How do you define success? Success means different things to everybody. Therefore, there is only one true "personal success" in the world – and that is when you live your own way with your own inner truth. You must define what "personal success" means to you. Does it mean "achieving financial freedom", raising a healthy family, attaining an education, or reaching the top of the corporate ladder? Then, there is also only one failure; and that is when you QUIT trying to realize your dreams.

Where you are right now-- is the result of all the choices you have made in your past. Yeah, I know that you may not want to hear that, but it is the truth. And, we must take personal responsibility for our past choices. Living a "life on purpose" begins with your understanding how to use your powers of personal choice to make the decisions that will turn your dreams into reality and make it a "life changing opportunity". Here are 5 steps to "personal success".

1. DEFINE YOUR GOALS

First of all, to transform your dream into a reachable goal YOU MUST BE CLEAR ON WHAT YOU WANT! A dream may be the guiding light of your life, but without a clear definition you’ll never actualize it. Ancient Japanese Proverb says this very well and is absolutely true:

"Vision without ACTION is a daydream. Action without VISION is a nightmare."

Make your goals so clear you can see and feel them. Follow the images that come to you. Ask yourself if they fit with what you want and work with them until the picture in your mind is totally clear. Write them down and keep a copy of this in front of you every day. After you have defined your goals specifically, use affirmations to keep the images clear and focused in your mind. Affirmations are extremely powerful and can help you shift your focus from "I can’t" or "I’m afraid" to "I can" and "I will". Be intentional when stating your affirmations. Use words or phrases that help you picture what it is you want to achieve.

Be specific; keep your words in the first person, and STAY POSITIVE. Example: "I am surrounded by people who value, and respect me for who I am and what I do." By affirming your goals clearly in your mind, you are sending your subconscious a message that will support and encourage you. You become attuned to whatever is relevant to your goal, and you begin to notice a new "life changing opportunity".

2. FOCUS

Studies show that people tend to stay focused on a particular activity IF that activity has the following components:

-There is a way to measure results or keep score.

-They have control over the situation.

-It is a specific goal.

-There are rewards for achieving the goal.

Successful people are often passionate about their goals and are confident that they will contribute to their "personal success". They are people who are motivated to keep focused on their goals. They are constantly in front of them as they take specific, measurable steps to attain them every day. What you focus on--- you attract. Thomas Leonard, the father of personal coaching has called this principle "irresistible attraction."

When your purpose is clear, you become attuned to what is relevant to your life or business; and "life changing opportunities" begin to show up. This is known as the principle of synchronicity. What you focus on and visualize is part of law attraction.

3. ACTION

It’s important to make a decision to accomplish at least one activity each day that moves you toward your goals. Plan to commit a few minutes every day to plan for the following day. Make a list of the items you want to accomplish and work through the list. Plan to finish each item before you move on to the next. This time management tip has been integral to my personal success. Remember, success doesn’t come from the hours you put into your work, but from the work you put into your hours.

4. POSITIVE ATTITUDE

A positive mental attitude, according to Napoleon Hill (bestselling author of Think and Grow Rich) is the most important key to choosing actions that will lead you to what you want in life. This is one area where you can exercise absolute control over the outcome at all times. It is the single most influential aspect of your "success".

You determine whether your life contributes your "personal success" or a disaster. The way we see and feel about ourselves at any given time determines exactly how we experience life. A positive mental attitude enhances our personal power and makes it possible to keep moving ahead even when circumstances and trials beset us.

A good sense of humor is an important component of a "positive mental attitude". It can put you on top of any situation. You are never without power if you can find the humor or absurdity in a situation.

When problems threaten to completely overwhelm you – stop and take a mental break even it is only 30 minutes to do something enjoyable and relaxing. This can liberate your mind and emotions and help you return to your tasks with renewed concentration and energy.

Keeping a positive mental attitude, especially when faced with rejection or setbacks will boost your self-confidence. Whenever you find yourself thinking negative thoughts – stop and refocus. Replace those thoughts immediately with positive affirmations.

Developing the "positive mental attitude" habit takes a lot of time and patience. The long-range impact of your success in life will not be determined by what happens to you but what you think about what happens to you and what you CHOOSE to do about it. Life is about choices and you control your choices.

5. PERSISTENCE

If it seems like you’re working and working and your goal is still a long way off – don’t get discouraged. You are never wasting your time! You’re always learning and building momentum toward your future in the form of

your experience, self-knowledge, confidence, as well as the chance to "achieve financial freedom". Time goes by whether or not you are working on your goals. So you might as well continue toward your intended outcome. After a while you notice that you’re accomplishing more and more.

That’s success. It comes from having the faith to keep going. What you get to do now is to plan your work and then work your plan. Define your goals clearly, write them down, keep them in front of you, stay focused on them, keep a positive attitude, and say your daily affirmations. Always be in action and intentional about achieving your goals because you create "life changing" results with "personal success".