It’s no secret that success is something many people work hard to achieve, but what is the true meaning of success? Is it having lots of money? Becoming famous? Having power? Well, in all honesty, the only one who can really define what success means to you, is you.

The Oxford Dictionary’s definition of success states, “a person or thing that attains fame, wealth, etc.” but it also states, “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” In other words, achieving what you set out to do.

That is why I said that you are the only one who can define what success is to yourself because success is different for each individual. Whatever success may mean to you, there’s one thing that’s for sure: successful people (those who accomplish an aim or purpose) have certain traits in common. With that said, I’ve come up with a list of five such traits that I’ve noticed successful people among different fields have. Working on these traits will help you improve your ability to achieve success.

1) Have a plan.
Successful people realize that everyday tasks are important. It is smart to ask yourself every day, “How will I be better today than I was yesterday? This could be in any aspect. Personally, I woke up today at 6:50 AM. This is ten minutes earlier than I woke up yesterday. Tomorrow I will wake up ten minutes earlier still, and my goal is to get to where I can wake up every day at 6:30 AM (except for weekends hehe).

There are plenty of other ways to be better than you were yesterday; the best part is it’s up to you to decide how you want to improve yourself! Start exercising, read a book, speak to new people, whatever you want to improve each day. So I suggest taking ten minutes each night before bed or after waking up each morning to write down what you will do to improve.

As a matter of fact, write down a whole list of things you plan to improve upon that day. You’d be surprised at how much can be accomplished knowing you are doing these things for your own benefit.

2) Learn and analyze.
Successful people realize that as successful as they are, they don’t know everything. To really be successful, you must always be willing to learn. Even those that are considered experts in their field strive to attain new information. So I suggest that you just go out and learn. From reading books to learning new languages, and everything in between, try to find out something new!

I once heard a quote that has gained much meaning for myself, and it goes, “Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.” There is some controversy as to who originally said this, but it is a very valuable lesson that we should never aim to be the smartest. Things are always changing, as is the information we are able to obtain.

3) Expect to fail.
Successful people realize that failure is inevitable. If you never fail, you aren’t reaching far enough out of your comfort zone. So I suggest you embrace failure and use it as motivation to do better. Here’s what I mean. When you are wanting to succeed at something, for example owning your own business, (although it could be any goal you have in mind) you might fail your first time. Or even a second time. That’s okay.

When you fail, learn what it is you did wrong and fix it. Don’t be upset that things didn’t work out, just try harder next time. Maybe it’s better that things didn’t work out the first time around because little do you know, a better opportunity could be waiting just around the corner. Each failure is simply a mistake. Never be afraid to make mistakes because you can always learn something from them. Maybe that is why successful people expect to fail. They are always striving to learn.

4) Hold yourself accountable.
Successful people realize that being responsible for their own lives, such as their choices and actions is how they became successful. This includes choices they have made consciously or unconsciously. When you make a choice or complete an action that you know wasn’t right, the right thing to do is to make amends and not do it again. When you make a choice or complete an action that wasn’t right without intent, it is important that you understand what you did that wasn’t right and not do it again.

This also includes consequences that may have happened to you that you had no control over. For example, I didn’t have an ideal childhood growing up. Is that enough reason for me to not take accountability for my own life? Of course not! It may seem easier to blame the hand you were dealt in life for how things turn out, but it is easier, in the long run, to want to do better and be better than the hand you were dealt.

5) Be grateful for the small things.
Successful people realize that there is no end goal. In other words, they don’t just focus on where they want to be, but rather set milestones for themselves to reach and reward themselves for reaching them. If you only focus on where you see yourself ten years from now, you aren’t able to really see where you might be five years or even one year from now. You have to be able to set milestones that you can reach that will make you feel encouraged to keep going. Then the key is to reward yourself and be grateful for those small accomplishments in order to tackle the larger ones.

I suggest you make yourself a dream board. I know, I know…so cheesy. But really, it will help you to set smaller goals to achieve sooner as well as big ones that you want to accomplish later on. Turn it into three parts: one-year goals, five-year goals, and ten-year goals. That’s it, no other requirements. Really take your time on it and be creative! In fact, I’ll make one too. We can do this together and make it fun. (:

So here’s a little challenge. You have until February 28, 2018, to come up with your best dream board! You can even hang it on your wall to keep you inspired. Post it to your Instagram account or story with the hashtag “simpleascouldbe” and tag my username “branndolynne” and I’ll repost some of my favorites to inspire the rest of the community! Here’s to us all becoming more successful! I’ll see you next Monday, don’t forget to have fun and keep life as simple as could be.

P.S. I’d love to hear some comments on what you’d like to hear more about!