The formula for achieving our goals and realizing our dreams is not difficult, nor is it a secret.
It entails developing certain attributes and persisting in certain actions much more than it does acquiring specialized knowledge or developing specific talents.
As you will see below, the principles are extremely simple in theory; and thankfully, they apply to anyone and to any goal or dream.
To make them even simpler, I have essentially used some simple alliteration to explain each of the principles, attributes, mentality, and actions required to achieve any success.
The difficulty is not being aware of or understanding these principles - it is implementing them! Each principle described below explains an attribute, mentality, or action that must be implemented - or prevented.
Being aware of, being able to recognize, being able to avoid, being able to learn from, and being able to put into practice each of the principles below is necessary to achieve any goal or dream: Dream Dream big! Envision your accomplishment constantly.
Recognize that your dreams are completely possible, and the end success is always the result of the initial dream.
Ensure your dreams are your dreams, and not the desires or expectations of others; and then believe in them and do whatever necessary to achieve them.
Desire If desire is lacking, the motivation to act and the determination to persist will be absent, and the result is always failure.
Understand, however, that interest and strong desire are completely different - interest produces action when it is convenient, and strong desire persists in action despite challenges and failures.
And real desire is much more than hope or a wish; it is a mentality that translates into power to accomplish incredible things.
Disbelief Dreaming big is important, but it is also useless if you don't truly believe your dreams are possible and believe that you are capable of accomplishing those dreams.
Belief is not a sure knowledge, it does not eliminate risk, nor does it produce results - but it is absolutely necessary in order to produce the actions that Do produce the results that eventuate into success.
You can become and accomplish anything, but you must first believe so.
Decide Perhaps one of the greatest secrets necessary for success is the ability to decide, and then stick to that decision.
Often, however, people make and act upon decisions that would result in success if pursued, but those decisions unfortunately get rescinded when things start to become difficult.
Those who are unassertive, idle, unconfident, and uncommitted must develop the ability to make decisions quickly and confidently, and stick to them.
Determined Anything is possible to the individual who is absolutely determined to accomplish their goal.
Much more powerful than desire for and belief in a goal, completely committing to that goal will ensure that excuses are eliminated, challenges do not defeat, and persistence is the only alternative.
Zeal and determination have always contributed to success far more than brains and talent have.
Dare To dare is to have courage, to be bold, and to take risks.
In order for the majority of successes and goals to be achieved, one must be willing to take that risk, go out of their comfort zone, Do what they don't want to do or don't feel comfortable doing, and even be willing to fail in the process.
And therein is another secret - that when those inevitable failures do happen, one must be willing to dare again by persisting in the risk rather than retreating to security and mediocrity.
Dangers Nobody is ignorant of the fact that taking such risks includes various dangers, necessary sacrifices, and potential failures.
Be it money wasted, time lost, effort exuded, embarrassment faced, goals not reached, or failure experienced - it can (and probably will) happen.
Recognizing these dangers and trying to avoid them is wise, but facing them is often assured.
The challenge lies in learning from and persisting Despite them.
Doubts The only limitations in life are the ones we create, believe, and nourish within our own minds.
Doubts and fears, if heeded, result in a lack of attempt; and it is the ability to attempt and act that produces the confidence needed to overcome our doubts and fears and accomplish any goal.
It is vital to remember that doubts and fears reside in everyone; and yet, they can be controlled by anyone.
Ironically, they are never fully overcome, which suggests the importance of constantly controlling our minds, overcoming our fears, believing in ourselves, and being willing to attempt and act always.
Declare Tell yourself you will be successful.
Vocalize your goals Daily.
Talk big to yourself and to everyone.
Declare to others what your goals and dreams are.
Then, shut up and get to work! Do Our dreams, our plans, our thoughts, our knowledge, and our very words are of no value and produce no accomplishment until accompanied with actions - Daily actions.
Too often, people mistakenly think that success is a result of talent, knowledge, money, connections, characteristics, or inheritance; truthfully, at the foundation of every success, accomplishment, or goal achieved is one common and necessary principle - hard work! Discipline Discipline is an action that combines commitment and consistency; for one without the other fails to produce the desired attainment.
