This is not merely an essay of good ideas. It’s a collection of time-tested strategies and techniques that have been proven to work — not just in my life, but in the lives of countless people who are the top achievers in their field, whether it be education, business, medicine, sports, social change, philanthropy work… you name it.

Each strategy includes action steps that will help you incorporate what you’ve learned into your daily life and demanding work.  Enjoy these strategies. And apply ALL them! 

We all aspire to be, do and have great things.  Yet most of us simply aren’t creating the results we want.  We don’t have enough money, romance, success or joy in our lives.  But what we need to understand is that greatness exists in all of us.  It is simply up to us to pull it out of ourselves.  We all have genius.   We just need to learn how to apply it. Here are 10 of my time-tested strategies on jump-start your success.

1.)  Decide What You Want

   In order to get what you want, you must first decide what you want. Most people foul up at this crucial first step because they simply can’t see how it’s possible to get what they want — so they don’t even let themselves want it.  Don’t sabotage yourself that way!  What scientists now know about how the brain works, is that you must first decide WHAT you want, before your brain can figure out HOW to get it.

Be Willing to Dream Big Dreams
   As soon as you commit to a big dream and really go after it, your creative mind will come up with big ideas to make it happen.  You’ll start attracting the people you need into your life to make your dream come true.  Big dreams not only inspire you, they compel others to want to play big, too.

Set Goals That Will Stretch You
   Another value in giving yourself permission to go after the big dreams is that big dreams require you to grow in order to achieve them. In fact, in the long run, that is the greatest benefit you will receive from pursuing your dreams — not so much the outer trappings of fulfilling the dream (an expensive car, impressive house, loads of money and philanthropic opportunities), but who you become in the process. As we all have seen many times over, the outer symbols of success, can all be easily lost.  Houses burn down, companies go bankrupt, relationships end in divorce, cars get old, bodies age and fame wanes, but who you are, what you have learned and the new skills you have developed never go away.  These are the true prizes of success.  Our friend Jim Rohn advises that, “You should set a goal big enough that in the process of achieving it, you become someone worth becoming.”

Service to Others
   Something else you’ll discover is that when your dreams include service to others —  accomplishing something that contributes to others — it also accelerates the accomplishment of that goal.  People want to be part of something that contributes and makes a difference.

Turn Your Dreams into Goals and Objectives
   Once you are clear about what you want, you must turn each item into a measurable objective.  By measurable, we mean measurable in space and time — how much and by when. For instance, if you were to tell me that you wanted more money, I might pull out a dollar and give it to you, but you would probably protest, saying “No, I meant a lot more money — like $20,000!”  Well, how am I supposed to know unless you tell me? Similarly, your boss, your friends, your spouse, your brain — God, the Universe — can’t figure out what you want unless you tell them specifically what it is. What do you want — exactly — and when do you want it by?

2.)  Believe in Yourself:  Use Positive Self Talk

   The second strategy that you must employ in order to achieve all of your dreams is to develop an unshakeable belief in your worthiness to have what you desire — and in your ability to achieve what you set out to accomplish — from financial abundance and a fulfilling career to dynamic health and nurturing relationships. 
   Ultimately, you must learn to control your self-talk, eliminate any negative and limiting beliefs, and maintain a constant state of positive expectations.

Control Your Self-Talk
   Researchers have found that the average person thinks as many as 50,000 thoughts a day Sadly, many of those thoughts are negative — I’m not management material...I’ll never lose weight...It doesn’t matter what I do, nothing ever works out for me.  This is what psychologists call victim language.  Victim language actually keeps you in a victim state of mind.  It is a form of self-hypnosis that lulls you into a belief that you are unlovable and incompetent. 
   In order to live your dreams, you need to give up this victim language and start talking to yourself like a winner — I can do it...I know there is a solution...I am smart enough and strong enough to figure this out...Everything I eat helps me maintain my perfect body weight.

