People say there is no such thing as instant success, but I say that there is. Success is a way of thinking. Success has to do with how you feel. You may have a lot of money, but if your thoughts and emotions have you in a terrible state, then you really aren't successful. Why do people achieve goals? Why do entrepreneurs start businesses? They do it because they believe it will make them feel a certain way. They will feel accomplished, victorious, joyful, or free.

Success is in the mind. People tell themselves that they will feel successful when they get the money, obtain the right job, find their perfect mate, or lose the weight. Success is a someday thing in this context. Someday never comes.

Success is a gift you give to yourself. It is a way of thinking. Success thinking creates the emotions of success including joy, peace, personal pride, self respect, freedom, and gratitude.

If you do not see or feel yourself as successful right now, you are but a thought away from it. Success is one thought away from where you are right now. The distance between your current thoughts and success thoughts may seem overwhelming. This is due to your physiology. You see, constant repetition of negative thoughts (blaming, complaining, victimized, anger, etc.) trains your body to react in certain ways. Physiologically, you are wired to feel the way that you do. Constant practice of negativity and doubt build those emotions into your body. Your physiological responses can be changed.

Since we are often battling physiology when we attempt to make changes, it is the body we must employ as our change agent. Here are some steps you can use to create success:

1. First, there must be an intention to succeed. Failure and giving up have payoffs we must be willing to give up. We must be willing to take responsibility for our own lives. When we intend to create success we recognize that our success, past, present, or future, is not up to anyone else. No one can stop you from being successful.

2. Following up on your intention, there must be a decision you make to succeed. You make this decision every day. Every time you experience disappointment or setbacks, you decide again to succeed.

3. You must envision success. It is important to write out a vision that includes what your life would look like. More importantly, you need a vision that articulates what kind of person you want to be. Words like confident, loving, compassionate, forgiving, helpful, competent, joyful, tenacious, graceful, grateful and others come to mind. In this vision of your success, who are you being?

4. Focus on the feelings that you believe are part of being successful. If you were successful right now---if you felt totally successful right now--how would you be sitting in your chair? What would your posture be like? How would you carry yourself? Get up out of your seat and walk across the room. How would you walk? Go greet someone or talk to someone on the telephone. How would you greet and talk to someone if you were successful?

5. Consciously bring the feelings and thoughts of success into every part of your body in each of the parts of your life. In other words, you are not looking for success--you are being success.

Some may say that that's nice, but it is play acting. It is like living in a dream world. This is true. You are acting and it is living in your dream world. Success comes from the inside out. In order to create your successful world you must first live in it in your mind.

So, if you want a promotion, how would you walk and talk if you were already in that position? How would you deal with people? How would you approach your work? If you were a great leader with big responsibility and compensation to match, would you be tracking how many hours you work each week? Would you be gossiping about your coworker? Or, would you be fully engaged in the moment, making decisions that benefit the highest good for the organization? Would you be complaining about how unfair certain people or situations are, or would you be envisioning positive situations and taking constructive steps to create them?

Someone said to me: "I can play at being successful but I'm really not. I still don't have the money I need. I still don't have the influence I need. I don't have time for games like these." This reaction is common and understandable. My first question is: "How much money, influence and love have you gained by worry or by feeling sorry for yourself?" Generally speaking, other people are not going to help you be successful because they feel sorry for you. People gravitate toward success. Whether you want others to buy from you, vote for you, listen to you, or join with you, they are going to be more interested if you are successful. If you see yourself and feel yourself as successful, others will agree with you. Motivational writers and speakers call it: "Fake it until you make it."

Personally I don't think we are faking it at all. That confident and joyful person we envision is who we really are. As we set aside the negative thoughts and emotions of blaming, complaining, resentment, and general unforgiveness we expose who we really are. You are already a success. If you can imagine it and feel it, you can be it.

Give yourself the gift of instant success right now. Sit, stand or somehow begin moving as if you are already successful. Practice will build the positive emotions of success into your physiology. Your body will become wired for success. It will truly be the servant of a success oriented mind. As you move forward in confidence your outer conditions will begin to change to reflect your inner success.

Copyright (c) 2006 William Frank Diedrich