Success comes with a subjective definition. Each person defines it for themselves, and the array of different thoughts and ideas on what it looks like is as diverse as the people who think these thoughts.  There are only two options when it comes to creating and accomplishing things. One is to follow a plan guiding your thoughts and action. The second is pure and unadulterated luck, or fate pulling you in the right direction and providing the right opportunity.

Either you take control and dictate what happens, or you allow the future to be decided by the Universe making choices for you. This decision, just like all the others in your life, is totally and completely yours.

There are many roadmaps to success, and I think if the desired result is to follow a plan that provides sensation, share a simple practice to assist in moving your thoughts and actions toward achieving your goals and creating the things you want to see in your life regardless of the specifics of the adventure. To make good things happen in your life, following all of these steps will give you the best chance of achievement and accomplishment. I believe in these four steps that can help you create positive experiences in your life.

 Practice Positive Self Talk

There is a constant dialogue in your mind. The conversation topics are usually repeats of things we have thoughts we have had a thousand times before. 99% of people never consider how they speak to themselves. The problem with this negligence is that we have been conditioned to think negatively about our abilities and the prospects of us achieving our goals. Allowing this conversation is destroying your chances to succeed, and it can be changed.

Change starts with noticing the words you are speaking to yourself. If they change THEM more negatively about your abilities or the prospects of a goal, the Changgoic mind is the over-analyzer and finds problems where none exist. Listening will stop you from following even the best of your ideas and achieving goals meant for you.

If you can’t be positive and supportive of yourself, it doesn’t matter what everyone else does. It all begins and ends with the method and manner with which you address yourself and your actions. Most of the time, we don’t pay attention to how we speak to ourselves in our heads, but that encouragement is the first kind we must have. By changing your words and how you talk to yourself, the world can open up to you.

Instead of thinking, “Nothing works out for me.” or “I am always broke.” or “I am not strong.” or any other limiting thoughts we allow our minds to tell us. These limiting beliefs have been pushed on us by our experience and conditioning. It is up to each individual to determine where our limits lie and how easily we can reach them. It begins with the voices we speak in our heads. Creating positive self-talk will help you override the negative programming of your past. Develop the habit of being kind to yourself in your mind, which will be the first step in achievement.

Set Goals and Write Them Down

Know where you are going. There needs to be a destination in mind. Set your goals and make them permanent by writing them down. Once you write them down, a transformation occurs between thought and making it a reality. Be clear in your focus and what you want. Please write it down in detail so you know what destination you are shooting to find. Be specific and create a target you are hunting for, and w; while doing so, develop your thoughts and emotions about this accomplishment.

Taking something from the realm of thought into reality is the paramount experience that separates human beings from the rest of the world’s creatures. Artists do it constantly, creating an idea and bringing it into reality for the rest of the world to enjoy. Each goal you have is the same thing, the first thought in your head. Writing it down becomes a reality in a small way and can become a reality in a big way. Take the time to think about what you want and to write down your goals. The foundation of accomplishment will occur at this moment.

Learn to Use Visualization

Another great gift all humans have is the capacity to practice using our imagination. There is the magic we experience when we take the time to picture ourselves accomplishing or experiencing our goals as finished products. Some would call this daydreaming, but there is a purpose. To see yourself doing something, building something, or experiencing the success you are striving for is a positive that will help bring that thing into reality. The key is to attach a positive emotion to your thoughts and situations.

Emotion provides the momentum to keep going when things get rough and punctuates the sentence of your accomplishment. If you imagine being a famous singer and feel the rush of action and joy of performing, you can understand why you want to reach this goal, and you will pursue it all the way there. Take a moment before you fall asleep at night or just as you wake in the morning. Picture your goals coming into your reality and what it will feel like when that happens.

Take Action, Evaluate, and Try Again

The rubber eventually has to meet the road. No accomplishment will be created in mind alone. All of the previous steps are useless without the courage of action. It takes a brave person to take action because you will get an answer. The results may be good or bad, but they will exist. It is at that point an honest evaluation has to take place. Often the results will be less than you hope for, but there will always be lessons. The wise person uses the experiences and doesn’t take the failure personally.

It doesn’t matter that things don’t work out the first time you try something. There will be an opportunity to learn, evaluate what went wrong, adjust your tactics, and of course. It is the trying still part most people find challenging. Once you experience failure, it can be daunting to put yourself out there. Remember, it isn’t personal and doesn’t define you if you learn from it and try again. Each effort given will provide you with new information about the process you are involved in and yourself. Use it and develop your skills and confidence. Don’t let the fixed mindset of never allowing a mistake stop you. If you do, you will not accomplish much in your life. All new things have a learning curve. Embrace it. Try, evaluate, and try again until you reach your goals.

Final Thoughts on the Process

Start today, deciding what you want the canvass of your life to look like. Is it going to be a picture someone else dictates you draw? Or will it be a unique masterpiece of your inner desire to express yourself? The choice is yours, and you can get them by following the process. Practice positive self-talk, set your goals, write them down, visualize your success, take action, and evaluate your strategy. In the end, your accomplishments are going to be won or lost because of the choices you make. Make choices that honor your inner strength and understanding. Follow your process to its conclusion of success. In the world of accomplishment, the journey defines us and is often the part we look back on with reverence and a smile.

“If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.” —Thomas J. Watson.

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.”— Billie Jean King.

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” — Henry David Thoreau.

“Potential is not an endpoint but a capacity to grow and learn.”