8 WAYS TO REALIZING A SUCCESSFUL LIFE

Here are 8 crucial steps to creating the life of your dreams and becoming the person God intended.

1. Visualize Your Ideal Future. What are your goals and dreams in life? Where do you want to be in 5, 10 or 20 years? Who do you want to become? What kind of positive difference do you want to make in the world? What are you doing right now to realize your dreams? Take at least 10 minutes daily to visualize your ideal future. What you feed your mind today determines your tomorrow! The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Prov. 29:18)
2. Progressively Realize A Worthy Ideal. What do you really want? A leaner body? More money? A better relationship? Write it down. Be specific. Now break down your worthy ideal into the smallest steps (monthly, weekly, daily or even hourly) and take action. Hint: set a goal beyond your current limits. A goal with passion will drive your life with purpose.
3. Forget the Past. A major ingredient in failure is dwelling on past tragedies, hurts or unhappy times. Don’t ponder “what if’s” but ask yourself, “How can I?” “What’s the best way?” or “how can I help others?” Remember, no matter how tarnished your past, your future is spotless. (Philippians 3:13)
4. Don’t Use Excuses. There are many reasons for not having what we want in life. Everyone has hurdles to overcome and these hurdles can become excuses that hold you back. An excuse is nothing more than a reason to justify a failure. Losers use excuses to explain failure. But winner use setbacks to learn and grow and develop… and win.
5. Take Responsibility. In this age of “it’s not my fault,” it is a rare quality to find someone who takes responsibility for their actions. In reality, no one else can truly make things happen for you, but YOU. You are the one who has to make the plan; you are the one who takes the action; and you are the one who overcomes the obstacles that can hinder your progress. Ultimately you are the only one who is responsible for realizing your dreams.
6. Stay Focused and Ignore Diversions. Getting side tracked is often a “silent killer” in realizing our dreams. If people or situations present themselves to you that are not in line with achieving your goals, you may need to step back and re-evaluate. Many times, a minor diversion to our goals may look inviting and seem harmless, but in the long run, it can sabotage our focus. Sometimes, when we say NO, we are really saying YES to what’s truly important. “An unforced life is the key to failure.”
7. Surround Yourself With Positive People. Achieving the life you really want requires help from others. It is very important to surround yourself with positive people who support and encourage you. Positive people are contagious. Being around someone who shares the same desire to live healthy and be successful increases your chances of accomplishing your dreams dramatically. Negative people can drain your energy, zap your drive and drag you down. A good question to ask is, are the people around me positive and encouraging, and do they desire the best for me?
8. Believe and Achieve. Don't ever stop believing that you are capable of much more than what and who you are now. Your potential is limitless! Stop seeing yourself as the world sees you, and start seeing yourself as God sees you. You are God’s masterpiece, whole and complete (Eph 2:10). With faith, you can realize the abundant life Christ promised. “I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me.”