You Are Always Programming Your Subconscious Mind
   Your subconscious mind is like the crew of a ship. You are its captain. It is your job to give the crew orders. When you do this, the crew takes everything you say literally. The crew (your subconscious) has no sense of humor. It just blindly follows orders.  When you say, Everything I eat goes straight to my hips, the crew hears that as an order: Take everything she eats, turn it into fat and put it on her hips.  On the other hand, if you say, Everything I eat helps me maintain my perfect body weight, the crew will begin to make that into reality by helping you make better food choices, exercise and maintain the right metabolism rate for you body.
   This power of your subconscious mind is the reason you must become very vigilant and pay careful attention to your spoken and internal statements.  Unfortunately, most people don’t realize they are committing negative self-talk, which is why it is best to enlist another person — your success partner — in monitoring each other’s speaking.  You can have a signal for interrupting each other when you use victim language.

Use Affirmations to Build Self-Confidence
   One of the most powerful tools for building worthiness and self-confidence is the repetition of positive statements until they become a natural part of the way you think.  These “affirmations” act to crowd out and replace the negative orders you have been sending your crew (your subconscious mind) all these years.  We suggest that you create a list of 10 to 20 statements that affirm your belief in your worthiness and your ability to create the life of your dreams.  Here are some examples of affirmations that have worked for others in the past:

I am worthy of love, joy and success. 
I am smart.
I am loveable and capable. 
I can create anything I want.
I am able to solve any problem that comes my way. 
I can handle anything that life hands me.
I have all the energy I need to do everything I want to do. 
I am attracting all the right people into my life.

3.) Build on Your Strengths and Your Unique Abilities

   Everyone is born with a unique set of talents and abilities — what I refer to as your areas of brilliance or your genius.  There are certain things you do that are easy for you, that you love to do, and from which you gain feedback that people receive value from them.  In fact, some of you do these things you do so easily and so well, you feel almost embarrassed or guilty about taking money for them. 
   For me, my core genius lies in the area of teaching and motivating.  I love to do it, I do it well, and people report that they get great value from it.  Another core genius is compiling and writing books.  Along with my co-author Mark Victor Hansen and others, I have written, co-authored, compiled and edited more than 75 books. 
   Take time to determine what your core genius is and begin to focus more of your time on it.  Begin to delegate the tasks that are not your core genius to those people who love to do those tasks.  I believe that you can trade, barter, pay for and find volunteer help to do almost everything you don’t want to do, leaving you to do what you are best at — and which will ultimately make you the most money and bring you the most happiness.

4.) Build an Awesome Dream Team

   One of the most critical elements of living your dreams is having your own “Dream Team.”  It is a powerful way to support your dreams and bring unlimited resources to your business and personal life.
   Sometimes called a mastermind group, your dream team is two or more individuals that voluntarily come together to creatively put their energy behind a definite purpose — increasing each other’s income, building a business, raising their kids better, or solving a social problem.  Within your mastermind group, you benefit from the other members who empower you and draw out your full talents, resources and abilities.  They trigger you, stimulate and motivate you to become all you are capable of being.  As part of a dream team, you use blended mind-power in action to obtain your desired result.

Creating Your Dream Team
In forming your Dream Team, start by carefully enrolling another friendly, on-purpose, like-minded individual.  Start by meeting together and then adding other selected, unanimously agreed-upon individuals who will work in total harmony for the good of each other and for the good of the group. 

1. Your Dream Team should consist of 4-8 people.  Most people find that 6 is the ideal number. 
2. Meet weekly, if possible, for an hour to an hour and a half.  This meeting must be held sacred as a life-enhancing priority. The meetings should be upbeat, enriching, encouraging and beneficial to each individual and the group’s purposes.  We always start our meetings with a prayer or an invocation. You could also start with an inspiring story. 
3. Each member must agree to play all out — to openly share ideas, support, contacts, information, feedback, and anything else that will help advance the individual and group goals.
4. Start by having each member share something positive and good that happened since the last meeting.
5. Next, have each member share an opportunity or problem they have experienced since the last meeting and ask for whatever support they would like on it.  Appoint a time-keeper to make sure that everyone gets the same amount of time.  This is important if you want your Dream Team to last. Everyone must get value at each meeting.
6. End by sharing appreciations and acknowledgements.

