Perhaps Mark Twain said it best: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did." It isn't the things we did that we most regret; it's the things we didn't do.
To succeed at a high level, you must start expecting more.
Even when you don't get everything you expect, you'll get a whole lot more than if you were expecting nothing at all.
The moment you choose to settle, you guarantee you'll never achieve your real dream. Choose faith over fear.
The bigger you dream, the more opportunity for obstacles, challenges and problems. Choose a mindset that sees these problems as opportunities for growth, and you will eventually walk into your vision.
Decision 3: I choose to be authentic.
Be yourself. Who else can you be? It takes less effort and energy to be yourself, but it also takes courage. Fear that you will not be accepted or approved just as you are can lead you to send your "representative" out into the world. She looks like the real you, but she's not. She's a counterfeit, and whatever success she has built on false pretenses that you must keep up to maintain success.
Decision 4: I choose courage over fear.
Like problems, fear is evitable. But it's not a stop sign. Fear is the most common obstacle to achieving true success and happiness. Fear tempts you to shrink from your authentic desires. It causes you to rationalize yourself out of a great idea. It leads you to pretend you don't really want what you really do want. Refuse to succumb to it. Make a decision that fear won't keep you stuck. Expect to feel fear. And when you feel it, keep moving forward.
Decision 5: I choose relationships wisely and nurture them intentionally.
Success doesn't occur in a vacuum. You need people, and they need you. Those with a strong support system have the resources that open doors of opportunity and empower them to manage any challenge. Don't go it alone.
You need people around you who tell you the truth. Resilient people know this. And even when they don't like what they hear, they listen, process it and ask themselves, 'Is there a grain of truth to this feedback, even if it's negative? Be humble, and use failures and mistakes as learning tools. Put yourself around people who know more than you, and learn all you can from them.
Decision 7: I know my purpose and take daily action in the direction of my vision.
Consistency is key. If you continually take steps in the right direction, you will eventually arrive at your destination.
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by Valorie Burton, who is a best-selling author and founder of the Coaching and Positive Psychology Institute.
