Sad, isn't it?
I mean, you're constantly frustrated with your life. You want to pursue your dreams and live a successful life, but you just can't seem to do it.
Everyone around you seems content with their lives. They seem to have achieved their dreams. Even those who are in the midst of hardship seem to be living their dreams.
And you can't help thinking ... why not me?
And it's a good question.
After all, they're not healthier than you. They're not smarter than you. They're not more interesting than you. But for some reason, they seem to have achieved their dreams without struggle. And you start to wonder...
What's their secret?
In fact, I wondered that too. I've been there, and well ... it's depressing. So, I started doing research on what successful people do differently to fulfill their dreams. And I discovered that those who succeeded had certain characteristics in common. And knowing the truth about these traits they cultivated will change everything for you too.
Use the following five tricks to help you succeed in fulfilling your dreams:
1. Cultivate a growth mindset
People can have two mindsets -- the fixed mindset and the growth mindset.
The fixed-mindset person believes leaders are born. This type of mindset person avoids taking risks because they believe their destiny is already mapped out for them.
The growth-mindset person believes you can achieve your dreams through practice, persistence, and perseverance.
The growth mindset only comes to those who accept it. After accepting a growth mindset, your brain can stretch. And because the brain is like a rubber band, it stretches depending on how much you use it.
With that mindset, you'll develop your strengths toward your dreams because you'll understand it's not through birth that dreams are achieved but rather through pursuing your dreams with maximum effort.
2. Cultivate confidence in your dream
Trust in your ability to fulfill your dream. Get out of your comfort zone. Take risks, and follow your passion day in and day out.
Your dream is a reflection of you, and only you can fulfill it. Without taking the plunge to pursue your dream, you'll stay in the same position, always wishing you had found the courage to pursue it.
Make your dream your top priority. Create a schedule that makes it part of your daily habits. By making it a consistent daily habit, you'll prevent your fears from sabotaging your progress.
Prove to yourself that you're worth giving that dream a shot. Stick to it, not just for weeks or months but for many years to come. Work hard to make the dream a reality.
The more you believe your dream will come true, the more likely you are to achieve it. According to University of Wisconsin neuroscientist, Richard Davidson, the anticipation of achieving your goals makes you work harder toward them.
Believe in your dream, and you will achieve it.
3. Cultivate delayed gratification
Let your dream be your top priority every day. Commit never to postpone working on your dream even when you don't see results right away or when the urge to quit gets overwhelming.
Let the top performers in every field motivate you; they are consistent, and they show up and deliver while everyone else is weighed down by life and that constant battle with procrastination.
Be like those kids who waited for fifteen minutes to eat their marshmallow because they wanted an extra marshmallow. By the way, those kids who waited grew up with better social skills and were more successful according to a follow-up study.
Choose the pain of discipline, and work on your dream every day, no matter how hard things get. You may not see results immediately, but the gratification you feel when all of your efforts finally come to fruition will be worth the wait.
4. Cultivate Healthy Relationships
Human beings are created to be social. Relationships influence our mental health and provide a deep meaning and fulfillment in life. To succeed in life, make healthy relationships your top priority because you need other people to thrive to accomplish your dreams.
A study conducted by Psychiatric George Vaillant on 268 Harvard undergraduate males from the class of 1938 to 1940 concluded that success depended on how well they related to other people and not how much money they had.
So surround yourself with happy people because they'll make you happy too. Refrain from toxic people, those who continuously undermine your dreams. Their negativity will eventually make you doubt your dreams too. Find people who help you believe in yourself and your goals.
5. Cultivate Gratitude
Gratitude strengthens your will power. It keeps you focused on what's working well, which allows you to take actions confidently without letting your fears get in the way.
Gratitude is available to all people. Whether you are sick or well, young or old, as long as you had a meal today, and your heart is beating, you've got something to be grateful for.
People who always feel grateful are the most successful people in life. They view the world as a place full of opportunities, despite their circumstances.
Choose to be grateful no matter your situation. And count the opportunity to pursue your dream as a blessing.
Prove to yourself that you can do it.
You can do so by staying focused on your dream.
Slowly and steadily, keep cultivating a growth mindset, confidence in your dream, delayed gratification, healthy relationships, and being grateful.
Because there is no such thing as being born with success; it's all about grit and sticking with it.
And if you do, you'll experience firsthand the beauty of achieving your dream.
You deserve to succeed.
So start taking action today.
Ann Davis is on a mission to help people succeed at fulfilling their dreams. Click over to get the free cheat-sheet 11 Short Questions to help you identify your talent and make money using it.