Recently I attended one of the most informative and interesting event hosted by 85 Broads and NYU Stern, "2020 Vision: The Future is Yours!" All the speakers in this event were 'Creme Brule' of their field. One of the speaker Niko Canner, named one of ten "new gurus" and "8 to Watch" by Fortune magazine in November 2008 and in October 2009 respectively shared his 4 principles for achieving success.

"Success for Heaven" is the good and happy side of Success just the opposite of "Success from Hell"

Principle 1- On Kawara Principle- On Kawara is a Japanese painter. He has since 1966 made a long series of " date paintings" (the Today series), which consist entirely of the date on which the painting was executed in simple white lettering set against a solid background. You may this is very simple how hard can this be, and why is he such a famous painter. Well the real-deal is "sustained arc and intensity" over a long period of time. For someone to be successful in what they want they need to keep doing or trying for a long time to see positive results, just like Mr On Kawara. He has been doing these paintings for last 44 years.

Principle 2 - Be comfortable with Failures - Be very clear of what kind of failures you are willing to have. So even if you face these failures you should not steer-off from your end goal. For example - If you are starting a new business, you may be willing to loose profit for 1 year, however you are not willing to file bankruptcy.

Principle 3-Make an expression - Make every time you "touch" (meet or interact) with someone make it a moment of expression. Think about who you want to be when you interact with this person. Have a smile as that leaves a lasting expression on a person.

Principle 4 - Seek Serendipity - We all are busy doing things that are important to us or that add value to our end goal. However one should do things 3-5% of their time that don't add value in one's opinion. You will be amazed to see how much you learn and how you can use the skills from these "non-value add" activities in your life.

Disclaimer:- This blog is my interpretation of Niko Canner's 4 principle which may not be his exact words.