“Every single life only becomes great when the individual sets upon a goal or goals which they really believe in, which they can really commit themselves to, which they can put their whole heart and soul into”. - Brian Tracy

Within each and every one of us, we want to be great. Unfortunately 95% of those who desire greatness are just wandering around thinking they are going somewhere. “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score” - Bill Copeland. That is exactly what I mean; your brilliance cannot earn you success in an examination without written the answers down. What is the only thing you would do if you know you will not fail? then go ahead and do it. Whatever you believe in, find a way to start doing it, you either become great doing it or it will lead you to where you will become great. “All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.” Says Orison Swett Marden.

We have heard it times without number that, those who set goals achieve more than those who do not, while those who sets goals and write it down achieve much more than those who set goals but failed to write it down. Writing your goals down and where you will always see it and read it to yourself is a sign of commitment. It differentiates between those who actually have a dream of achieving something specific and those who only wish to. In a nutshell “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” - Earl Nightingale.

Life is only meaningful when you set out to achieve something that is dear to your heart. The more goals you commit yourself to achieve, the more you will discover many meaningful things and many things you consider meaningful that is meaningless. That is wisdom. And we all need it to become great. However, “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” - Pablo Picasso.

If only I have the required capital, if only I have B.sc, if only I have the right connection, if only my parents are rich…….all are alibis. The resources needed to achieve the dream at hand is with you at every point in time, look inward, meditate, ask yourself what is the way out, what is the next alternative. Believe me, there is always a better alternative. “You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again” says Benjamin Franklin

Those who believe opportunity come but once may be right, we have countless number of people who remain the same today as they are years back just because they always postpone till next day what they need to do today. If you doubt that, you may like to meditate on what Abraham Lincoln  have to say on this, “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” Don’t be among the people who always eat the leftover, double your action; stop putting till tomorrow what you should do today.

Discouraging yourself from pursuing your dreams because you lack what you think is the most important thing is a waste of time and energy. The most important resource needed is you; so start the work now. A journey of a thousand miles, they say, start with a single step. According to Norman Vincent Peale “The really happy people are those who have broken the chains of procrastination, those who find satisfaction in doing the job at hand. They’re full of eagerness, zest, productivity. You can be, too.”

"Your dream determines your goals, your goals map out your actions, your actions create results, and the results bring you success’’ – John c. Maxwell

Just like mathematics and other calculating subjects, success has it formula. Briefly, success is an expression of what is so much important to you, something you are ready to live for. If you can clearly figure out what you are struggling to achieve, you are one step ahead towards achieving. Winston Churchill declared; "Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." That is one good signal you are moving towards a successful achievement.

An achievement is starting with a dream, a dream big enough to dominate almost every aspect of your life. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams: says Eleanor Roosevelt. Setting goals is another step towards success backed by plans that require actions to generate a rewarding result. Listen to what LL Cool J have to say on this; “Stay focused, go after your dreams and keep moving toward your goals.” This is supported by Donovan Bailey advice “Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don't let anyone limit your dreams.”

There are many times failure to us is an enemy of success, if you are among this category, before you argue further, listen to Thomas J. Watson "Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that's where you will find success."

Money is a good errand officer, he loved moving around bringing friend like her back to you if you send her to a place so rewarding. “Money grows on skills not trees” - Mac Duke The Strategist. There are two skills that attract money to you; the skills to earn and the skills to manage and multiply what you earn. Do you possess the two? The latter is better than the former, but if you earn nothing what will you manage and multiply?

“People who can manage their time can also manage their money. After all, managing minutes and managing money is the same exact principle.” says Ann Marie Sabath. We all have 24 hours a day, no one have extra. To what extent you earn is determined by what your time worth. That is in the skills you acquire to earn an income. If you can do the same on managing and multiplying your earnings (money), then the sky is your starting place. Wayne Chirisa buttresses the point thus; “The strength of your personal financial resources is equivalent to the quality of your financial decision making.”

He (Wayne Chirisa) never stops there, he believes “Money does not dictate your lifestyle; it's what you do to get it and how you manage your finances that determines your lifestyle.” There is no shortcut to financial dreamland, the only root there is in working hard and smart, unfortunately, no one ever earn that on a platter of gold. Nathan W. Morris further suggested to your consciousness that “The speed of your success is limited only by your dedication and what you're willing to sacrifice”. Moreover “If you don't take care of your money, your money won't take care of you” says Mac Duke The Strategist.

If you truly want your name to be written in the book of achievement, you should know you have to create value that people are ready to pay for. Look around you, there are many problems that is crying out for solutions. It will take less than few months with some cash to find solution to it and continue improving on it;

Either spiritual or natural, dream hold the key to your future. Day dreaming is all about the future. While there are more works to make dream come true, the strength of your dream will help propel the action towards achieving it. H. Jackson Brown, Jr. advice “Never gives up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts.” You need the fact, but the dream is the map to its reality.

Everyone is waiting to be successful. Why? Is there any destination called success; maybe. But a good look at what success truly mean is continuous action for long time that generate reward for doing the right thing that create value at the time it is needed without giving up. Arnold H. Glasow exclaim; “Success is simple. Do what's right, the right way, at the right time.” What more.

If you are scared regarding what people will say, if you will be grieve hearing negative things about what you are doing positively to succeed, then listen to what  Aristotle  have to say about that. “Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” Maybe you will prefer the last option “being nothing” over their criticism. No one is interested in talking good or bad of someone who have nothing to offer. Thank God they are talking about you; it’s one of the yardsticks to measure up.

“Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.” – John Maxwell.

You have no business leading if all you could think about is yourself. To lead and be great in doing that, you have to think of giving power to someone out there. While it is not expected you transfer the power invested in you to someone else. You have to think of giving power to your follower via their own expectation.

“Success is knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others. - John C Maxwell

You are created for a specific purpose that will contribute to the world development; to educate, to entertain, to innovate, to propagate or co-ordinate etc. You are one way better than people around you. Specialization is the origin of the earth; you cannot attain a significant achievement under dictation. No slave can proudly say; I am successful. “The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage” says Thucydides.

It is one thing to know your purpose in life; it is another thing to reach a recognizable position. Success is not automatic; you still have to work either smart or hard to reach the maximum potential. You have to be tough, because one way or another, the going will get tough, according to Jim Rohn, it is the tough that get going. One thing you should do from the beginning is to have a dream, make it big and keep it burning; have a plan, stick to it and change it when necessary; set a goal, write it down, and read it to yourself always. If you can follow this step, success is guaranteed.

In reality, being successful is still shallow if the people around you cannot fill your impact. You have to start giving back to the society. Thich Nhat Hanh have something to say on this that inspire me “Living our life deeply and with happiness, having time to care for our loved ones – this is another kind of success, another kind of power, and it is much more important.” One sure way of attain success is in being generous.