Is there one thing that distinguishes highly successful leaders from those that struggle to get what they want? If you'd like to learn how to tap into that One Thing - keep reading. 

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How would you respond if someone asked you if you were successful? What would you say if you were asked to describe the secrets to your success?

Perhaps you are happy with your personal results in some areas, but not in others. Maybe excuses come to mind or you remember the joy you felt when you celebrated your last major accomplishment.

Is there one thing that distinguishes highly successful people from those who struggle to reach their goals? The answer is yes! It is BELIEF.

Belief in yourself is the #1 driver of your professional, spiritual, personal, and financial attainment. We all feel fear, but people that consistently achieve their goals feel the fear and do it anyway. Highly successful people get past their fear because they believe in themselves. They keep going when most people give up. They know in their heart that they can and will achieve their goals.

Belief in yourself is not wishful thinking. It goes beyond reciting positive affirmations; it is a deep knowing that you can do what you set out to do. Remember a moment in your life when you did something that people said could not be done. You were able to do it because you believed that you could.

Follow these steps to help you experience greater success and fullfillment:

Step 1: Examine your belief system. Use the empowering questions below to increase your awareness of your beliefs. If you do this, you will begin to uncover your limiting beliefs - those beliefs that keep you from achieving your dreams.

Step2: Write down your personal definition of success. Don’t fall into the trap of buying into someone else’s dream. Only you can know what success looks like for you. Ask yourself what you want your life to be like in one year? Three years? Ten years? Imagine your dreams in vivid detail and write them down.

Step 3: Think BIG! If you feel fear because you think your goals are too outrageous, ask yourself Why not me? Highly successful people are no smarter or luckier than you are – you can do it too!

Step 4: Do not buy into self-doubt! When that little voice inside of you starts planting seeds of fear and disbelief, acknowledge it but do not believe it. If you start to doubt yourself, examine and adjust your thinking to stay on track.

Ask yourself these empowering questions:

-What am I doing to create my current results? Remember you can’t fight the natural laws of the universe – Like Attracts Like! Negative thoughts and energy attract more negative thoughts and energy. Positive thoughts and energy attract just that – more positive thoughts, positive energy and positive results!

-Do my goals support my definition of success or am I buying into someone else's dream? It is so easy to fall into this trap. I fell for this early in my career. I did learn a lot, but when I achieved the notoriety, position and big perks and salary, it felt empty. It felt empty because it wasn’t my dream. Are your goals and actions aligned with your personal definition of success?

-Am I being too hard on myself? Chances are you are being harder on yourself than anyone else would ever be. Mistakes are part of the journey and are opportunities to discover what works and what doesn’t. Highly successful people get extraordinary results because they make more mistakes than the average person. BUT, they learn from those mistakes and make the necessary adjustments to get what they want.

-Are you consistently rewarding yourself for your accomplishments? This is important! If you do this you are strengthening the neural pathways that help you build empowering long term habits. If you just check off your TO DO List and jump to the next project or task, YOU ARE SHORT CHANGING YOURSELF. Do something special for you! Celebrate your successes with the people that matter most to you.