The Templeton Plan: Step 5

The Templeton Plan is written for those who consider themselves students in the school of total success. It is suggested that you devote yourself to one step each day, over a period of three weeks, Each step should be studied carefully until the following questions can be answered in a satisfactory and thorough manner:

1. What do these ideas really mean?
2. How do they apply to my own life?
3. How can I use their meaning in achieving success?

Step 5: Achieving Happiness By What You Do

• "I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: The only ones among you will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve."
• "No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has."
• "Try to forget yourself in the service of others. For when we think too much of ourselves and our own interests, we easily become dependent."
• If you can see progress in your work, then you will know happiness in that very process. 
• Happiness is never the completion-the getting. Happiness comes from the work, the endeavor, the pursuit of a goal-the getting. Production, not consumption, is at the core of happiness and success.  

Questions to ask yourself:

1. Are you happier when you receive a present or when you give one?
2. Do you derive the most pleasure from activities that are geared toward helping others or that add to their knowledge and pleasure?
3. Are you continually setting new goals for yourself?
4. Do you try to remain active throughout the day by pursuing a worthwhile activity?