9 min read
4.1 (1,206 ratings)“Your dreams are on the other side of your fears. Are you ready to cross the bridge and claim the life you deserve?”
1: Define Your Passions and Priorities
Living on autopilot can rob us of meaning and fulfillment in life. To thrive, you must take an active role in uncovering your true desires and structuring your life around them.
Begin by assessing where you stand right now. Take a hard look at your strengths, limitations, passions, and values. The Perfect Day Itinerary (PDI) is a powerful exercise to help with this self-assessment. By envisioning your ideal day – one that perfectly balances obligations with aspirations – you can gain clarity about what really matters to you.
Focus on three areas: business, relationships, and health. Once you identify what excites and energizes you, you can set specific goals. Remember, your vision doesn’t have to be perfect or fixed; it’s a living blueprint that evolves with you. Start small by adding a modest step to your schedule, letting momentum guide you toward a more meaningful mission.
Examples
- A teacher reconfigures her schedule to include daily writing time, toward her dream of publishing a novel.
- A busy entrepreneur takes stock and realizes his health needs greater focus, prompting him to set gym appointments.
- A young professional uses the PDI method to align her career pursuits with her passion for sustainability.
2: Own Your Fear, Don’t Let It Own You
Fear often stops us from taking risks, but it doesn’t have to be paralyzing if you tackle it head-on.
One way is by creating a Fear List, which catalogs the situations that frighten you and explores their worst-case scenarios. Writing these down brings clarity to vague fears and prepares you to confront them logically. Another approach is the Fear Sit Down: spend three to five minutes allowing yourself to sit with your biggest worries. As uncomfortable as this might feel, it teaches you that fear diminishes over time, much like waves retreating from the shore.
Train your mind to shift focus from anxiety to positivity. The Joy Conditioner exercise lets you ground yourself in happy memories. Remember, overcoming fear is like building a muscle – it grows each time you face it.
Examples
- An entrepreneur rethinks failure as merely “not trying” and takes bold steps to start her dream business.
- A man afraid of public speaking practices small presentations to gradually chip away at his fear.
- By focusing on the smell of her favorite childhood cookies, a woman calms herself before a challenging interview.
3: Heal Your Inner Child
Many of us unknowingly carry deep wounds from our past, which can cloud our present actions. Addressing and healing those wounds is the only way to break free.
Start by acknowledging the presence of your inner child – the version of “you” that experienced early pains or fears. Recognize how unresolved childhood trauma might be causing self-destructive behaviors. Identifying triggers and origin stories gives you the tools to break negative cycles.
Healing isn’t just about putting on a happy face. You must also confront numbing habits like overeating, overspending, or constant scrolling. Journaling, meditation, and therapy can be helpful allies in processing pain and learning self-compassion.
Examples
- A man who grew up being criticized works with a life coach to repair his self-esteem.
- A woman begins journaling to understand why conflict triggers her, eventually tracking it to childhood family tension.
- Someone replaces late-night ice cream binges with an evening meditation practice to manage emotional stress.
4: Build a Healthy Identity
A strong, positive identity acts as the foundation for personal and professional growth. Make it a priority to actively define and refine who you are.
Review how much of your current identity comes from external factors. If society or others’ expectations heavily influence you, it’s time to embrace identity crafting. Rate your happiness in key areas and work to align your actions with your chosen path. Successful people are constantly experimenting with their roles, fine-tuning different areas of their lives to find what fits.
To maintain this healthy sense of self, write a Meaningful Mission manifesto – a declaration of who you are and how you will contribute to the world. Let it guide your actions and remind you of your highest aspirations.
Examples
- A woman quits a lucrative job to follow her dream of helping underserved communities.
- An artist fine-tunes her studio schedule to prioritize fulfilling commissions over draining projects.
- A man invests in learning a new skill that aligns with his long-term vision for success.
5: Overcome Chaos with Simplicity
Too many goals can overwhelm us. Simplify your life by focusing on what’s most important, using a clear system like the Greatness Performance System (GPS).
The GPS method emphasizes three areas: business, relationships, and wellness. Set three goals for each category, then zero in on one top priority for each. The key questions to ask are: What do I want? Why do I want it? What’s the very next step? Breaking goals into bite-sized actions reduces stress and boosts productivity.
Simplicity also requires energy management. Stay fueled through sleep, exercise, and even cold showers. Regularly revisiting your GPS helps you adjust priorities and stay on course for long-term success.
Examples
- A former athlete transitions to business by using GPS to map his next steps.
- A group of friends holds each other accountable for meeting their top wellness goals.
- A freelance writer ditches unnecessary projects and clarifies her core objectives for the year.
6: Redefine Failure
Successful people like Spanx founder Sara Blakely don’t fear failure; they redefine it. Instead of seeing failure as a sign to quit, they view it as the result of not trying.
Shifting your mindset can be transformational. Instead of obsessing over mistakes, extract lessons from them. Giving yourself permission to fail allows you to pursue bold goals without crippling self-doubt.
Ask yourself what’s worse: falling short or staying stuck? When failure feels less like a dead end and more like part of the journey, you unlock the courage to keep moving forward.
Examples
- An aspiring artist submits her work to five competitions after telling herself failure is only not entering.
- A business student learns from a failed startup and uses those experiences to launch a successful one.
- A first-time marathon runner doesn’t finish but gains momentum to tackle future races.
7: Learn to Say No
You can protect your time by improving how you prioritize tasks, but saying "no" is equally important.
Evaluate opportunities against your mission. If something doesn’t align, politely decline. Each time you turn down distractions, you reclaim energy that can go toward meaningful pursuits.
Learning this skill empowers you to build the life you want, rather than spending precious time meeting others’ expectations.
Examples
- A professional chooses not to take on freelance projects that conflict with family time.
- A teenager declines a late-night event to focus on preparing for a scholarship interview.
- A CEO opts out of a networking event to stay aligned with her wellness goals.
8: Celebrate Small Wins
Happiness is found not just in the destination but in appreciating the milestones along the journey.
No achievement is too small to acknowledge. Celebrating progress boosts motivation and positive feelings, encouraging you to keep pushing forward.
Whether it’s completing a tough workout or nailing a presentation, take a moment to reward yourself.
Examples
- A runner treats herself to a smoothie after hitting a new personal best.
- A man emails a mentor to share his excitement about a job offer.
- A student dances to her favorite song after submitting a big project.
9: Accountability Creates Progress
Accountability is the glue that keeps your goals intact. Share your plans with a partner, mentor, or group to increase your odds of success.
Choose an accountability partner carefully – someone supportive but genuinely invested in your growth. A good partnership keeps you motivated during difficult stretches and helps you stay consistent.
When goals are shared, they feel more real, forging trust and mutual encouragement.
Examples
- A group of writers meets weekly to review each other’s progress on book drafts.
- A fitness coach checks in with clients regularly to prevent them from falling off track.
- A family holds monthly budget meetings to stay committed to financial goals.
Takeaways
- Identify your main priorities by focusing on actions that energize and excite you.
- Change your mindset about fear and failure by actively facing your worries and reframing mistakes as learning opportunities.
- Regularly check in with yourself, using tools like the Greatness Performance System to correct your course and stay true to your mission.