Maybe their suits or dresses were flashier.

Or they were slimmer.

Or their hair was less gray. (Or for you male readers, they had more hair than you!)

Or perhaps these people left their expensive, new Mercedes, BMWs and sports cars with the valet attendant while you “self parked” your tired, old automobile w-a-a-a-a-y in the back of the car park so that no one would notice it.

Does this mean they are any better or more successful than you are?

Of course not!

It all comes down to what I call – THE ATTITUDE OF YOUR MIND. The attitude of your mind affects many things including the expressions of your face, determines the actions you make, impacts your physical health and regulates your life.

At this point many of you, especially those who are “set” in your ways, may ask: “How can I change the attitude of my mind? How can I, after months and years of discouragement and of going through the motions, suddenly conceive and carry out a plan for doing something that will change my current situation and make my life more rewarding?‚Äù

The answer is that it can be done, and others just like you have done it.

Even if you consider yourself of AVERAGE ability, you can be successful, independent, free of worry, and be your own master, from this point forward, if you can commit to do these four things. Of course, it will take diligent and persistent practice for you to make these permanent and long-lasting positive habits. However, the rewards will be manifold!

1) Commit to remain forever dissatisfied with what you are doing and your situation today. Do not be like those who play the victim and blame others, the world and the universe for all of their woes. Take action toward what you want and spell out in detail when you want it.

2) When you have identified what you want to achieve, whether it be more love, better relationships and communication with others in your personal or professional life, a successful career, more wealth, better health or a full, rich life – always, always, always dream big and shoot for the moon. Remember, it is better to shoot for the moon and only reach the top of a mountain, than to shoot for the mountain top and wind up where you started.

3) Next, develop in your mind a belief that the word IMPOSSIBLE was not intended for you. A “can do” attitude will determine your altitude, every time.

4) Your final commitment is to build up in your mind the confidence that enables the mind to use its power. When you have confidence and the courage to step out of your comfort zone, you will always accomplish more in you life.

Author and poet, Bette Reese once said, “If you think you are too small to make an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room”.

So in conclusion, here’s the moral of my story to you…

“You are never too small. It is up to you, to make an impact.”

Okay, a show of hands, please!

Hey, that’s quite a lot of you.

Now, close your eyes and remember what it felt like to ride a bicycle for the first time. Maybe yours had training wheels that helped to balance the bike as you gained confidence riding on the sidewalk in front of your house. As your confidence expanded and also from observing the older children in the neighbourhood riding without any assistance, you then graduated to your first test without training wheels.

It was scary!

At the beginning came the wobbling of the tires and excited, hurried pedalling as you struggled to break free of your parent’s or older sibling’s guiding hand for balance. And, perhaps there were one or two falls with skinned knees and elbows along the way! However, through your determination, will power, desire and continued practice you soon sped forward on your own.

As you grew in size and age, you moved up to bigger and more complex bicycles and mastered them all. Some of you even learned to ride without holding on to the handlebars or perhaps did “daredevil” tricks jumping over ramps.

And, I’ll bet now that even if you haven’t ridden a bicycle in years, you could still do it.

Now, let’s take a look at success. For many people, success or being successful is just as scary as the first time they rode a bicycle. Naturally, many people want to be successful. However, there are few that truly have the motivation to put forward the needed effort and action, and make the necessary sacrifices to get what they want.

Here are four of my success strategies. Make them part of your “quest for success”.

1) Just as you did when you learned to ride a bicycle there is only one way to accomplish anything today ‚Äî set your mind to concentrate on doing it and let nothing interfere with your progress. Obstacles, whether they be training wheels on a bike or lack of resources (money, time, lack of skill, etc.) are quickly overcome by the person that sets out to accomplish their heart’s desire. Those who have the desire, ‚Äúthe fire in the belly‚Äù so to speak will outdistance and outperform those who do not.

2) No matter what anyone says, size does matter. When you first learned to ride a bike, you were a child. As you grew to adulthood, of course you were faced with greater and more challenging situations. On your road to success, remember this quote from my book The Power Of Concentration – How To Take Control Of Your Life:

“The ‚Äòbigger‚Äô you are, the smaller the obstacle appears. The ‚Äòsmaller‚Äô you are the greater the obstacle appears.‚Äù

Always look at the advantage you gain by overcoming obstacles, and it will give you the needed “size” and courage for the conquest – now and in the future.

