Every action has a reaction, or in other words; everything you do has a result. This result can be positive or negative; success or failure. Being successful simply means that you get the results that you want.

Below you will find 8 rules to be successful in your actions

Do not procrastinate.

A lot of times we wait for the right moment to do something, but if you do that, you might be waiting the rest of your life. So overcome your procrastination and take the first step now! Get yourself into action, even if it is with a small step.

Be Independent

Do not depend on other people or anything else for your success. You are the one that can make things happen. You can make sure that you get the results that you want.

There are 2 types of people in life:

1. People who make things happen
2. People who wait for things to happen

Make sure you are the one that make things happen, don’t depend on someone else to do it for you, or you might be waiting for the rest of your life.

Don’t be afraid to fail

A lot of people are afraid to fail. And the fear to fail is holding them back to try new things. It’s better to try and fail than to have never tried at all. Failure is such a negative word, but all it means is that the outcome was not the one you wanted. If you fail, don’t give up. It is simply a lesson that what you tried didn’t work. Learn from your mistakes and try something else.

Know your potential

Know your full potential and the value of your talents. Most of the times you are capable of much more than you think. Not only that, you are probably worth more than you think. You are a special person with great capacity and ability. So don’t sell yourself cheap!

Be goal orientated

Without a goal you go nowhere, so it is important to set yourself goals. Make sure they are realistic. After you have determined what your goals are, write down what needs to be done in order to reach those goals.

Make a plan

Make a plan about how you are going to reach that goal. Write down every action and step that needs to be done. Prioritize; what needs to be done first goes on the top of your list of actions. Make a time frame for every step, this way you ensure that you stay on schedule for reaching your goals. Stick to your plan!

Believe in yourself

One of the most important things in life is believing in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? Expect to get the best out of life instead of fearing to fail. Visualize your goals or dreams; believe that it is within your reach. Visualize the smell, the taste, the sound and the feeling of your success. See yourself being successful in your goals and dreams. According to the laws of attraction you attract whatever you put your attention to. So if you believe you can be successful, you will.

Never give up!

Winners never quit and quitters never win! Don’t give up on your dreams. If you quit you are basically saying that you don’t believe in yourself. Do whatever it takes to make your dreams come true!

Are you like me and like to put things of until the last moment? The longer you wait to do your tasks, the more it will look like it is a big mountain you have to climb. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The following steps have helped me to overcome my procrastination and I hope it will help you too.

Write down the tasks

The first you have to do is write down the tasks you have to do. And for each task write down by what time or date they need to be done. The things that have a high priority go to the top of your list. By writing down the tasks you get a clear overview of what needs to be done. The list may seem long, but by breaking the big mountain down into different stages (tasks), you will see that it is easier to reach the top. Personally I make a new list every day. At the end of the day everything on that list needs to be crossed off. If I haven’t done it that day it will go on top of the list for the day after.

Give yourself a reward

Giving your self a reward is a great incentive to get things done. As a little kid I got a sticker in my notebook after I completed an assignment in school and I was so proud of myself. Think about what makes you happy, what you like and reward yourself with it after you have completed your task. This can be as simple as watching your favorite program on TV after you have done all your house chores, or go out for dinner after you have finished doing all the (almost) never-ending paperwork. If you have something to look forward to it can work very motivational to get things done. If you don’t complete that task, you miss out on your reward!

Think about the consequences

Giving yourself a reward after you complete a task can be very motivational. But fear is another motivator when it comes down to get your self moving in the right direction. Think about what happens if you do not complete your task in time. What are the consequences? A lot of times the consequences are not very good, so get your self in action!

Start with the things you don’t like

I always start with the tasks I don’t like and save the best or easiest tasks to do last. This way the worst tasks are done early and I don’t have to dread them till the end of the day. Get those dreadful tasks over and done with early and you can cruise the rest of the day!

Break the task down

If you have to do a task that will take you hours or longer, break the task down. For example; you need to clean that mansion you are living in. Instead of doing this all day or all weekend, break it down into one room of the house each day (2 or more rooms if you indeed live in a mansion). At the end of the week you have cleaned everything and it only cost you a small amount of time each day.

