The Dos and Don’ts Of Being Successful.

The first don't is that you should not focus on the negative. So your first step is to forget about the don'ts and focus on the dos, thus the rest of the article will focus on things you should do to move your life ahead.

Do know what you want to accomplish. You need to know what you want in clear, quantifiable terms, before you can be successful. If you don't know what you want you will have trouble laying out plans to accomplish your goal and won't know when you have accomplished your goal.

Do have a written plan to accomplish your goal. The effort that goes into a plan is well worth it, as it causes you to think through all aspects of what is required to accomplish the goal. If you have a written plan, you have a grasp on the time and money required. Also you will have a feel for where you are now and what is required to move to the completed goal. You will learn if you need more training, more equipment, etc.

Do begin to act on your plan right now. Nothing kills more great plans than setting them aside until you "feel like it", the time is right, or other excuses we give for not taking action now. I like the story about the researcher that supposedly stood on a street corner in Hollywood and asked passers by "how's the screenplay coming?" to which 67% of the respondents said "almost done". You be the one that said, "I am my way to a meeting with my agent on it now".

Do make sure you do not have conflicting goals. If you want to make a million dollars, it rarely happens if you also have a goal to spend more time at the beach. Write out your goals and make sure there are no conflicts.

Do find your dream and turn it into a way to make money. Most people think that there is no way they can do what they love and make money at it. I recently read a story about a man that makes his living building sand castles. He loves the beach and loves to build things out of sand, and now makes a living traveling the country entering contests for the best sand sculpture, teaching sand sculpture classes, and other such activities. So you to can find a way to blend you leisure time activities, in with a way to make money and you will have the best of both worlds.

Do remember to enjoy the process. The latest research on happiness shows that high levels of happiness rarely last more than 2 weeks, and then we revert back to our base levels of happiness. This means that you happiness over a new job, promotion, raise, etc will be relatively short lived. So if you want sustained happiness, you must learn to find ways to enjoy the process, as opposed to the end result. As you work toward a goal, give yourself credit for the good work you are doing, and so on, and develop enjoyment in the day-to-day activities you are involved in.

Do set high standards for yourself and others in all areas of your life. Expect the best from yourself and others and everyone will rise to meet the expectations. People perform better if they know you expect their best, and that includes ourselves.

Do remember that everything counts. All of your actions, as well as inactions, either take you closer to, or away from your goals.

Do develop good habits. Start taking actions that will support you health, business, and personal life, on a regular basis, and they will turn into habits. I go to the gym 3 times a week and it has become a habit that would be harder to break than continue. Just as bad habits seem impossible to kick, good habits can become just as hard to stop and then you will make progress without it seeming like hard work.

Start to implement the "dos" covered in this article right now. Life can be short and the road to the top can be long, but if you start on the road now, you will be on the expressway to the top and success will soon be yours.

Edward W. Smith is the author of Sixty Seconds To Success, he produces and hosts the Bright Moment cable TV and internet radio show, is president of the Bright Moment Seminars, is a motivational speaker, and publishes the free, daily, email of the One Minute Motivator (quick peak performance tip). His website is www.brightmoment.com and his email is edsmith@brightmoment.com