3) Do not expect that you will always have a smooth road, free of potholes, speed bumps and detours. Parts of your journey are likely to be rough. The way you navigate the bad roads shows exactly what you are made of. Keep on with your journey and view with delight the smooth roads that are in front of you.

4) Do not let a setback stop you. Just like when you skinned your knees and elbows learning to ride, think of it as a mere incident that has to be overcome before you can reach your goal. Learn from it and use the lesson to move ahead.

Success is like riding a bicycle. Learn my strategies of success outlined above, and you will always be up to the challenge – regardless of the size.

So, here are three strategies that I have used successfully and that you can utilize to achieve your dreams as well…

Number 1 – Write your dreams down on paper.

There are numerous studies that prove the value of writing down and keeping track of your thoughts and goals. A study sponsored by the Ford Foundation found that:

- 23% of the population has no idea what they want from life, and as a result, they do not have much.

- 67% of the population has a general idea of what they want, but they do not have any plans for how to get it.

- Only 10% of the population has specific, well-defined goals, but even then, seven out of the ten of those people reach their goals only half the time.

- The top 3%, however, achieved their goals 89% of the time.

What accounted for the dramatic difference between the top 3% and the others? The top 3% wrote down their goals, their dreams, their THOUGHTS. Simply put, dreams are not goals until they are written on paper. They become a road map for you to follow.

Number 2 Р“Pre-set” your mental state for the next day before you head off to bed.

Here’s my secret. Before my head hits the pillow, I spend about five to ten minutes in quiet reflection and thought as to what I want my next day to be like. I think about the things that I want to achieve, such as a financial goal, spiritual strength, courage or other goals, and let my subconscious “dream-mind” work on these while I sleep. I have learned from experience that this strategy not only works in the short term to solve an immediate problem, but also helps me to come up with solutions to achieve a longer-term goal.

Number 3 – Review your list of dreams and do not be discouraged when you are “off course”.

When you focus your mind on your dreams and goals, you centralize your attention, just like you focus a camera lens on the subject of your photograph. Be sure to monitor and check yourself from time to time. People who do not follow the practice of honest, self evaluation can never identify when they are getting off course.

For example, before an airplane takes off and flies from one city to another, the crew maps out a flight path. Along the way, they must account for headwinds, tailwinds, turbulence, weather issues and more that cause the plane to drift off course. Now, do the pilots panic? No! They read and analyze the plane’s telemetry and systematically make the adjustments needed to get the passengers to the destination. Systematic and ongoing self evaluation will allow you to do the same by reading your “telemetry” and keeping you on your “flight plan” so that you successfully reach your destination.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.

Design the future of your dreams in 2010. And be careful, they may come true!

–

Keith A. Shaw is the author and creator of “The Power Of Thought”, and “The Power Of Concentration” Motivation and Success Systems, along with “The Power Of Serenity And Peace” Spirituality and Happiness System. Visit his website www.MindBodySpiritCentral.com.

No matter what you seek, how can you ever be successful in accomplishing the things you want without knowing the meaning of success?

Here’s my seven step plan to help you understand and internalize the meaning of success. Follow these steps every day and you will make far more progress and increase your odds of success manifold.

1) Self Discipline

Those who have the ability to do what is required without needing to be poked, prodded or ordered to by someone else will win every time. Gain control of your mind, body and emotions by developing your self mastery skills.  Paraphrasing Yoda from the Star Wars films, “Do, or do not, there is no try”.

2) United, Strong Support System

Success leaves clues. Locate and develop a strong network of trusted and successful associates that you can rely on 100% to give you honest, productive feedback as you navigate the roads on your success journey. And, be sure to ignore “the Naysayer’s”, the people who will always be around to criticize, create chaos or try to distract or detract you and knock you off course.

3) Courage

You must develop the confidence and courage that allows your mind to use its full power – in any circumstance. You must overcome the fear of asking for what you want or the answer will always be no.

4) Commitment

If anything is worth doing, then only 110% effort will do. When your mind properly concentrates and focuses on your wants, all the vital energy of every bodily cell is directed into one channel generating a powerful personal influence. Every one of us is made up of 10 trillion cells. Each one of these has a center where life and energy are generated and stored up. If this energy is not conserved and controlled, but instead wasted, you can not become more productive and influential. Your brain is the reservoir of all your energy. Most persons have all the dynamic energy they need, if they would just concentrate it. They have the capability, but they must also have the “director” to focus it and then channel it appropriately, or they will not go very far. The person that does not develop his “director” skills will not reach the levels in life that he is capable of. The good director controls his every act. With every thing you do, you either advance or lose valuable ground.