The ability to refrain from or take action in something once requires effort, but the ability to consistently put forth the same effort until the goal has been realized requires discipline.
Discipline is doing what is desired when feeling less inclined, making time at the most inconvenient of times, refraining from things regardless of what others think or say, and persisting in actions despite the difficulty.
Success Demands continual discipline.
Disorganized Failures often result not from a lack of ability, effort, or knowledge, but from the inability to set goals, establish a plan, become organized, and prioritize daily actions.
We've all heard the cliché of 'if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
' However, effective planning is more than just putting pen to paper, it entails specific short and long term goals, daily actions that are reviewed and committed to, and back up plans because of the inevitable detours.
Perhaps even more importantly, the goals and plans must be written, viewed daily, revised often, organized coherently, completely committed to, and Daily worked on.
Distractions Distractions are inescapable.
Along the journey to success, we will experience various and numerous distractions, most often coming in the form of: fears or family priorities, work responsibilities or church and community involvement, hobbies or entertainment, health problems or vacations, or perhaps even other goals and worthwhile pursuits.
Unfortunately, far too often people mistakenly blame the distraction for their resultant failure, rather than recognizing that the excuse is but a cover up of their poor response to the distraction.
Persisting Despite the distractions is absolutely necessary.
Detours It is vitally important to understand that things never seem to work out as originally planned.
You'll often find that the initial path, plan, requirements, and time frame you were expecting were miscalculated.
Take comfort in the fact that all those who have accomplished their goals and successes have likewise miscalculated.
The challenge lies in ensuring those detours do not turn into dead-end streets, but that they become merely road blocks that cause you to persist and others to quit.
Disappointments Failures happen, Difficulties arise, and plans do fail.
It is only those who are willing to fail that are truly willing to succeed.
But, for whatever reason, in the moment of failure we often wrongfully assume that we personally are failures, and we thus quit.
Failure is not a person; it is an event that is absolutely necessary to achieve success.
Discouragements The great Thomas Edison, perhaps the one person who had every reason to become discouraged after thousands of failed attempts to produce the light bulb, he perfectly described what our response should be whenever failure is experienced and discouragement is felt when he said: "I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt Discarded is another step forward.
" Diligence Diligence is continually exerting ourselves mentally and physically, persistently recommitting ourselves, and willingly and constantly putting forth the necessary action required to accomplish our goals.
Diligence is persistence and endurance - the key to any success.
Don't Quit Decide now to never give up, regardless of how difficult it may become.
When those personal defeats, failures, or challenges arise, the natural tendency is to do what the majority of people do - quit, give an excuse, choose another goal, or give up on the dream altogether.
Rather, you must learn from and get up after any temporary defeat or failure.
The majority of personal successes in life are usually accomplished after an individual determines to not give up when they experience a failure.
Disperse Give of your resources, knowledge, and time.
Notice, however, that I did not say give if you have - I said give, regardless of what you have.
Give now, and give always! Do not assume that later in life when you have acquired excess wealth, knowledge, and time that you will then freely give of it - Develop the habit of giving now (the amount is irrelevant compared to the intent).
And never forget the unexplainable, yet true principle that when you give, you always receive (often, much more abundantly).
Duty Far more important than any other 'D' described in this list is that of our duty to God and our family.
When all is said and done, I think each of us would much rather deal with the disappointments of certain failures than the disappointment of certain successes, if those certain successes were achieved at the expense of the much more important priorities.
God and our family must absolutely be our first priority.
Thus, no goal or accomplishment in life is as important as becoming a person of integrity, character, and morality.
Being a good parent, spouse, friend, or neighbor is far more important than becoming a great businessman, politician, doctor, attorney, or achieving any other accomplishment, title, certificate, position, or even dream in life.
All of your Desires and Dreams are possible! However, your challenge today - and continually - will be to Dare to think big, Develop the ability to believe more, and Decide to act now.
