Is This It?

During the holiday, I watched the film ‘Scarface’ where drug baron and gangster Tony Montana (Al Pacino) is at the height of his powers and eating in one of Miami’s swankiest restaurants. More than worse for wear from drink and drugs, he miserably says, “Is this what it’s all about, drinking, eating, XXXXng?”

Research from the London School of Economics ( LSE) confirms that from the age of 23, there is a steady decline in our level of contentment and satisfaction, with its nadir at age 55. This seems to fit with my experience as an Elite Coach to high performers, where I have identified the “Is This It?” question as one of the many challenges successful people face.

Many clients I meet feel they have no choice but to dedicate their lives to their external world of building their success, often making numerous personal and family sacrifices. Unfortunately, having achieved the success that satisfies them at one level, they then take stock and sometimes notice that, like Tony, arriving sometimes doesn’t feel as good as they imagined!

The inescapable fact is that your number one success and life satisfaction tool is yourself. Focussing on the external is only half of the success equation. You can achieve a spectacular win-win when you also focus on your inner world of developing yourself, as your abundant success will naturally grow.

The benefits include better decision-making, improved relationships, more choice, maximum impact on situations and greater control through better insight. Understanding yourself also enables greater confidence, contentment and satisfaction, whatever your age!

Many successful people don’t see the benefit of working on themselves or are reluctant to look inside, fearing that it may somehow interfere with their success; you may be one of them. Yet philosophers across thousands of years have understood one simple truth: knowing yourself is the true secret to abundant success and real contentment.

So, to find your answer to “Is this it?” and achieve your authentic version of total success, you need to look no further than yourself. Alternatively, you could bide your time until you are 69, as the LSE survey indicates your level of contentment and satisfaction will peak again. Tony Montana chose another path altogether, and you might guess or know how he ended up!