“The most pathetic person in the world is a person who has their sight but no vision.” Helen Keller.

The first step toward success is always simple. It may not be easy – there is a difference, of course; but it is simple. You have to know where you want to go.

Success requires a map, a vision of your ideal … life, weight, relationship, job or vacation. If you want to succeed, you must first figure out where you are going. You will never arrive at your destination, your destiny, if you never decide where you want to go.

The first step, then, is to dream. Ask yourself, “What do I want? Where do I want to go? How do I want my life to change? Why is this important to me?”
If anything is possible – and it is when you’re dreaming! – what do you want?

Ask yourself, “How will I feel when this happens?” Use your imagination to feel the emotion, hear the sounds, and see the effects of your success. The more detail you add to your vision, the more ‘real’ it will appear to your subconscious.

You are the only one who can create the itinerary for your life. Your subconscious has no ability to decide if the desire you ‘see’ is real or pretend, so dream big. The Universe is always ready to support your vision, any idea that you deem to be important. Without a plan, goal or vision, success has nothing to work toward.

At this first step toward success, don’t accept any limits. In reality, the only limits in your life are the ones you set for yourself. Do not allow your self-doubt to cloud your vision.

As you dream, add visual aids to your itinerary. Like travel brochures that entice you to visit their featured destination, you can design your own brochure. Cut out pictures of your perfect home, car, body, vacation, office or trip. Put those pictures on your refrigerator, your bathroom mirror, the wall in your office … anywhere that you will see them often.

To illustrate, think about your next vacation. Will you go anywhere if you have not decided where to go, when to go, how to go or who will go with you? Once you have made those decisions – set the vision – don’t you then tell everyone, “I’m going to … next summer”?
The choices have been made. Even if you haven’t booked the flights or hotel yet, you think of the trip as if it is a reality. The more you think about it, the more real it becomes. You begin thinking about the places you’ll dine, the things you’ll see, the sound of the waves on the shore or the wind in the pines.

Success in any other venue works the same way. Create the vision. Focus your mental energies on the destination you desire. Imagine the results in great detail as if it is reality.

For this first step toward success, don’t worry about the how. That comes later. Dreams do not enter your consciousness unless Spirit is ready to help you accomplish them. Stay focused on the vision until it become ‘real’ on the inside of you. As it does, your plan of action will unfold. And that will lead you to step two.

Author's Bio: 

For more inspiration on building life skills, developing better relationships, and becoming the best YOU possible, check out www.seebecksolutions.com and sign up for your FREE five-part series, “What Matters Most: Five Keys to Living God’s Life of Blessing & Abundance”. You’ll also receive a complimentary subscription to “Solutions For Success”, a weekly ezine of short lessons and stories to help you along life's journey.

Ruth Seebeck is an online and offline business woman who has built a reputation over three decades as a life-skills coach, mentor, Christian counselor, author, speaker and friend.