Six Steps to Success

Throughout the centuries history tells of men andBut it is in these very situations that faith can conquer
women with the midas touch, who achieved greatnessall. Faith in yourself, what you are doing and belief that
against what seemed insurmountable odds. To somethat your objective will be reached.
their successes appeared to be the result of blind luck,There are some who bemoan "easier said than done".
to others the reward for hard work, but the truth aboutThis is exactly the kind of mental attitude that sustains
the successes of men such as Andrew Carnegie andthe problems that they are trying to eradicate. If your
Henry Ford is much more interesting.belief power is not apparent, take hope for it can be
Success is a state of mind to which all people shouldacquired.
aspire. Like many others you can unlock the gate toEach morning and night recite your intentions from a
achievement and the fulfilment of your personalwritten list of your goals. Voice your belief in your own
desires. With the six steps outlined below anyone canabilities. Tell yourself that in due course you will be
arrive at a set destination, with the added advantagesuccessful. As you go about your daily affairs reflect
of renewed self-confidence and secure in theas often as possible on your goals and affirm that
knowledge that every goal is attainable.they are yours now. Fool your mind into believing it and
Step 1. Desireyou will see your world reflect it!
The key factor involved in the process of achievingStep 4. Plan
any desire lies in the response of one's mind to theHaving decided upon your goal and being determined
objective. If a complacent attitude is apparent thento build your faith you need to give your desire-force a
there will be a lack of enthusiasm leading to failure or'vehicle' through which it may materialize. This 'vehicle'
only half-success.will take the form of a definite plan of action.
If a goal is to be reached determination is needed toDo you need to acquire certain skills? Do you need to
carry set plans through to a successful conclusion. Thisknow certain people or be in certain places to help you
determination must have enough mental 'weight' behindachieve your goal? Make a plan that will help you get
it to propel you forward onto the road of achievement.closer to your end objective. Research your desires
This mental state can only be instilled by one thing -and get clear on what you need to do. Then do it!
desire!Ensure that your plan is workable and realistic for you.
As can be easily seen, when we look around us, it isAlthough your plan should remain flexible so that
this desire-force that has launched mankind on hischanges can be made when appropriate only make
frenzied zest for ever-new knowledge and haschanges after careful consideration. Trial and error will
enabled him to push back the boundaries of science toeventually show the way to a good plan although you
never dreamed of achievement.should be open to intuition also.
It is this same desire-force that must be used in ourHowever, I should point out that, it is very likely your
business and personal affairs if the success we seekgoal will materialize in a most unexpected way. The
is to materialize. It is not very hard to develop this kindfact that you have set a plan for its accomplishment
of desire for all you have to do is go after what youtends to set things in motion and like a chain reaction
really want - it's that simple. With this desire you will(or the butterfly effect) subtle changes made by you
have all the persistence you need to accomplish yourmay cause dramatic changes elsewhere and your
goal. There is a great saying "you never fail until yougoal may come before your plan is completed.
give up"!Step 5. Visualization
Take heed of what Napoleon Bonaparte said "WhatVisualization is the art of creating mental movies of
we ardently and constantly desire, we always get".your completed goal. This has many beneficial effects
Step 2. Goalsupon your consciousness. Without going into the
If success is to come your must realise what isdeeper esoteric benefits of using this art let me just
expected to materialize. This statement may seemsay that you are truly designing your life when you use
obvious at first but if careful thought is given itsit. It has one other major benefit - it strengthens your
meaning takes on deeper significance.desire and persistence because you momentarily
Many people fail to gain satisfactory results from theirexperience the thrill of having achieved your goal!
endeavours because they did not know what theyJust form a mental picture of having achieved your
wanted to accomplish in the first place. Your objectivegoal. See what you will see. Feel how wonderful it will
must not be hazy or incomplete. Before you reachbe. See how it effects everyone around you. Hear
your goal you must be able to identify how your life willpeople congratulate you. When this state is
be different when you achieve it. You must knowexperienced nothing will stop you in your quest for
exactly what it is that you want to achieve. How willyour objective and thus your belief-power will also be
your life be better/different? How will you feel? Whatreinforced.
way will you look? What situations will you findStep 6. The Subconscious Mind
yourself in? Will other people in your life be effectedIt is within the subconscious part of your mind that you
and if so how will they react? You need a clearhold all the positive and negative beliefs about yourself
definite picture in your mind of what the attainment of- your self-image. These beliefs are reflected back to
your goal will mean to you.you in the form of attitudes. Therefore it is from the
Step 3. Beliefsubconscious mind that the thought of failure or
Belief is the back-up system of desire. It keeps thesuccess comes.
fires of enthusiasm burning and makes us continuallyAttitudes are just mental programs and so is your
strive to get nearer the goal attainment. Faith can trulyself-image. They can easily be changed (yes I said
move mountains; the mountains of fear, inferiority,'easily'). Any attitude or belief can be changed by using
worry and low self esteem - 'the success killers'!the formula outlined in this article - by combining
Once a goal is firmly fixed in mind and our desire-forceaffirmations with visualization. Henry Ford used it, as did
is hurtling us toward seemingly insurmountableRalph Waldo Emerson and even Arnold Swatzeneger.
obstacles, the firm belief that we can gain aIt is reported in some circles that a similar technique
favourable outcome can spur us on to victory. Whenwas employed by Bill Gates to build his global empire.
the mind has been manipulated to reflect this state,Andrew Carnegie used it exactly as described to
wonderful physical results can ensue, producingattain and give away multi-millions even though he was
symptoms of success in our lives in every areaan unschooled manual worker when he started it.
imaginable.Carnegie's legacy can still be seen today when you
Although many can attest to the power of belief andfreely borrow a book from any Carnegie library of
to the wondrous accomplishments that were achievedwhich there are thousands.
through nothing else except faith, it still remains thatIf you use these six steps there is nothing you cannot
many individuals find it hard to believe that a positiveachieve. Luckily we have the advantage of living in the
outcome will be forthcoming when they are faced withTwentieth Century with all its new technology and
momentous opposition. Whether the opposition isinnovations such as hypnosis and subliminal
mental or physical the fact that nothing seems to beprogramming. Use these steps in conjunction with your
going right and everything seems to be wrong isfavourite personal development system and you are
enough for even the strongest of us to 'throw in theassured success.
towel'.