affirm your success. You just need to pat yourself on the back because you’re doing great.

I can’t stress it enough: listening to Eric speak in person is a completely different experience from what I managed to capture here. His tone and calm demeanor really affects how you process his story. I am honestly thinking about going to the LEAP program that Eric volunteer life coaches at just to have a chance to reflect with him again. He’s the kind of person who changes lives without meaning to, and that’s such a rare trait. Like the butterfly’s wings that cause a storm.

For all of you out there who want to hear the story straight from Eric himself, catch him, Ace Gapuz, and Francis Kong on October 18, 2016 at AFP theater. Contact 0915-655-94-80 and look for Princess/Patricia for reservations and payments. ADVT.