5.) Visualize and Affirm Your Desired Outcomes

   You have within you an awesome power that most of us have never been taught to use.  Elite athletes use it.  The super rich use it.  And peak performers in all fields are now starting to use it.  That power is called visualization.  The daily practice of visualizing your dreams as already complete can rapidly accelerate your achievement of those dreams.  Visualization of your goals and desires accomplishes four very important things.

1. It activates your creative subconscious which will start generating creative ideas to achieve your goal.
2. It programs your brain to more readily perceive and recognize the resources you will need to achieve your dreams.
3. It activates the law of attraction, thereby drawing into your life the people, resources, and circumstances you will need to achieve your goals.
4. It builds your internal motivation to take the necessary actions to achieve your dreams.

   Visualization is really quite simple.  You sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and imagine — in as vivid detail as you can — what you would be looking at if the dream you have were already realized.  Imagine being inside of yourself, looking out through your eyes at the ideal result.

Mental Rehearsal
   Athletes call this visualization process “mental rehearsal,” and they have been using it since the 1960s when we learned about it from the Russians. 
   All you have to do is set aside a few minutes a day.  The best times are when you first wake up, after meditation or prayer, and right before you go to bed.  These are the times you are most relaxed.  Go through the following three steps:

1. Imagine sitting in a movie theater, the lights dim, and then the movie starts.  It is a movie of you doing perfectly whatever it is that you want to do better.  See as much detail as you can create, including your clothing, the expression on your face, small body movements, the environment and any other people that might be around.  Add in any sounds you would be hearing — traffic, music, other people talking, cheering.  And finally, recreate in your body any feelings you think you would be experiencing as you engage in this activity.
2. Get out of your chair, walk up to the screen, open a door in the screen and enter into the movie.  Now experience the whole thing again from inside of yourself, looking out through your eyes.  This is called an “embodied image” rather than a “distant image.” It will deepen the impact of the experience.  Again, see everything in vivid detail, hear the sounds you would hear, and feel the feelings you would feel.
3. Finally, walk back out of the screen that is still showing the picture of you performing perfectly, return to your seat in the theater, reach out and grab the screen and shrink it down to the size of a cracker.  Then, bring this miniature screen up to your mouth, chew it up and swallow it.  Imagine that each tiny piece — just like a hologram — contains the full picture of you performing well.  Imagine all these little screens traveling down into your stomach and out through the bloodstream into every cell of your body.  Then imagine that every cell of your body is lit up with a movie of you performing perfectly.  It’s like one of those appliance store windows where 50 televisions are all tuned to the same channel.

   When you have finished this process — it should take less than five minutes — you can open your eyes and go about your business.  If you make this part of your daily routine, you will be amazed at how much improvement you will see in your life.

Create Goal Pictures
   Another powerful technique is to create a photograph or picture of yourself with your goal, as if it were already completed.  If one of your goals is to own a new car, take your camera down to your local auto dealer and have a picture taken of yourself sitting behind the wheel of your dream car.  If your goal is to visit Paris, find a picture or poster of the Eiffel Tower and cut out a picture of yourself and place it into the picture.  With today’s technology, you could probably make an even more convincing image using your computer.

Create a Visual Picture and an Affirmation for Each Goal
   We recommend that you find or create a picture of every aspect of your dream life.  Create a picture or a visual representation for every goal you have — financial, career, recreation, new skills and abilities, things you want to purchase, and so on.  When we were writing the very first Chicken Soup for the Soul® book, we took a copy of the New York Times best seller list, scanned it into our computer, and using the same font as the newspaper, typed Chicken Soup for the Soul into the number one position in the “Paperback Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous” category.  We printed several copies and hung them up around the office.  Less than two years later, our book was the number one book in that category and stayed there for over a year!

Index Cards
   We practice a similar discipline every day.  We each have a list of about 30-40 goals we are currently working on.  We write each goal on a 3x5 index card and keep those cards near our bed and take them with us when we travel.  Each morning and each night we go through the stack of cards, one at a time, read the card, close our eyes, see the completion of that goal in its perfect desired state for about 15 seconds, open our eyes and repeat the process with the next card.

