How you can create the life of your dreams

The founder of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' and a leading success coach explains how you can create the life of your dreams.

We all aspire to have a fulfilling life. Yet most of us simply aren't creating the results we want. We don't have enough success or joy in our lives. What we need to understand is that greatness exists in all of us. It is simply up to us to pull it out of ourselves. Here are eight of my strategies to jump-start your success. I wish you a great journey as you begin to create the life of your dreams.

1. Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life

One of the greatest myths in our culture today is that you are entitled to a great life--that somehow, somewhere, someone is responsible for filling your life with continual happiness, exciting career options, and blissful relationships. But the real truth is that there is only one person responsible for the quality of the life you live. That person is YOU.

2. Pursue Your Passion

I believe each of us is born with a life purpose. Identifying, acknowledging, and honoring this purpose is the most important action successful people take. They make the effort to understand what they're here to do--and then they pursue that with passion and enthusiasm.

3. Be Clear Why You're Here

One of the main reasons why most people don't get what they want is they haven't decided what they want. They haven't defined their desires in clear and compelling detail. What does success look like to you?

4. Believe It's Possible

Scientists used to believe that humans responded to information flowing into the brain from the outside world. But today they're learning instead that we respond to what the brain, based on previous experience, expects to happen next. In fact, the mind is such a powerful instrument, it can guide you to everything you want. But you have to believe that what you want is in fact possible.

5. Believe in Yourself

If you are going to be successful in creating the life of your dreams, you have to believe that you are capable of making it happen. Whether you call it self-esteem, self-confidence, or self-assurance, it is a deep-seated belief that you have what it takes--the abilities, inner resources, talents, and skills to create your desired results.

6. Act 'As If'

Start acting as if you already have everything you want. If you begin by creating an inner state of happiness and abundance, and then do the things you are inspired to do from that state of being, you will end up having what you ultimately desire. When you focus on being grateful for what you do have, you attract more abundance to your life. If you focus on what is missing, you will attract more luck.

7. Unleash the Power of Goal Setting

Experts on the science of success know the brain is a goal-seeking organism. Whatever goal you give to your subconscious mind, it will work day and night to achieve. To engage your subconscious mind, a goal has to be measurable. When there are no criteria for measurement, it remains simply a vague wish, a good idea. Write down specific goals, and your mind will make them happen.

8. Be of Service to Others

When your goal incorporates some aspect that contributes to the well-being of others, it accelerates the accomplishment of that goal. People you meet will want to be part of an endeavor that makes a difference, and they will assist you to achieve your dreams.