---

There is an element that truly separates the successful from the unsuccessful. It differentiates those who dream their lives away from those who live their dreams. For years authors have been writing about it, but few people put it into practice. What is it?

It’s how you think.

What you do IS important. But how you think drives what you do. Napoleon Hill said it best in “Think and Grow Rich” -- “Success comes to those who become success conscious.”

I once had the opportunity to talk with one of the nation’s top loan officers. It struck me that although he was extremely busy; he was making time in the midst of a refi market to take a long vacation and make two trips for seminars – one in the mortgage industry and one success oriented. I reflected that it was no wonder he was a huge success as an originator.

How success conscious are you? If you knew it meant the difference between success and failure, how success conscious would you become?

Here are some tips to help take you to the top, from the inside out:

FOCUS REGULARLY ON A CLEARLY DEFINED DREAM – Success doesn’t just happen. If indeed your thoughts have power, directing them towards what you want is critical to creating it. What’s your dream? Where do you want to be in a year?

If you don’t have this question answered fully, you are not yet success conscious. There’s an easy remedy – dream. And spend at least 10 minutes a day reviewing that dream. It doesn’t have to be time you take away from other things – but while driving to the office or showering, think about where it is you really want to be.

THINK OF YOURSELF AS ALREADY POSSESSING IT – The advice: “fake it till you make it” has merit. If it is your goal to be a mortgage superstar, it is critical to think as if you are already there. It will help you to make superstar decisions, clarify your goals, and handle yourself as if you were already that successful.

FEED THE DREAM NOT THE NIGHTMARE – So many people profess to want to succeed, yet sabotage themselves with negative thoughts, people and habits. Another great quote from Napoleon Hill’s classic book, “Both success and failure are largely the result of HABIT!” Surrounding yourself with like-minded people, books, tapes, etc will feed your success and support you in changing your habits.

And be careful of your self-talk. The way you talk to yourself is a self-fulfilling prophecy. As you go through these busy days, do you tell yourself, “I am SO disorganized, and pulled SO many ways, I will NEVER be able to finish all that I need to do this week!”

OR, do you tell yourself, “Yes, I am very busy, but I will focus clearly on one thing at a time. I will list my priorities, and I will find time today to do all that is essential. Each person, no matter how successful, has the same number of hours in every day. I will discover ways to run my business more efficiently and productively. I am grateful for the busy-ness for that means my business is becoming more successful every day.”

DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO ON THE OUTSIDE – There is much written, here and elsewhere on what to do to become successful. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Simply begin to do what you already know to do – what others in your profession have done and are still doing that they attribute to their booming businesses.

CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESSES – Take time to really let in and enjoy the achievement of your goals along the way. This accomplishes two very important things that will create future success: first, it gives your subconscious mind the message that you ARE in control of your destiny and you DO choose that future to be a successful one, and second, when you make time to enjoy the journey, to celebrate and have fun, both at the end of a milestone and all along the way, you will bring even more success and fun into your life.

And really, isn’t it just as much about enjoying the journey as enjoying the destination?

© 2008 by In Touch Today Corporation and its licensors. This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.

In Touch Today is a marketing company based in Denver Colorado that assists professionals in increasing their repeat and referral business as well as building professional referral sources and prospecting new clients. www.intouchtoday.com