Chapter 3/Creating Success197Think•Build•LiveSuccessTM|Self-EmpowermentCopyright © 2009, Best EffectSuccess means different things to different people. It can involve having a certain amount ofmoney or material comfort, the love of family and friends, good health, a fulfilling career, knowl-edge, social status, adventure, wisdom, or any combination of these or other things. Whilepictures of success vary greatly, we all tend to experience it in much the same way, as a deepsense of satisfaction at having accomplished something we set out to do. It leaves us feelinggood about ourselves and like we are capable of further fulfilling our potential. Success, how-ever, is not a solid, fixed destination; we may reach a place we had aimed for but then find thatchallenges arise, or that we simply want to go further. Life is not static, it keeps moving, whichmakes success a process we’re engaged in throughout our lives.Depending upon our life circumstances up until this point, it may seem as though we’ve hadfew real choices. We may feel we’ve done the best we can with what we’ve been given, but areultimately just being carried along by a stream of circumstance. We may see success as avail-able to others, but unattainable for us. The truth is, however, that each of us is already starringin our own success story. That story is what has brought us to where we are today—workingthis very moment to improve ourselves and our lives. Our success story may not be readilyapparent, but when we take stock of everything it took to get us to the point we’re at right now,wherever that may be, it’s clear that we already have many of the ingredients we need to succeed.Unless we’ve led a fairy tale life, every one of us has survived hardship, disappointment, disil-lusionment and heartache. Every one of us has faced significant obstacles and challenges thatwe eventually overcame through the force of our will. Our will is the most powerful of all hu-man tools, and one whose only master is us. We’ve already put that will to work in improvingthe way we see ourselves (ourself-picture), the way we look at the world (ouroutlook), the waywe communicate with ourselves (ourself-talk), and the way we communicate with others (ourself-expression). Already well on the road toward success, we’re now in a position to do what’snecessary to create the kind of life we can feel truly good about.
