Are you longing to create a better life for yourself but in the dark about how to go about it? Here’s five empowering steps to light up the way to a brighter, happier, future.

1. The very first step is the step that most people just don’t want to do. Yet it is the single most important step of all. It’s about spending lots of time seriously thinking about what you want to do. I recommend at least thirty minutes but preferably an hour, each day to think about what you want to do with your time here on our beautiful planet. Your time here is finite. So set aside the time to think about how you want to spend it.

2. Make a decision to be your own guiding light. By this, I mean have the courage to follow what is in your heart. Seek out the path you truly want to follow and not a path others deem appropriate for you. Only you know what you truly want to do with your life. Be unique. Express yourself. Set free the creative spirit within you and be your own person. Sure this involves courage. Ronald Reagan puts it succinctly: “The future doesn’t belong to the faint-hearted, it belongs to the brave.” Gain strength from this.

3. Develop a thirst for knowledge. Make a firm choice here and now to do what it takes to achieve your ambitions. You will need to acquire knowledge and skills to follow your chosen course. Wise: The Internet is the greatest resource you could ever wish for to help you on your journey. Use it. Seek out people who share your interests. Use your local facilities such as libraries, associations and clubs. Local government organizations may be useful too. Be proactive and spread your net as far and as wide as you can.

4. It’s no good embarking on an endless quest for knowledge. Knowledge is only useful if it is applied to a useful purpose. In this instance, it should be applied on a daily basis to take you closer and closer to your goals. Avoid the temptation to be an armchair adventurer. Acquire knowledge and put it into action. Again, taking action requires courage. But unless you take action, your dreams for a better life will remain, well, I’m sure you can guess the rest!

5. Realize that fear is the biggest threat to your aspirations. Every time you try and change your life, fear will rise like an angry cobra to try and stop you. Its paralyzing venom comes in the form of excuses it will generate in your mind so you can justify inaction. Examples of this would be your age, your education, your looks, your sex, your color, your size, your religion, your family, your job and so on and so on. All of these are just excuses; they are a crutch for weakness and no such excuses are valid. Many people have overcome all of the above obstacles and many overcame much harder ones. Make a pact with me right now before I end this article: You won’t make lame excuses to placate your fears anymore. Today, you have kicked away the excuse crutch and you’re going to stand on your own two feet and get cracking on creating a brighter future!

The brighter future you long for lies within you. Today is the first day of your new future. Use the knowledge you’ve just gained and keep moving towards your new life. It’s up to you now.