“We are made to persist. That’s how we find out who we are.” — Tobias Wolff, Writer

The interesting thing about success is that anyone can do it. If you simply do what successful people do, you are inevitably going to be successful. Right? Well, ok, maybe it’s not simply a case of follow the leader. However, I can tell you that settling for ‘good enough’ is not the way to succeed.

Those that settle for good enough will regret their decision sooner or later and yearn for more. Good enough is simply never, well, be good enough.

Despite what the gurus tell you, there is no master secret or plan. There is however something else, something that is easily overlooked. It’s your brain, your vision and your passion. The ideal combination of those ingredients will help you supremely in life and believe it or not, success will follow if you figure this out.

Within this process, there are a ton of variables to consider. We’re going to talk about five major ones here.

1. Clarity
   First, you have to know what you want. It’s not enough to go after a profession that pays well. Making money your #1 priority will destroy your soul. It will leave you unsatisfied and miserable. Why do you think so many people have seemingly great jobs that pay well, but are still deeply depressed and unfulfilled?

In order to discover what you want, you have to first discover what you don’t want. This can only be accomplished by trying, experimenting, and taking massive action. When you start, you will always be confused and unclear. As you keep moving forward, you will feel inspired to take action in one direction instead of the other.

If you follow your heart, your life will not only become a fascinating adventure, but a journey of personal growth.

• Focus
  Once you become clear about what you want to do, it’s important that you focus on the tasks that help you make the most progress. For example, if you’re building an online business, you can spend all the time you want checking email, but it won’t get you closer to the goals that truly matter in your life.

An online business is not a business until a sale is made. In order to make sales, you have to create products, recommend products, build an email list, and do work that matters. It’s hard work and often uncomfortable, which is why most people avoid it. If you can discipline yourself to work on high-value tasks, your life will change for the better.

• Goal Setting
  Goal setting gives your mind something to focus on. Our brains are goal seeking mechanisms. If you don’t give your mind something to go after, it won’t know what to do.

When you have a goal, you will feel clear, motivated, and inspired to take action, because you know where you are going.

A simple way to set simple goals is to ask yourself where you want to be twelve months from now. Use the SMART criteriafor setting goals, which stands for

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

If you’re starting an online business, a good goal might be to get it to $1,000/month in 12 months. After you have that goal, you can start brainstorming how to attain that goal.

• Action
  Once you’ve set your goal, it’s time to start taking massive action. Most successful people are positive. They face the same amount of challenges as anyone else. The only difference is that they view their failures differently. They know that by trying many things, they will succeed sooner or later, while unsuccessful people tend to give up before they’ve even started.

If you want to succeed at anything, you have to become relentless.

• Trial & Error
  Becoming successful is all about trial and error. The more you fail, the faster you will succeed. Keeping with our online business example, the way I succeeded in creating an online income was to be willing to try different things until I succeeded.

This doesn’t mean you should jump from thing to thing before you’ve given it a chance. Believe me, I’ve been there and done that, and it doesn’t work.

What you should do is pick one thing that has been proven to work, and make it work. It doesn’t matter if you make $50/month or $500/month. The important thing is that you stay focuseduntil you make it work.

Action Steps
I want to leave you with a few action steps you can take right now to improve your life and the probability that you will succeed. So grab a pen and a piece of paper and get ready. By doing the simple exercises below, you will be much more likely to get what you want.

Remember, you can’t get what you want if you don’t know what you want in the first place.

1. Get clear about what you want. What is the final result you are after? Do you want better relationships, financial independence or something else?

• Set a Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely goal. Write down 10 things you want to accomplish in the next 12 months.

• Write your most important goal at the top of a blank sheet of paper and brainstorm ways to make it happen. Do this until you feel you can’t come up with any more ways, then push yourself to come up with more.

Anyone can become successful. There are no excuses. You can manifest your wildest dreams if you truly want to.

Written on 5/7/2011 by Henri Junttila. Henri writes at Wake Up Cloud, where he shares his personal tips on how you can live the life you know you deserve. When you feel ready to take action, get his free course: Find Your Passion in 5 Days or Less. And if you liked this article, you will enjoy one of his top articles: 77 Great Quotes That Will Change Your Life.

Photo Credit: baileyraeweaver

Tama J. Kieves is a kindred spirit in the world of coaching. I often enjoy reading her email newsletters and this one received today is one of those rare beauties that I’m delighted to share with my readers.

Tama’s Musings reprinted with permission.

(Note: This was supposed to go out on Valentine’s Day, but we chose Divine Timing instead….)

