I recently came across an e-mail that was forwarded to me nearly five years ago. After reading it, I realized why I had saved it for so long. The original author is Shad Helmstetter, a personal life coach. The title is “My All-time 12 Best Ideas for Being Successful.” Obviously, there is no shortage of books, websites, and newsletters which profess the “secret” to success. Allow me to let you in on a little secret: there is no secret to success. Anyone who has studies successful people come to the conclusion that there are a handful of qualities that make a person successful, and chances are you already know most of them, you just aren’t practicing them. Here are the 12 from the e-mail I mentioned above:
1. Set specific goals and action steps, and write them down.
2. Read and review your goals regularly, daily if possible.
3. Set daily priorities.
4. Change your old way of thinking by learning new self-talk.
5. Turn off the television.
6. Practice keeping a positive attitude every day.
7. Associate with people who are more successful than you.
8. Live your life based on eternal values and principles.
9. Practice your faith.
10. Make the choice to believe in yourself and your future.
11. Do at least 2 things each day to improve yourself.
12. Never quit. Never stop. Never give up!
I have a hard time arguing against any of those suggestions. Here’s hoping you will put at least some of them into play, and review this list more than once every 5 years. We’d love to hear your comments, just click below and let us know what you think is missing from the list.