One of the most important goals you need to achieve in order to be happy in life is to develop your own personality and character and to be authentic. You want to become an outstanding person in every way. The kind of person others look up to and admire. In our company, we call them 10X Leaders. Because 10X Leaders commit to a higher standard. They break the rule of the average and aspire to take people and businesses to the next level. Here are a few important principles for success.

1. Take 100% responsibility for your life and your business

There is only one person who is entirely responsible for your life – that is you. Responsibility is the most important principle to achieve success. If we want to be successful in life, we must first take full responsibility for our lives. 100%. We alone are responsible for all our successes and failures, our health, our relationships, our financial situation, our emotions, our business success and many more aspects in life.

It is me who created the life I am living now, so I have to take responsibility for it. If I don’t take full responsibility, I can’t achieve the things that are important to me and I can’t create my own life, the reality I choose to live in. To really take 100% responsibility for our lives, we have to stop blaming others for our problems and failures. Because we must realise that we have created our current situation through our thoughts and actions. We have always had the power to create our own life and achieve the results we want. We just didn’t do it. The E+R=0 rule (event +reaction=result) states that any result we achieve in life (good or bad) is the result of our reaction to the previous events in our life.

People react differently in the same situations. Some are successful, others are not. We achieve different results through different reactions. Therefore, we need to change our reactions to events. Then we can achieve the results we want. We have no control over many circumstances and events in our lives. But we do have control over our reactions to them. In the word “responsibility” lies the word “response.” In responsibility, therefore, lies our power to respond.

Jack Canfield says: “Everything that happens to you in life – both internally and externally – is the result of how you reacted to a past event”. Everything I experience today is the result of choices I made in the past. I have control over three things in my life: my thoughts, my visualisations and my actions. 

So, in order to change my life, I have to change my thoughts, my visualisations and my actions for them to be positive. If I keep my negative reactions from the past, I will continue to get the same negative results.

2. Believe that everything is possible

We are able to achieve anything our mind can imagine and believe in. The important conclusion for us is that we need to replace all our negative expectations with positive ones. Then our mind will start to work on achieving the result we want. People often do not achieve their goals because they do not believe that they can achieve them. The Bible says: “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matth. 9:29). This implies that great things are possible to great faith.

3. Believe in your abilities

Our creativity is our power that gives us great abilities within us. You are capable of achieving anything your mind can imagine and visualise. If you want to create a great and successful life for yourself, you must believe that you can do it. You have all the skills, abilities and inner resources to do it. Believing in yourself is more important than knowledge and education. However, you must make a strong and committed decision to achieve your goal. Your brain is capable of solving any problem you give it to tackle and the same rule applies for the fact of being able to achieve any goal you set for yourself. Therefore recognise that your negative thoughts and beliefs have a strong limiting influence on your mind. Replace them with positive, strong statements.

4. Let go of what is stopping you 

Most people go through life with their foot on the brake. Wrong ideas about reality, feelings of guilt, self-doubt and fear of failure, however wrong beliefs and judgements are the reason as well. All this prevents us from achieving our goals. Successful people find resolutions to what is stopping them. They apply the following steps: 

a) Use positive affirmations and positive self-talk. 

b) Use powerful inner images of who they want to be, do and have in life

c) Implement habits that change their behaviour.

5. Visualise your goals and your future

Visualisation is the mental projection of conviction and vivid images in the mind. Visualisation makes the brain do more. If you imagine your goals in your mind as those “already achieved”, your subconsciousness will work to transform your visualisations into reality. Close your eyes and imagine that your goal has already been achieved. To enhance the process, you can add sounds, feelings and emotions to your mental images. When you visualise properly, you feel happy and motivated to achieve your goal.

6. Take the right measures

Many people spend a lot of time analysing, planning and organising, but they do not take action. Successful people always take action. They are motivated and determined to do something. When you are in action, things become clear and the next steps become obvious. To be successful, you have to do what successful people do. Successful people are action-oriented, make mistakes and take risks. If you don’t act because you are too cautious or afraid, you will not achieve your goals.

7. Commit yourself to constant improvement

This principle says that if I want to be successful, I must always try to do things better. I must always try to improve, so I must look at my goals and find out what I need to improve to achieve them better and quicker. Canfield advises taking small, achievable steps that we can easily improve. This way we don’t get overwhelmed and discouraged because something seems too difficult to achieve or do. Improving takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight, but if I improve and learn a little bit every day, my skills and knowledge will be very useful in my life one day.

8. Perseverance

Perseverance and persistence are among the most important qualities of successful people. Life is full of obstacles, problems and events. Just as summer will come, so will the winter season come as well. Often people give up just before achieving their goals because they lack perseverance. Develop good and strong habits that support your perseverance. After a few weeks you will notice that your thoughts and actions will be put in motion as become as natural to as breathing air. You will need less discipline because your brain will be on autopilot. And it will be easier for you to achieve your goals.

9. Commit to constant learning and growth

The more you learn and the more knowledge you acquire, the more successful you become. Shares, cryptocurrencies and even real estate lose value and are subject to fluctuations. But investing in yourself is the safest and most successful in the long run. It increases your value on the market. Therefore: Read inspiring and educational books, including biographies. Watch videos and listen to podcasts. Attend congresses and conferences and surround yourself with people who are more successful than you.

10. Start now

There is no perfect time to start. Once you take the first steps and start getting results, great things happen that move you forward. These success principles are milestones on your way to becoming a successful person. Therefore, set measurable goals for your personal development. They will take you 10X further in life.