Use Affirmations to Support Your Visualization
   An affirmation is a statement that evokes not only a picture, but the experience of already having what you want.  Here’s an example of an affirmation:

I am happily vacationing 2 months out of the year in a tropical paradise,
and working just four days a week owning my own business.

   Repeating an affirmation several times a day keeps you focused on your goal, strengthens your motivation, and programs your subconscious by sending an order to your crew to do whatever it takes to make that goal happen.

Expect Results
   Through writing down your goals, using the power of visualization and repeating your affirmations, you can achieve amazing results.  Visualization and affirmations allow you to change your beliefs, assumptions, and opinions about the most important person in your life — YOU!  They allow you to harness the 18 billion brain cells in your brain and get them all working in a singular and purposeful direction.
   Your subconscious will become engaged in a process that transforms you forever.  The process is invisible and doesn’t take a long time.  It just happens over time, as long as you put in the time to visualize and affirm, surround yourself with positive people, read uplifting books and listen to audio programs that flood your mind with positive, life-affirming messages.
   Repeat your affirmations every morning and night for a month and they will become an automatic part of your thinking — they will become woven into the very fabric of your being.

6.) Act to Create It

   The thing that most separates winners from losers in life, is that winners take action.  If you want to live your dreams, not only must you decide what you want, turn your dream into measurable goals, break those goals down into specific action steps, and visualize and affirm your desired outcomes  — you must start taking action.  I recommend making the commitment to do something every day in at least three different areas of your life that moves you in the direction of your dreams.  If one of your goals is physical fitness, make a commitment to do some sort of exercise — aerobics, weight training, stretching — four to five times a week for a minimum of twenty minutes.  I read recently that if you simply go for a 30 minute walk four times a week, that would put you in the top 1% of those people getting physical exercise!  If your goal is financial independence, start saving and investing a portion of your income every month with no exceptions.  If your goal is to write a book, write for a minimum of one hour every day.

Don’t Let FEAR Stop You
   Most people never get what they want because they let their fears stop them.  They are afraid of making a mistake, looking foolish, getting ripped off, being rejected, being hurt, wasting their time, and feeling uncomfortable.
   Fear is self-created by imagining catastrophic consequences that have yet to happen. It is all in your mind.  In fact, you can actually scare yourself by imagining negative and harmful images. But simply stop the catastrophic thoughts and images, and the fear goes away. 

Rejection Is a Myth
   One of the biggest fears that stops people from asking for support, guidance, advice, money, a date, a job, the sale, or anything else is the fear of rejection.  In fact, it’s been known to literally paralyze people.  They become tongue-tied and refuse to reach for the phone or get up and walk across the room.  They break out in a sweat at the mere thought of asking for what they want. 
   I have come to realize that the whole concept of rejection is false — that rejection doesn’t really exist.  Think about it for a moment.  If you asked someone to join you for dinner, and they said no, you could tell yourself that you had been rejected.  But think about it.  Did you have anyone to eat dinner with before you asked them? No!  Did you have anyone to eat dinner with after you asked them? No! Did your life really get worse?  No. It stayed the same!

Act As If
   One of the secrets of success is to start acting like a success before you are one.  Act as if.  If you had already achieved your dream, what kinds of clothes would you be wearing?  How would you act?  How would you treat others?  Would you tithe a portion of your income to your church or favorite charities?  Would you have more self-confidence?  Would you take more time to spend with your loved ones? 
   I suggest that you begin to do those things now.  When I decided that I wanted to be an “international” consultant, I immediately went and applied for a passport, bought an international clock that told me what time it was anywhere in the world, printed business cards with the words “International Self-Esteem and Peak Performance Consultant,” and decided I would like to first go to Australia.  I bought a poster of the Sidney Opera House and placed it on my refrigerator.  Within one month, I received an invitation to speak in Sidney and Brisbane.  Since then, I have spoken and conducted trainings in over 20 countries.
   You may not be able to fill your closets with expensive Italian suits and designer clothing, but why not invest in one or two really great outfits, so that when you do need them, they are there.  When you dress like you have already made it, you will look the part, and successful people will naturally be attracted to you and invite you to participate with them. 
   Start acting as if you already have everything you want.  Most people think that if they have a lot of money, they could do the things they want to do, and they would be much happier.  In fact, the reverse is true.  If you start by creating a state of happiness and abundance, then do the things you are inspired to do from that state of being, you will end up having all the things you ultimately desire.  The Law of Attraction states that you will attract to you those things that match your state of being.  If you focus on having gratitude for what you do have, you will feel rich, and you will attract more abundance into your life.  If you focus on what you don’t have, you will send out a message of lack and you will attract more lack into your life.

