Robert Holden Ph.D - Daily inspiration from Robert Holden, including audio, video and thoughts for the day.

Robert Holden Ph.D

Author of the best-selling Happiness NOW!, Shift Happens, Success Intelligence and Be Happy

contact

newsletter sign up

view cart

Robert’s thought for the day

Unhappiness is not a sin; it is an opportunity to be truthful and to heal.

Happiness is a spiritual path. The more you learn about true happiness, the more you discover the truth of who you are, what is important, and what your life is for.

Unless your God is a God of Unconditional Love you will always be afraid of being too happy.

Dear God, help me to slow down and notrushpasteverythingthatisimportanttodayamen.

In the English language, the word “present” has three distinct meanings: “here”, “now” and “a gift”. Truly, the greatest gifts are always available to you here and now!

Joy is the organic state of your soul. It is not something you achieve; it is something you accept.

Until you put your whole heart into your life, you will not know what is truly possible, nor will you reach the hearts of others.

It’s official – the pursuit of happiness as speeded up. We are chasing after happiness faster than ever. And the faster we run, the longer the race becomes.

We do not become happy because we are successful, we become successful because we are happy.

Today, before you switch on your cell phone, your Blackberry, or your e-mail, give God 10 little minutes and ask, “What is success today?” Keep listening. Take notes. Live accordingly.

Up, bigger, faster, more, next, best—what is success? Set your own definition of success, before you get busy chasing someone else’s.

A new level of creativity and success awaits you. Are you ready? Are you open? Do you say “Yes”?

Each and every member of the Busy Generation has to be willing to sacrifice busyness for true success.

In a world full of front-page news, fast-tracked careers, designer clothing, and tragic sports results, you have to remember what is real.

If your definition of success has little or no measure of love in it, get another definition.

My Bible of Happiness is a relatively short tome. In fact it is just four words long. It reads: love and be happy.

The world does not change because organizations change, or society changes, or our relationships change; it changes because we do.

Success is not about driving yourself harder; it is about letting go of what blocks your heart.

The pursuit of happiness must always fail because it is based on a lie - happiness is not outside you. Until you change the belief that happiness is somewhere else, you will never quite make it!

No one can love you more than you love yourself and get away with it.

Robert Holden is renowned for his innovative work on happiness and success.
He is a Director of The Happiness Project and Success Intelligence.

Disappearing into Love

Tue, Feb 14 2012 11:37

Happy Valentines to you. Here is a poem about love that encourages us to make every day of our life a celebration of love. I wrote it last week, and read it out for the first time at our Personal Best workshop in London last Friday. I hope you like it:

When they ask you what is your
religion, tell them that it is
love.

And if they ask you what is your
politics, tell them that it is
also love.

If they ask you what that means,
you can tell them your
philosophy is love.

If they want to know anything
else about you, tell them your
favourite occupation is
loving.

And don't forget to tell them
that your nationality is
love.

And that even your blood
group Is love.

Not everyone will stick around
to hear what you say next,
but fear not.

Family and friends may get busy
so as to pretend to forget what
you just said.

It’d drive them crazy now to know
that their blood group is also love,
that their nationality is love,
and that the real work of their
life is love.

One day they will give in, and then
their philosophy will be love,
their politics will be love,
and their religion will be love.

Love gets us all in the end.
We all of us disappear back into
love eventually.

Success in 144 Characters or Less!

Fri, Feb 3 2012 14:21

Over the next five days I am co-presenting Coaching Success with Ben Renshaw. This program explores the essential principles and practices at the heart of the Success Intelligence project. The night before a workshop is always an interesting time. It’s as if the workshop has already begun. The effect of the next five days is already working on me. I feel excited, and nervous. I enjoy the anticipation, and I am anxious to get started. I notice a sense of curiosity, and also a knowing that the whole of my life is going to benefit because of what happens over the next five days.

In essence, Success Intelligence is a meditation on the question “what is success?” On Coaching Success we will look again at what true success means for each of us. One of my favourite exercises is creating definitions of success in 144 characters or less (where did I get 144 from?!). This exercise is quite a challenge. You have to be focused, clear, specific, and direct. Initially, you may draw a blank. Your first attempt may not be that great. Never mind. Keep going. One of the benefits of meditating on “what is success?” is that you will get clearer.

My success in 144 characters (or less): Success is being present in my life, living from my heart, thinking the thoughts of God, and allowing the grace of the soul to steer my course.

Your turn.

Valentine's Day: Loving Everyone

Sun, Feb 13 2011 20:02

Happy Valentine’s Day to you. Traditionally, Valentine’s Day is the day we show our love to one special person in our life. This is a lovely thing to do. That said, I feel that Valentine’s Day would be even lovelier if we made it a day to show our love to everyone in our life. Everyone must also include our self too. Maybe we could start a new tradition. Starting from today. Below is a...

Happy Valentine’s Day to you.

Traditionally, Valentine’s Day is the day we show our love to one special person in our life. This is a lovely thing to do. That said, I feel that Valentine’s Day would be even lovelier if we made it a day to show our love to everyone in our life. Everyone must also include our self too. Maybe we could start a new tradition. Starting from today.

Below is a short poem called “Loving Everyone.”

If you want to find someone
to love,
I recommend you start
loving everyone
immediately.

Love will find you if you are
being the love
that
you
are.

If you want to learn how
to love someone
with all your
heart,
I advise you to fall in love
with everyone
a little bit
more.

Loving everyone is the key
to loving
someone.

And if you want someone
to love you
more,
I urge you to get on with it,
and to start
loving yourself.

Someone has to do it.
It may as well be you.
Show us how it is done.
So that you make it easy
for us to love
you too.

The Drama of Authenticity

Mon, Jan 31 2011 16:17

“When do I feel most authentic?” This is the question I have been asking myself over the last week, in preparation for a workshop I am presenting tomorrow (Feb 1st, in Central London) with Ben Renshaw and Avril Carson called Authentic Success. Each day, for the last seven days, I have set aside 15 minutes to stop, be still, and sit with the question, “When do I feel most authentic?” Each time, I found the first five minutes or so to be very difficult: my mind would go blank, my heart wouldn’t register any feelings, and my body would get fidgety. I noticed I’d try to convince myself to cut short the fifteen minutes. Maybe I could read some inspirational quotations on authenticity instead. Someone else can do this for me.

Authenticity feels so natural, so why isn’t it easy? As I continued to sit with my inquiry, I gradually made contact with myself. It’s like I’d been away from myself, but I didn’t know it, not until just now: caught up in the habits of my personality; thinking thoughts all day long; busily trying to be someone; and putting on a face for all the other faces out there. Who is the real me? Not the personality that is manufactured in the world. The real me. Not the empty self that always wants something. The real me. Not a tinned version of a soul. The real me.

I kept sitting. I did not leave myself. I wanted to know my real thoughts. I wanted to feel my heart. I wanted to breathe more deeply again. My inquiry into “When do I feel most authentic?” felt frustrating and delightful; mysterious and illuminating; healing and joyful. I have long believed that being authentic is the key to success, happiness, love and all good things; but I have also experienced the fear of authenticity and so on. Such is the drama of authenticity. Such Is our daily challenge; and our daily choice. Success is recognizing who you really are; and happiness is letting yourself be you.

I hand the inquiry over to you now. When do you feel most authentic? Don’t let anyone else do your homework for you. Take fifteen minutes to stop, be still, and make contact with yourself.