It is extremely Difficult, but completely Doable!
It entails developing certain attributes and persisting in certain actions much more than it does acquiring specialized knowledge or developing specific talents.
As you will see below, the principles are extremely simple in theory; and thankfully, they apply to anyone and to any goal or dream.
To make them even simpler, I have essentially used some simple alliteration to explain each of the principles, attributes, mentality, and actions required to achieve any success.
The difficulty is not being aware of or understanding these principles - it is implementing them! Each principle described below explains an attribute, mentality, or action that must be implemented - or prevented.
Being aware of, being able to recognize, being able to avoid, being able to learn from, and being able to put into practice each of the principles below is necessary to achieve any goal or dream: Dream Dream big! Envision your accomplishment constantly.
Recognize that your dreams are completely possible, and the end success is always the result of the initial dream.
Ensure your dreams are your dreams, and not the desires or expectations of others; and then believe in them and do whatever necessary to achieve them.
Desire If desire is lacking, the motivation to act and the determination to persist will be absent, and the result is always failure.
Understand, however, that interest and strong desire are completely different - interest produces action when it is convenient, and strong desire persists in action despite challenges and failures.
And real desire is much more than hope or a wish; it is a mentality that translates into power to accomplish incredible things.
Disbelief Dreaming big is important, but it is also useless if you don't truly believe your dreams are possible and believe that you are capable of accomplishing those dreams.
Belief is not a sure knowledge, it does not eliminate risk, nor does it produce results - but it is absolutely necessary in order to produce the actions that Do produce the results that eventuate into success.
You can become and accomplish anything, but you must first believe so.
Decide Perhaps one of the greatest secrets necessary for success is the ability to decide, and then stick to that decision.
Often, however, people make and act upon decisions that would result in success if pursued, but those decisions unfortunately get rescinded when things start to become difficult.
Those who are unassertive, idle, unconfident, and uncommitted must develop the ability to make decisions quickly and confidently, and stick to them.
Determined Anything is possible to the individual who is absolutely determined to accomplish their goal.
Much more powerful than desire for and belief in a goal, completely committing to that goal will ensure that excuses are eliminated, challenges do not defeat, and persistence is the only alternative.
Zeal and determination have always contributed to success far more than brains and talent have.
Dare To dare is to have courage, to be bold, and to take risks.
In order for the majority of successes and goals to be achieved, one must be willing to take that risk, go out of their comfort zone, Do what they don't want to do or don't feel comfortable doing, and even be willing to fail in the process.
And therein is another secret - that when those inevitable failures do happen, one must be willing to dare again by persisting in the risk rather than retreating to security and mediocrity.
Dangers Nobody is ignorant of the fact that taking such risks includes various dangers, necessary sacrifices, and potential failures.
Be it money wasted, time lost, effort exuded, embarrassment faced, goals not reached, or failure experienced - it can (and probably will) happen.
Recognizing these dangers and trying to avoid them is wise, but facing them is often assured.
The challenge lies in learning from and persisting Despite them.
Doubts The only limitations in life are the ones we create, believe, and nourish within our own minds.
Doubts and fears, if heeded, result in a lack of attempt; and it is the ability to attempt and act that produces the confidence needed to overcome our doubts and fears and accomplish any goal.
It is vital to remember that doubts and fears reside in everyone; and yet, they can be controlled by anyone.
Ironically, they are never fully overcome, which suggests the importance of constantly controlling our minds, overcoming our fears, believing in ourselves, and being willing to attempt and act always.
Declare Tell yourself you will be successful.
Vocalize your goals Daily.
Talk big to yourself and to everyone.
Declare to others what your goals and dreams are.
Then, shut up and get to work! Do Our dreams, our plans, our thoughts, our knowledge, and our very words are of no value and produce no accomplishment until accompanied with actions - Daily actions.
Too often, people mistakenly think that success is a result of talent, knowledge, money, connections, characteristics, or inheritance; truthfully, at the foundation of every success, accomplishment, or goal achieved is one common and necessary principle - hard work! Discipline Discipline is an action that combines commitment and consistency; for one without the other fails to produce the desired attainment.