7.) Respond to Feedback

   As you begin to take action toward the fulfillment of your dreams, you must realize that not every action will be perfect.  Not every action will produce the desired result.  Not every action will work. Making mistakes, getting it almost right, and experimenting to see what happens are all part of the process of eventually getting it right. 
   Thomas Edison is reported to have tried over 2,000 different experiments that failed before he finally got the light bulb to work.  He once told a reporter that, from his perspective, he had never failed at all.  Inventing the light bulb was just a 2,000-step process. If you can adopt that attitude, then you can be free to take an action, notice what result you get, then adjust your next actions based on the feedback you have received. 

Ready, Fire, Aim!
   Don’t be afraid to just jump in and get started moving toward your goals.
   As long as you pay attention to the feedback you receive, you will make progress.  Just getting into the game and firing allows you to correct and refine your aim. 

Ask Others for Feedback
   One of the most valuable questions I have ever learned for soliciting valuable feedback is this:

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the quality
of our relationship during the last week?”

Here are a number of variations on the same question that have served me well over the years.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate…

Any answer less than a 10 always gets this follow-up question:

“What would it take to make it a 10?”

   This is where the valuable information comes from. Knowing that a person is dissatisfied is not enough. Knowing in detail what will satisfy them gives you the information you need to do whatever it takes to create a winning product, service or relationship.

Ask Yourself for Feedback
   In addition to asking others for feedback, you need to ask yourself for feedback, too.  More than any other source of feedback, your body will tell you whether or not you are living your dream or not.  When you are relaxed and happy, your body is telling you that you are on track.  When you are constantly exhausted, tense, in pain, unhappy and angry, then you are off track. 
   Take time to listen to what your body is saying to you.  Take time to listen to your physical sensations and your feelings.  They are sending you important messages.  Are you listening?
   If you are not happy, start doing those things that make you happy. 

8.) Never Give Up: The Power of Determination

After taking action, the most important quality you will need to develop in order to live your dreams is persistence.  You must be persistent in your disciplines and habits; perseverant in the face of adversity, hardship and challenge; and determined to achieve your dreams, no matter what.
   There will be many times when you will want to quit, give up, and go back to doing something else, but the one quality that will guarantee you success is the willingness to stick with it, to see it through to the end — to refuse to settle for anything less than your dream.

Adversity and Discouragement Is Inevitable
   No matter how well you plan and how well you execute your plan, you are bound to meet with disappointments, adversity and failure along the way to your ultimate triumph.  Adversity is what gives you the opportunity to develop your inner resources of character and courage.  Adversity is a great teacher.  It will test you and make you stronger.  But you have to hang in there and not give up. 
   More than 4000 years ago in China, Confucius wrote, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
   As long as you know there will be times when you will fail, then you will know that failing is simply part of the process.  Just take it in stride and press on — no matter what.  And just when you think things are never going to change, press on a bit further, and that is when the tide will turn. 
   On my journey to living my dreams, I found the following facts very encouraging: The average millionaire in America has gone bankrupt or out of business 3.5 times on his or her way to becoming a millionaire, and there are now over 4.5 million millionaires in America.  The Texas Banking Association estimates that one out of every 36 American workers is a millionaire.  If financial independence is part of your dream, you, too, can fail your way to success if you simply stay the course. 

9.) Celebrate Your Victories and Give Thanks

   If you do stay the course, you will eventually begin to realize all your goals. Once that happens, you need to do two things: (1) celebrate your successes, and
(2) express your gratitude to everyone — including God — who helped you along the way.  Let’s look at each of these final steps in the ten steps to Living Your Dreams.