A Love Letter from the Divine…

I want you to know that I love you very much. It doesn’t matter to me if you eat fudge ice cream in your vintage underwear in the middle of the night. And I think you’re precious, not following through on your Gratitude Journal yet, fourth year running. Beloved, I’m not the least bit concerned with those unsavoury thoughts about your ex. I am not limited to momentary facts. I know your shimmering nature. I know how AMAZING you are.

But if I’m honest, I am a little concerned about this. I wonder why you don’t trust the desires that have always been yours. You strive to ignore your wildest dreams because they feel so good, but I thought that surely you’d recognize their unrivalled power because they feel so good. Please know I supplied you with unstinting resources and a hunger strong enough to make any of your desires come true. And surely you’ve noticed a few of the lines I’ve written for you in some of the self-help books you’ve read. I keep putting those books out there and you even keep buying them. But, still, I find you sitting in the corner as though you are an orphan child, as though you’ve been abandoned without a key, a charm, a brand new GPS system and an entourage waiting just for you. I even hear you whisper, “I don’t know what to do.”

But I gave you a Free Pass. I gave you a Free Pass to the life that stirs your blood and strengthens your bones. Yes, of course there are challenges. But I thought you’d enjoy the thrill of the chase that way. I didn’t want to make it easy. I know your strength and capacity. I thought you’d find the deluxe wild ride entertaining. I didn’t think you’d ever believe that circumstances could stop you. You are unstoppable. You are branded with my love and with my infinite energy.  But here’s the thing. When you stop believing in your soul’s desires, you’ve stopped believing in me. When you give up on yourself, you don’t feel my Presence anymore. Now that just destroys me. I’ve sung to you from the radios and sent morning doves and dragon flies to mark your path. I’ve used your life coaches and therapists to tell you the truth. I whisper to you constantly. Sometimes I even press down on your heart or turn the flames up on your blood pressure. I’ll do anything dear one to reach you. I’ll never give up on you. I want you to know what you’re here for. I want you to stop denying what you know. Your doubt is poison. It is not protecting you.

Now I know that you think you will not be rewarded in the world for your singular expression, temperament, and abilities, but I tell you it is not true, dear one. You will know nothing but reward when you share your love. You will transform into another you, the real you, the one without limits, shame, fear or regrets. So dearest Beloved, I send you a thousand roses of Spirit and ten thousand dark chocolates of soul. I don’t want a tryst with you. I want the whole thing, the Grand Love Affair of watching you bloom and heal and let go of every false limitation you’ve ever believed about yourself or the rest of your shining world. These thoughts only make you tired. The truth would have you laughing and clapping and hugging every precious soul around you. I want you to burst through the density of this world with the power of your totality. I want you to know what it’s like to fully trust your love and not look over your shoulder. I want you to know I’ve got your back, your front, your sides, and your soul. I want you to honour your true desires because they are your arrows. And like Cupid, I’ve shot them through your heart. Cupid copied me by the way! Please know that whatever you choose–and whenever you choose it– you are loved and sustained in ways you can’t even fathom from your side of the veil. You are my Beloved and I’m always here for you.  Happy Valentine’s Day….everyday!

—Your Loving Universe

P.S. Stop watching the news so much. Your life is the news.

Tama

©Copyright 2008 Tama J. Kieves. All rights reserved.

Feel free to forward this copy to anyone you think might enjoy it.
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Tama J. Kieves
www.AwakeningArtistry.com
The Art of Living Your Dreams

“If you’re this successful doing work you don’t love,
what could you do with work you do love?”

THIS TIME I DANCE!
Creating the Work You Love/
How One Harvard Lawyer Left It All to Have It All!

From the archives August 28, 2006

Getting excited about life can sometimes seem elusive when we’re dealing with many challenges and the associated stress. We always want to experience the best that life has to offer. At times, this preference may have us trying to avoid the challenges life throws our way. Regardless of my preference though, life seems to proceed and the challenge is survived. Along the way, as multiple challenging life situations are simply allowed to co-exist, I discovered an important quality that sustains and fuels my spirit. Not only does this quality help with the journey through difficulty, it also attracts positive experiences that can act as a counter-balance. This quality is gratitude.

Gratitude is more than just acknowledging thanks. It is more than intellectual exercise. It is much more than an obligation. Gratitude is a state of being that appreciates all that is good and welcomed in our life. Gratitude appreciates from the mind through intentional thought that recognizes the richness of our emotional connections with others, and all good things that bless our lives. Relationships are the most significant source for virtually all experiences of gratitude.

