How to Set Yourself Up for Success in Business & Life (It's Not a Secret)

It’s human nature to want to be successful at everything we do in business and in life. Even though you may have some setbacks along the way, if you prepare yourself for the road ahead and really visualize what you want to accomplish, then the only person standing in your way of success is you.

There’s no magic potion or secret formula for success; even those business people or celebrities who seem to be overnight sensations worked hard for many years out of the limelight before reaching their level of success. How you select your goals and the processes you put in place to make those goals a reality are two very big parts of this puzzle.

Work through the process and you WILL find success in both business and in life.

1. Create goals.

Even though this sounds like a lofty task, just ask yourself, “What do you want out of life/business?” Creating these goals – no matter how big or small they may be – simply sets you in the right direction so you’re not floundering, wondering about your purpose in life. Some goals need to be broken down into smaller goals and that’s alright; if you’re just starting out in business, you probably won’t make multimillions of dollars your first year. Instead, break that multimillion dollar goal into something smaller that is more realistic. Your goals shouldn’t dampen your spirit; they should guide you toward your next action steps.

2. Decide who you want to be.

Much like identifying your ideal client, put into words the type of person YOU want to be; then identify what that type of person does differently than you. For instance, if you want to run a multimillion dollar business, what are some habits other multimillion dollar CEOs do to grow their business? If you want to be a body builder, what do other body builders do that you can also implement? You certainly don’t need to copy these people exactly but you’ll need to add some behaviors to your routine that put you on the path to being your ideal self.

3. Create processes that you'll do consistently to reach those goals.

The processes you create to reach your goals are much more important than the actual goal itself. While the goal keeps you focused on a direction, the process is all the action necessary to achieve said goal. Consider following a checklist for your daily tasks with a time limit for each task. For instance, allow yourself 10 minutes to check and respond to emails, then sign out of email for a few hours. Time blocking also works to focus on one task or one client for a certain amount of time.

If you feel like your processes have stalled, focus on improving the processes instead of changing the goals. Maybe you need to add or subtract a step or two; or add more time to certain tasks. Your goal can be a static thought but your processes are meant to be more fluid and open to change.

Every single living, breathing person has the opportunity to create the life of their dreams with these simple steps. The road won’t be easy and everyone will have a different timeline for reaching that success, but with focused, hard work and a desire to succeed, you’ll soon see opportunities arise that will bring you toward your ultimate goals.