Celebrate Your Victories
   In order to justify all of the sacrifice and persistence that is required to create the life of your dreams, you have to enroll your family, your friends, your colleagues and co-workers, your employees, your clients and, most importantly, yourself to pay the price.  In order for them to do that, there need to be payoffs along the way.  Every time you reach a milestone on the path to ultimate success, and every time you achieve a major goal, you need to celebrate by doing something fun and nurturing. 

Your Inner Child
   It is important to reward your inner child, as well.  Every time you work hard to meet a goal, the part of you that just wants to have fun has to sit still and be good.  However, just like any kid, if it knows it will be rewarded later with a treat, it will hang in there with you. 
How can you reward your inner child?

• Take a 20-minute walk after an hour or two of concentrated work
• Go for walks in the morning with your spouse
• Take 20 minutes to listen to music and daydream
• Take most weekends totally off
• Take several weeklong vacations throughout the year
• Get regular massages
• Engage in daily meditation, exercise and yoga
• Take music lessons
• Go to movies, concerts and plays
• Listen to comedy tapes and watching the Comedy Network
• Listen to motivational audio programs when driving

Have an Attitude of Gratitude
   Take the time to thank every one that helped you achieve your goal.  Write them a letter, call them, send them an e-mail or send them a present.  It can be as simple as a hug and a thank you — to something as elaborate as letting someone use your summer vacation home for a week. 

The Power of Acknowledgment
   When you take the time to thank someone, they feel acknowledged for their contribution and will be more likely to want to help again.
Thank Your Higher Power
Finally, it is important to thank God, or however you perceive the Higher Power, for all of the abundance that comes into your life.  Start with the little stuff — another day of life, healthy children, a sunny day, people who love you, family and friends.  Be thankful for the birds, your pets, the clothes you have and the food you eat. 
   And be especially thankful for any additional blessings that come into your life.  Take time each day to say a prayer of thanks when you first arise, before meals, and again at night before bed.  Having an attitude of gratitude opens up the channels for even more abundance to flow into your life.  The more grateful you are, the more you will attract to be grateful for.

10.) Give Something Back

   A great philosopher once said, whatever you want more of, give it away. The best way to ensure an ongoing flow of abundance into your life is to share with others the wealth you receive.  I am a big believer in tithing — giving away 10% of your income to your church and favorite charities.  I believe that it does indeed come back multiplied.  This has been demonstrated in my life and the lives of Chicken Soup for the Soul readers over and over again. 
   My co-author Mark Victor Hansen and I have been tithing for years and believe it is one of the major factors of our phenomenal success.  Along with Peter Vegso, our publisher at Health Communications, Mark and I have given away millions of dollars to over 70 charities and non-profit organizations.  We have also distributed almost 150,000 copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul and Chicken Soup for the Prisoner’s Soul to inmates in all of America’s prisons.
   If you have never tried tithing, give it a three-month trial and see what happens.  Remember that, when you are giving, like attracts like.  The more you give, the more will come back to you.  If need be, start with one percent of your income, time, energy or effort and build up to ten percent.

Tithe Your Time, as Well as Your Money
   You can tithe your time, as well as your money.  If you are uncomfortable tithing ten percent of your income, try tithing ten percent of your time.  You can make a huge difference in so many areas of your community by giving of your time.  There are numerous schools, churches, and other non-profits that are all clamoring for help.

In Summary 
   The concepts and strategies I have covered here are the essence of what I know works...and what I have seen proven to work time and time again for individuals from all walks of life.  Everyone today has the opportunity to create the life of their dreams — but it takes determination, planning resolve and effort...the kinds of qualities I know the books, tapes, training programs and other success tools that follow will help you deepen and put into practice.
   I wish you a great journey as you begin to create the life of your dreams.

Comments

Add New

Ellen Lutz     |2010-04-27 01:08:21 great advice.

steve burton  - me   |2010-04-27 01:08:13

Write comment
Name:
Email:
Website:
Title:

Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.26

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."