Have you ever found yourself thinking any of the following: 'I'm not sure I can do this. I'm putting a lot in and not getting much out. Who's to say I'll succeed. After all, most online businesses fail. But I'm a determined person, so I'll press on with what I've been doing and maybe I'll be one of the lucky ones. Mind you there is so much competition. If I don't give it a shot, I'll never know'.

I would like to act as a frank, plain~speaking good friend. My aim is to help you clarify your thinking. This is an essential step, I assure you, that can not only be a new springboard for your online home business but also can save you a lot of soul~searching anguish later.

Having a vision of where you want to go and what you want to achieve will play a crucial part in keeping you focussed.

Jonathan Swift said, 'Vision is the art of seeing things invisible to others'.

Your vision would perhaps be to have time with your family, may be more than one home, several holidays a year, to play golf regularly and not be at the beck and call of a 'boss'. Vision is being able to see the kind of lifestyle that you are prepared to commit work to in order to achieve. Your vision is delivered by achieving your goal which might be creating a highly profitable online business.

Albert Einstein said 'Imagination is more important than knowledge'.

Imagine driving the car of your dreams, travelling to exotic places, owning a boat or achieving whatever it is that excites you. Get some pictures stuck up around where you live. Get some holiday brochures, real estate details, go test~drive that dream car. Get excited about the kind of life you would like to lead.

So success begins in the mind.

Henry Ford said 'If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right'.

Our thoughts determine the quality of our lives. The mind is always the battleground. It's where we discuss with ourselves the pro's and con's of various situations and ideas. Our emotions and will play a big part too. Doubts, fears and problems can often loom bigger than the advantages. We seek information to help us come to the right decisions.

The kind of people we are will determine how our mind processes all these thoughts directing us towards a decision. The decisions we come to direct us towards our destiny.

We are what we think about. You are now the kind of person you are because of what you have thought about over the years. You have got into a routine of thinking. So, how do you tackle situations? How do you think? How do you arrive at decisions?

Let's answer a mini questionnaire. Your honest answers to the following questions will help you decide what action you need to take.

1. Are you an optimist?

2. Do you see problems as challenges?

3. Do you face your fears?

4. Do you like your own company?

5. Are you glad to be alive?

The answers to the above questions are indicators of your attitudes. Right attitudes are essential for success. They are an aspect of how your thinking responds to situations, opportunities and challenges.

If you respond positively to the above questions, then you display strong personality attitudes as a potentially successful business owner. If there were some 'no's in your answers, then I would strongly recommend reading some books that will help your development.

Dr. Joyce Brothers said 'Success is a state of mind'.

If success is a state of mind then we need to re~program our mind accordingly. There are a couple of aspects to this. Re~programming our attitudes and Jeff Keller has written an excellent book to help you called 'Attitude is Everything'. The second re~programming involves the words we use.

Words are powerful. They are literally life or death.

Don Gossett's book 'What you Say is What You Get' provides excellent direction. Listen carefully to the way you speak and the content of what you say. A keen listening ear will quickly see ways to improve.

Plutarch, the Greek historian, biographer and essayist who lived in the first century BC said 'In words are seen the state of mind, character and disposition of the speaker'. 2000 years later his words still ring true.

So, what does all this mean?

1. Have a vision. Set your goals. Write them down.

2. Extract what you need from the recommended instructive books.

Then at the start of every day, and during every day, for the next 30 daysand regularly thereafter, without fail:

3. Look at your vision. Imagine the results of achieving your goals.

4. Practise your new attitudes. Practise the new way you say things and how you say them.

Create New Habits. The upshot? You have the mindset of a winner and your success starts here.