“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”

Dale Carnegie

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“For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?”

James Allen

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Those who admire successful individuals and desire to achieve their own success want to know the steps they must take. There is no set path to success, it varies depending upon the person and the situations they face. However, these are 8 steps that you can walk to achieve a change in your life. There’s no need to follow them exactly as they are listed. Maybe you would like to remove a step, insert one, or switch them around.

Step 1 - Dream

Everyone does this already, or at least I would hope so. You must dream because achieving your dreams means you’ve achieved success and changed your life. Dream about everything you need, desire, and want. Whether that be a luxury car, yacht, mansion, food, vacations, clothing, money, love, family, or anything else. Dream about the most ridiculous goals you can think of. Goals that don’t seem possible. Bring back dreams from your childhood. Write all of them down in journal or type them on your computer.

Step 2 - Refine

Pick your favorite dreams and goals or the ones you desire to achieve most. But don’t limit yourself, if you want to achieve all of them then don’t push any aside. Next, go through each dream and think of or write down the details of each of them. If you want to buy a luxury car then write down the exact make, model, year, and color. Know every detail possible about your dreams. Polish them and make them even more vibrant in your mind.

Step 3 - Plan

Plan for what you will need to achieve your dreams. Will you need money or not a cent? Will you need help from someone or can you do it yourself? Will you need to quit your job to pursue your dreams? And if so, when must you do that? Plan the steps just like this list, but make hundreds of baby steps with larger steps along the way. Also be sure to plan for the unexpected. There will be times when something comes along and interrupts all your plans.

Step 4 - Visualize

This is a great way to dream even more. Visualize yourself living your dreams. Close your eyes and see yourself driving that expensive car, closing that business deal, or finishing that marathon. Another excellent way to help you visualize your dreams is by looking at pictures and videos. If you desire to go on a trip to the Caribbean, then surf the web for videos and photos of tropical islands. This will increase your desire to succeed and motivate you to move on to the next step.

Step 5 - Take Action

This may be the most important step out of the eight. Once you have done the first four, it’s time to act. And you must do it as soon as possible. Start right now, later today, or within the next few days. Don’t wait till next week, next month, or for something else to happen. You have to do it ASAP! You don’t know what you could be missing by procrastinating. Make sure you take an action every single day that will benefit your goals. If you want to run a marathon, start walking today. If you want to start a company, come up with a name and draw the logo tonight.

Step 6 - Work Hard

If you want to achieve your dreams you’ll have to work hard. Anything that is extremely rewarding takes an extreme amount of effort. There will be times when you just have to roll up your sleeves, jump in and get it done. When the times are tough go back through steps 1-3 and remember what you’re working hard for.

Step 7 - Have Fun

After you’ve worked hard and even while you’re working hard, make sure to have some fun. You don’t want your journey to change and success to be serious and tough all the time. Give yourself breaks and mini vacations, it will only benefit you and your success. You’ll be more energized to achieve your goals.

Step 8 - Reflect, Rejoice, and Redo

Don’t dwell on the past, but it’s good to reflect on where you came from, how you got where you are, and where you’re headed next.

Rejoice about your failures and successes. When you’ve made it to step 8 there’s plenty to be happy about and proud of.

After you’ve achieved a goal or dream, create and begin to chase new ones. Redo all these steps to achieve what you want all over again. There’s never a true destination, success and life change never stops happening and evolving.

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“Victory is sweetest when you’ve known defeat.”

Malcolm S. Forbes

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I recently received an opportunity to do an interview for The Next 30 Blogging Heroes series on the blog, The Next 45 Years. The series interviews bloggers who are getting their message and ideas across to people around the blogosphere. Past interviewed bloggers include Tina Su of ThinkSimpleNow.com, John Wesley of PickTheBrain, and Leo Babauta of Zenhabits.net.

If you are interested in reading the interview and learning a little more about me please visit the interview here: There’s No Age Limit for Wisdom

Thanks,

-Andrew