We’re continuously brainwashed by images of “success” and constantly bombarded with pictures of the rich and famous who seem to have it all. In our modern society, aggressive advertising implants images of successful people in our minds and encourages us to ponder how we can join this select group. Surveys have shown that most people view success as one of the major contributors to their happiness.

But can success really provide you with everything you desire? Are these “successful” people happier than the rest of us? Research has shown time and again that those who are considered successful aren’t happier, nor do they feel better about their lives, than the average person.

Using your imagination as your Internal Guide can help you achieve your own personal success and avoid the trap of being successful in everyone else’s eyes but your own.

Models of success

Elvis Presley, Virginia Woolf, Howard Hughes, Joseph Stalin ... apart from being indisputably successful, what else did they have in common? For a start, they led very unhappy lives. But perhaps most importantly, they didn’t see themselves as being successful.

As our models of success, these four were achievers who were famous, powerful or accumulated unparalleled fortunes. They achieved what the average person can only dream of. But how did they see themselves?

Elvis Presley (1935-1977)

Born in the south of the US to a poor working-class family, Elvis became one of the most important figures of 20th century popular culture. He was the object of desire for millions of women and his fame still continues decades after his death. He has sold over 1 billion records, more than any other singer in the history of music.

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

Prominent British novelist Virginia Woolf was among the leaders of the literary movement of modernism. Among her books are masterpieces like Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse. She is mentioned with admiration together with other elite novelists such as James Joyce (1882-1941) and E.M. Forster (1888-1965).