5) Enthusiasm / Energy

I would like you to close your eyes and visualize yourself in the following two scenarios. In the first, imagine yourself starting each day without clarity of purpose and a lack of direction. Can you feel how tired and unfocused you will be, not only for that day, but for each day that follows?

Now imagine yourself with a sense of purpose and the emotion and desire for achievement. Can you feel how this will give you more enthusiasm, excitement and energy to tackle any challenge? Enthusiasm, excitement and energy are boundless when you develop and engineer clearly-defined goals and a sense of direction.

6) Self Respect (and respect of others)

When you concentrate your mind to improve the “you” or real self, and its wonderful possibilities, the result is that you develop concentration and self esteem. By doing this systematically you develop more power, because you can not be systematic without concentrating on what you are doing.

7) Stick-to-itiveness

No matter how long the journey on your success quest, no matter how many potholes, detours, and other obstacles are in your way, those who have the will to do and perseverance to stay the course will win the game. It is said that Edison tried over 900 different components unsuccessfully before coming up with his working version of the light bulb. Be tenacious and persevere.

Add my seven-step success plan to your life and accomplish more than you ever dreamed possible.

–

Keith A. Shaw is the author and creator of “The Power Of Thought”, and “The Power Of Concentration” Motivation and Success Systems, along with “The Power Of Serenity And Peace” Spirituality and Happiness System. Visit his website www.MindBodySpiritCentral.com.

Look at this example about Ed, who was a security guard at an office where I once worked. Ed was around 35 years old at the time – not the stereotypical, “semi-retired” elderly night watchman that you see portrayed in films and on television. Ed’s job consisted of making sure that when people entered the building, they had the proper credentials, such as a company I.D. or visitor’s pass. In addition, his job consisted of one or two walks around the halls in the building to ensure that the emergency exits were secure.

In short, not a lot of activity.

Ed did, however, spend a lot of time reading while at the desk. As I recall, he probably devoured a paperback novel every other day or so.

When entering the building I would always ask Ed how his day was progressing. His standard reply was “I’m pretty busy today!” At the time, several of us were working on a six-month-long project that involved long meetings, 14-hour days and flying around the country to meet with customers. Hence, my business associates and I would exchange skeptical glances at each other when Ed informed us of his work load.

Perhaps Ed’s goal in life was just to do what he was doing sitting at a desk reading – and for some, I guess there’s nothing wrong with that at all.

However, to reach the top of any endeavor it pays to be focused, determined, confident, courageous and energetic. Do not look at how little you can do, but how much you can do

It is said that “If you want to get something done, give it to a busy, effective person.”. In life, the busy, effective person will always be in demand, for they establish the reputation of being a “can do” person.

Of course, everyone wants to do something, but there are few that will put forward the needed effort and make the necessary sacrifices to get what they want. There is only one way to accomplish anything today ‚Äî set your mind to concentrate on doing it and let nothing interfere with your progress. Obstacles are quickly overcome by the person that sets out to accomplish their heart’s desire.

Ask your self these questions:

1) Do I even have a plan?

2) If yes, do I have clearly defined, realistic goals to ensure that I stay on track? For example, if it is to lose weight, have I identified what I need to do and broken it down into achievable parts?

3) Have I designed in, checkpoints / evaluation points to make sure that I am “on track”? For instance, if your goal is to save money for your first new home, am I achieving the amount of savings I need?

4) Do I have a timeline to ensure that I stay on track?

5) As I evaluate my progress, am I prepared to look long and hard “in the mirror” and be honest with my progress? Am I being honest with my capabilities? Am I prepared to have a trusted advisor constructively critique my progress?

Taking the time to do steps 1 – 5 above will pay manifold dividends for you on your quest for success. Be honest with your self and make self evaluation part of your plan.

Keith A. Shaw is the author and creator of “The Power Of Thought”, and “The Power Of Concentration” Motivation and Success Systems, along with “The Power Of Serenity And Peace” Spirituality and Happiness System. Visit his website www.MindBodySpiritCentral.com.