Successful people do not see themselves as they are. They see themselves as who they will be. If you see yourself only as who you are, right now, you are living in a negative world. People who struggle in life, look at themselves as they are now. Successful people live in an optimistic world. They have a different perspective of who they are, because they don’t focus on who they are …. today. They focus on who they will become …. tomorrow.

“Courage is admired so much because it is lacking in so many.” Dr. Ben Carson

The courageous know that they will fail and make mistakes, yet they pursue their dreams and goals anyway. Failure and mistakes cost time and money and results in setbacks and disappointment. Most are unwilling to incur these costs and the emotional roller coaster ride that is part of pursuing a dream or big goal. We admire those who follow their dreams or pursue big goals because it requires taking risks and taking risks requires an enormous amount of courage. We only have one shot at life. Don’t be afraid to pursue a big goal or life dream. Your regrets for not following your dreams will be far worse than the temporary setbacks and disappointments that are part of the process of achieving success.

There’s no way around it. If you want to succeed and accumulate wealth you must read. 30 minutes or more of self-education reading each day is all it takes. Basic education equals basic results. Exceptional education equals exceptional results. Daily self-education reading elevates your knowledge base from basic to exceptional. If you want to be great, you have to grow. You can’t grow if you don’t read. Now get out there and read!

Big goals really represent your main purpose in life or your life dream. They are less goal and more wish. Big goals are transformative. They change you as a person because big goals require enormous growth and force you to stretch yourself. Big goals require that you pick up new skills, new knowledge, meet and associate with new people and do different things. Big goals will often alter your environment. They could very likely force you to change where you live, where you work, who you work with, who you associate with and dislocate you from old friends and old neighbors. The pursuit and achievement of big goals will change everything about your life.

It doesn’t matter if you’re 30 with young kids, two jobs and too much month left over at the end of the money. It doesn’t matter if you’re 50 with college tuition bullets flying at your head. It doesn’t matter if you’re 60, with little to no retirement savings and the thought of working until you die welcoming you every day, with the morning sun.

Pursuing success is about pursuing greatness at any point in your life. It’s about reaching every day for the person you hope to be. The ideal you. No matter what age or current circumstances. It’s never too late to pursue your big goal, major purpose or life dream. Late is when you’re dead. Until then, you’ve only just begun to live the life of your dreams.

The average adult knows between 5,000 – 25,000 words. Those at the higher end of the spectrum are highly educated, or perceived to be highly educated. Our vocabulary paints a picture of us to the world. Those with a greater vocabulary are perceived as more intelligent. Since perception matters, it is therefore, in your best interest to increase your “in-use vocabulary” if you want to improve your chances of success in life. In order to increase your vocabulary you must read, identify words that you do not know and then learn their meaning. Here’s a process that I use, every day, to increase my vocabulary:

• I highlight unfamiliar words in the books I read
• After I am done reading a book, I transfer the highlighted words to a word binder that I maintain
• I find the definition or synonym of the new word and write it in my binder
• Every day, I spend 15 minutes adding to or reading my word binder

I do this day in and day out. It’s now a habit that I engage in daily. It’s no longer a task; it’s a routine. I have no emotions about it, good or bad. I just do it. Increasing your vocabulary will also make you a more effective communicator. Sometimes just the right word is all it takes to get a deal done, to acquire a new customer or client, or to persuade someone to do something you desire. An increased vocabulary helps move you forward in life, inch by inch, towards success.

It is an instinctual human trait to be selfish. Almost every person is focused on one thing – themselves. Most are too busy thinking about their own lives to be able to focus on the other person. Except for the top 5%. Thanks to outstanding parenting, mentors or self-mentoring, this top 5% have overcome the Poverty Habit of selfishness. They live the selfless Rich Habit every day. By putting others first, they are able to draw to themselves the people and resources that help them create success in their lives. They become magnets for success by putting others first.

Successful people don’t waste their time waiting for inspiration. They become inspired only after taking action.

“From the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to sleep at night, your habits largely control the words you say, the things you do, and the ways you react and respond.”  Brian Tracy

Discipline and motivation are two sides of the same coin. If you have the motivation you need, discipline is not a problem. If you lack the motivation you need, discipline becomes a problem. John Maxwell, 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth  (http://www.amazon.com/The-Invaluable-Laws-Growth-Potential-ebook/dp/B0076DF6T4)