Original post:
Achieving Success
Have you noticed that people that constantly complain about the status of their lives are in the positions that they're in due to their outlook? Instead of focusing on how they can improve their lot, they complain about how they feel shortchanged and cheated out of life. They dwell on this belief and "accept their fate". What's worse is that, in addition to keeping themselves down, they also have the habit of dragging down anyone else who's unfortunate enough to associate with them.
The converse is also true. Most people that have become immensely successful, especially those that have raised themselves up from very humble beginnings, have one thing in common- they believed in the power of positive thinking (and hence, in themselves). They don't sweat the small stuff, and they believed in applying themselves to their goals.
Have you also noticed that people of similar attitudes often associate in groups? That's not an accident- it's because like attracts like. If you hang out with people that are constantly down on themselves, it'll eventually rub off on you. The same also works in reverse- successful people tend to assocciate with other successful people. If you've ever been to a business conference or success seminar, you'll notice that the most successful people usually seem to have a magnetism about them. These people aren't necessarily special in any physical way, nor are they always the most "intelligent". It's their mindset and attitute that gives them that charisma. I must point out that "success" doesn't always mean material worth.
Truly successful people may have that, but they also have the love and respect of their fellow man.
If you want to be successful, the first thing that you'll have to do is to adapt a successful mindset. This means that you'll TRULY have to believe in your ability to achieve your goals. Negative thoughts will only get in the way of your goals, so you'll have to teach yourself to avoid them. A good exercise for that is when you start to start to feel some doubt about your abilities, pust that doubt from your mind and meditate on your goal instead.
IMPORTANT- Thinking positively doesn't mean pretending that bad things don't happen and that obstacles don't exist. It's how you deal with them that count.
Don't be afraid of initial failures or setbacks! Look upon them as learning experiencs. For inspiration, here's one of my favorite quotes from Thomas Alva Edison on his most famous invention- the light bulb:
"The electric light has caused me the greatest amount of study and has required the most elaborate experiments. Although I was never myself discouraged or hopeless of its success, I can not say the same for my associates. Through all of the years of experimenting with it, I never once made an associated discovery. It was deductive. The results I achieved were the consequence of invention - pure and simple. I would construct and work along various lines until I found them untenable. When one theory was discarded, I developed another at once. I realized very early that this was the only possible way for me to work out all the problems."
Consider how much longer the world would have been "in the dark" had Edison decided to give up on the light bulb after only a few tries.
This brings me to another important exercise in achieving success and adopting a positive mindset- writing down your goals. However outrageous they may seem to you at first, write your goals down. It's been my experience that if you focus on achieving your goals, the necessary details needed to accomplish them will eventually fall into place.
In addition to writing down your goals and plans, it would be a good idea to write down or link to material that motivates you- be it famous quotes, motivational passages, or even inspirational images. Whenever you feel that you need a little boost, refer to these materials.
I'm going to continue to add to
this thread as often as I can. If you would like to add your own inspirational experiences or thoughts to this thread, it would be most appreciated!
Achieving Success 