Delegate the tasks

I’m a bit of a perfectionist at times and this way I’m making things difficult for myself. A lot of times I want to do everything myself because I know for sure that things get done properly. But you need to start asking yourself; “What needs to be done that only I can do?” So if you are a bit of a control freak like me, it’s time to let go and trust other people. If there are tasks that someone else can do, delegate them! If you delegate a task to someone else it will free up some time for you to do other tasks.

Don’t let the pressure build up

The longer you wait to do a task, the more pressure it will put on your shoulders. So overcome your procrastination. You know that you will feel so much better when you have completed all your tasks or have climbed that big mountain! It feels good to be on top of things instead of dreading the fact that you still have so much to do.

Set yourself goals, complete the steps to accomplish your goals and start living your dreams. Don’t wait another minute!

In my previous article you could read what meditation really is. In this article I will talk a bit more about why meditation can be helpful to you.

Thanks to thousands of scientific studies that have confirmed the benefits, meditation is now widely accepted. People meditate for many different reasons. You can meditate to heal an illness, to relax, to clear your mind, to help you make a decision, to get inspiration, better concentration, etc. Although meditation can be very good for you, it is not a cure for everything. When you start with meditation, do not expect results overnight. It takes effort and time and might not give you perfect results.

Relaxation

A lot of people lead a hectic life or are under a lot of stress. They have difficulty to relax. When you meditate you learn to relax your body quickly and to stop thinking actively. You can quickly and consciously relax whenever you want and wherever you want.

A clear mind

When we feel stressed our thoughts are usually all over the place. We try to think and do a lot of things at the same time. Because we do not pay 100% attention to the things we do, we usually do not do it so well. When you meditate you learn to focus on one thing at a time and without being distracted by other things. You will notice that things will become clearer to you and that you are able to do your tasks better.

Self Awareness

A lot of times we do things that we are not even aware of. For example you eat a whole pack of biscuits without realising it until you finished it. Or you are lighting one cigarette after another and you are surprised to find out you smoked the whole the packet. You are not consciously sensing what you are doing or have no idea why you are doing it. Meditation brings you back to basics and can put you in touch again with your feelings and sensations.

When you meditate feelings can come to the surface. You might find out that you still feel hurt over something that happened, that you are upset, sad, etc. It is a little bit like therapy; meditation can help you acknowledge the problem and help you clear it.

Better Performance

More and more people meditate to improve their performances. Through meditation they learn to pace themselves and use the right amount of energy at the right time. It can give them the edge they need for certain tasks. For example athletes, musicians, etc. Maybe you have to give a speech in public and you already get the sweats just thinking about it. A lot of people achieve their best performances through meditation.

Finding answers

We usually think in words, but when we meditate the words seem to fade away. Instead of blocking images and feelings we become more receptive to them. We start to see connections and solutions become clear to us. Instead of being right in the middle of a problem, you are taking a step back and watch it. You will be amazed how many times the right answer will simply pop up when your mind is clear. When you meditate you learn to tap into your inner wisdom.

More quality of life

“Money can not buy you happiness.” Money does not decide the quality of your life. Maybe someone who has no money to spend has more quality of life than a multi-millionaire. If you can enjoy the breeze in your face while you sit outside your caravan and love the taste of a cheese sandwich, you have a better quality of life than the multi-millionaire who complains about the food and service while seated at the most expensive restaurant. When you meditate you get in touch with your senses. We get more pleasure out of the small things in life. We do not just blindly consume everything, but truly enjoy it.

Good health

Meditation can help you improve your health, or if you are sick it can help you get better. The reason why so many doctors prescribe ‘rest’ is because our body repairs itself when it is relaxed or asleep. When we are stressed or tensed we shut our immune system off and suppress the self healing mechanism. When we meditate it helps speeding up the recovery of your illness.

When you meditate your body is more relaxed and you will have less pain, you will sleep better, have more energy, breathe better, your blood pressure is normal, you have less anxiety, you are mentally clearer and relaxed, and you will start to enjoy life more. For whatever reason you want to meditate, it will benefit your life in many ways.