The ability to refrain from or take action in something once requires effort, but the ability to consistently put forth the same effort until the goal has been realized requires discipline.
Discipline is doing what is desired when feeling less inclined, making time at the most inconvenient of times, refraining from things regardless of what others think or say, and persisting in actions despite the difficulty.
Success Demands continual discipline.
Disorganized Failures often result not from a lack of ability, effort, or knowledge, but from the inability to set goals, establish a plan, become organized, and prioritize daily actions.
We've all heard the cliché of 'if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
' However, effective planning is more than just putting pen to paper, it entails specific short and long term goals, daily actions that are reviewed and committed to, and back up plans because of the inevitable detours.
Perhaps even more importantly, the goals and plans must be written, viewed daily, revised often, organized coherently, completely committed to, and Daily worked on.
Distractions Distractions are inescapable.
Along the journey to success, we will experience various and numerous distractions, most often coming in the form of: fears or family priorities, work responsibilities or church and community involvement, hobbies or entertainment, health problems or vacations, or perhaps even other goals and worthwhile pursuits.
Unfortunately, far too often people mistakenly blame the distraction for their resultant failure, rather than recognizing that the excuse is but a cover up of their poor response to the distraction.
Persisting Despite the distractions is absolutely necessary.
Detours It is vitally important to understand that things never seem to work out as originally planned.
You'll often find that the initial path, plan, requirements, and time frame you were expecting were miscalculated.
Take comfort in the fact that all those who have accomplished their goals and successes have likewise miscalculated.
The challenge lies in ensuring those detours do not turn into dead-end streets, but that they become merely road blocks that cause you to persist and others to quit.
Disappointments Failures happen, Difficulties arise, and plans do fail.
It is only those who are willing to fail that are truly willing to succeed.
But, for whatever reason, in the moment of failure we often wrongfully assume that we personally are failures, and we thus quit.
Failure is not a person; it is an event that is absolutely necessary to achieve success.
Discouragements The great Thomas Edison, perhaps the one person who had every reason to become discouraged after thousands of failed attempts to produce the light bulb, he perfectly described what our response should be whenever failure is experienced and discouragement is felt when he said: "I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt Discarded is another step forward.
" Diligence Diligence is continually exerting ourselves mentally and physically, persistently recommitting ourselves, and willingly and constantly putting forth the necessary action required to accomplish our goals.
Diligence is persistence and endurance - the key to any success.
Don't Quit Decide now to never give up, regardless of how difficult it may become.
When those personal defeats, failures, or challenges arise, the natural tendency is to do what the majority of people do - quit, give an excuse, choose another goal, or give up on the dream altogether.
Rather, you must learn from and get up after any temporary defeat or failure.
The majority of personal successes in life are usually accomplished after an individual determines to not give up when they experience a failure.
Disperse Give of your resources, knowledge, and time.
Notice, however, that I did not say give if you have - I said give, regardless of what you have.
Give now, and give always! Do not assume that later in life when you have acquired excess wealth, knowledge, and time that you will then freely give of it - Develop the habit of giving now (the amount is irrelevant compared to the intent).
And never forget the unexplainable, yet true principle that when you give, you always receive (often, much more abundantly).
Duty Far more important than any other 'D' described in this list is that of our duty to God and our family.
When all is said and done, I think each of us would much rather deal with the disappointments of certain failures than the disappointment of certain successes, if those certain successes were achieved at the expense of the much more important priorities.
God and our family must absolutely be our first priority.
Thus, no goal or accomplishment in life is as important as becoming a person of integrity, character, and morality.
Being a good parent, spouse, friend, or neighbor is far more important than becoming a great businessman, politician, doctor, attorney, or achieving any other accomplishment, title, certificate, position, or even dream in life.
All of your Desires and Dreams are possible! However, your challenge today - and continually - will be to Dare to think big, Develop the ability to believe more, and Decide to act now.
It is extremely Difficult, but completely Doable!
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