Relationship is at play in every interaction and opportunity with another living being. This is one significant reason why pets have been recognized as having a therapeutic and healing effect on patients. The positive experience and exchange of loving energy is present in that moment creating a brief encounter of gratitude, love, and joy. The worry and fear related to a loss of health is momentarily forgotten allowing the fullness of the positive experience to work its’ magic. Taking hold of this perspective, if we acknowledge and allow this focus to become a guiding presence with every connection to another life, I wonder how much more gratitude would be experienced and how much more magic would be enjoyed? I have been enjoying this experience of gratitude and how it positively affects my outlook and each day. With this enjoyment also comes the fuel to go further, not just with gratitude, but also with every other area and dream for my life. A large part of this is the gratitude for the unknown.

The unknown represents the many surprises that show up every day. Too often, we’re so busy with our daily agenda that we don’t take the time to notice the unexpected and discover what surprise might be available for us in that moment. This is when the unknown can be thought of as the Unknown, the Mystery, the Universe, the Creator, etc. Whatever your belief system, there is an invisible element to the beauty and magic that has created all that we see and experience around us every year. Noticing the surprises that show up each day can enhance the experience of the unknown, strengthening the relationship with the Unknown, and increasing the experience of gratitude. With a focus and attention on gratitude each day, the experience of it in your body, in your being, heightens a sense of energy that could be thought of as aliveness. This energy, also a powerful and positive energy, attracts likeness. This is where it is important to know that gratitude is more than an intellectual exercise.

Experiencing, or feeling the energy of gratitude fully in the body is as important as the mental focus on those things you are grateful for. The mental process assists in the transformation to living a life of gratitude. The bodily experience will arrive with consistent mental focus, capturing the negative thoughts and replacing them with a positive thought, preferably combined within the context of gratitude. Consistent effort equates to practicing until this outlook and way of being becomes a habit – a positive habit that replaces one or many negative habits. As you can see, this is not an exercise of obligatory duty, offering kindness, thanks, etc., out of a sense of responsibility to others. This is an act for your own freedom and well-being.

If we are resentful we cannot experience gratitude. Trying to express gratitude out of duty to another is misplaced and misdirected. Gratitude isn’t about what you are giving another. Gratitude is about you – being in gratitude – and what it gives you. This again requires that some attention and focus must be given to the negative thoughts that are preventing the beautiful and powerful experience of gratitude. Inquire within yourself to understand the root that blocks your progress. Acknowledge the weakness once it is identified and invite the weakness to observe while you dance with possibility through exercising gratitude. In time healing and transformation will occur. Be patient with the process and yourself.

Too often we want to see results today, let alone tomorrow. As with the nature of all things, seeds need time to take root and grow. Even here you can experience gratitude, knowing that the Unknown is also acting invisibly upon each see that you plant. The best aspect of this possible reality is that it relinquishes your need to fret and worry about the results. This permits other qualities to arise within your being that also contributes to the fullest experience of gratitude: Faith and trust. Continue with the journey of gratitude and transformation knowing that you are going to see results without worrying what those results should look like. Don’t look at where you’re not, look at where you are and be joyous!

This thing was eating at my gut. Sitting at the computer playing my little games wasn’t filling the time. Something is urging me toward action, toward more activity. Where, to what focus, and for what purpose?

I log in to check my site stats. I’ve got lots of archived articles from the old scheduled for release this week. What else is there to do? As I ponder ever so briefly at my WordPress dashboard, eyes glancing over the posts, incoming links, and comments recently added by site visitors. That thing is still pushing.

As quickly as I launched into my WordPress account, I hit the Write Post link and start typing. I feel it gnawing at me, wanting to give voice to the violent push and pull that happens sometimes during transition. Having experienced a few too many set-backs stacked back-to-back, a defensive posture wants to cringe back from the resistance. Big mistake when that happens.

The word success in the title represents becoming the best that you can. It’s not about material wealth, although it would not be without material comforts given the passions, ambitions, purposes, and values that drive you. There is no right or wrong, there are just differences, just as there are many people. With life having crashed reality back down the personal evolution chain, a time may arise when there is no belief, will, or strength to continue.

Push on! This is what it is to become anything. Overcoming has been the milestone in every achievement set upon by any person, at any age, for any reason. From learning to tie a shoe-lace, to reaching the summit of Mount Everest. Frustration, fear, anger, tears, and all that negative garbage that gets in your way, is just stuff for you to overcome.

Push on! Face it Head-On, and Change Toward Success!