Decades ago, I saw a metaphysical movie that wonderfully illustrates alchemical power of love. In "The Enchanted Cottage," a homely, self-effacing maid and a blind, crippled war hero fall in love. She blossoms into an attractive, self-confident woman and he into a charming, handsome country gentleman, both happier than ever before.

Oliver and Laura ascribe their transformation to legendary enchanted cottage, but one day, its spell is broken by pitying comments of people who see them as ugly and broken. The magic disappears until a magnificent tone poem played on piano by a composer friend opens their eyes to true alchemy in every life: beauty and music of love.

Sounds like a fairy tale, doesn't it? Yet this is exactly what happens in romantic love. The world is suddenly beautiful, and we laugh open-heartedly in joy, walking on air. In Buddhist psychology, this is a state of "attraction." Its opposite, "aversion," disenchants us from love.

Life is precisely what we make of it, isn't it? Love resides within each heart, waiting to be recognized as transformer that it is: an infinitely powerful vibrational expression of One Word, literally "uni-verse." This transcendent viewpoint, with its singular quality of attraction, makes it easy to love without conditions or expectations, and to forgive and forget what is said and done by others, if we so choose. Love, a tone poem, makes life beautiful and harmonious.

For one of my career coaching clients, a definition of success is having autonomy in her work. She wants to set her own goals and direct her own activities. She’s considering part-time consulting work as a transition to her success. Another client defines success as a satisfying family and personal life – she’s looking for work that allows her flexible hours and telecommuting days.

In her book, “If Success is a Game, These Are Rules”, Cherie Carter-Scott gives several examples of success: