Successful Living and Living an Authentic Life

When the real you shows up in the world, in other words, when you live an authentic life, your level of success will soar. I saw a feature about party and wedding planner extraordinaire, Colin Cowrie that reminded me of this. It was one of those programmes where you consciously have to keep your jaw in place. The lavishness, splendour and attention to detail that Cowrie uses in his spectacular events is nothing short of amazing. He certainly creates unforgettable events.

I was also impressed by his home. Though not necessarily how I would want my home to be, you couldn't not fault his integrity. His home is impeccably immaculate and he applies the same level of detail to every aspect of his living space as he would use to create one of his events.

There's a TV programme called "Through the Keyhole" where viewers are taken inside the home of a celebrity and a celebrity panel of judges have to guess who lives there. Well, you might not guess that this was the home of Colin Cowrie but it wouldn't take much to guess that this was the home of a party planner.

He has several spacious, well-organised fridges and freezers- each one for specific items, e.g. wine and champagne, soft drinks and water, prepared meals, etc. When he said that he could prepare a dinner party for 100 guests given an hour's notice, you knew it was no idle boast.

He had exquisitely wrapped gifts ready to be tucked under the arm and escorted to the home of his host/hostess. He not only kept personalised stationery at his home but also at his florist and chocolatier so that his gifts are always accompanied by notes and cards written on his stationery.

Even when Cowrie prepares dinner for one he carefully lays the table as though he were entertaining a guest. His philosophy is that each meal should be enjoyed to the full. He also believes that your bedroom should be a sanctuary, after all, as he reminded viewers "you spend at least a third of your life sleeping".

Cowrie clearly loves what he does and a large part of his success can be attributed to the fact that there is no discrepancy between how he lives and what he does for a living. He has mastered the art of 'being' and this positively influences his 'doing'.

Cowrie takes organisation to an extreme level. It would be difficult for most to emulate what he does. This guy even uses a template to fold his shirts so that they are all folded evenly. Still he lives, what is for him, an authentic life.

Take the opportunity to examine your life and see how you can better align your values and how you live your life with what you do for a living. A large discrepancy between how you live and what you do could signify why you may not be achieving the level of success you desire.




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