Accept: Accept that success requires effort. * Acceptance clears the way for action.

What is success? Can we say that a heart surgeon is more successful than the CEO of a big company, or that an outstanding hockey player is more successful than an Oscar winning actor? Is a student graduating from university more successful than a student gradating from high school?

The answer is categorically, ‘No!’ They are equally successful! The have each set a goal and reached their goal. Success is an individual matter and is measured by the extent to which we reach our own goals, independently from other people’s goals. There is no need to envy other people’s success. It is what we do to reach our own goals that really matter.

Nothing worthwhile can be achieved without clear goals and a desire to attain those goals. In the beginning we tend to dream about our goals, to fantasize, to visualize. Once a goal has been clearly set and committed to it is important to start planning and to work to attain the goal.

We must accept that no goal, however small or big, can be attained without effort, without work, sacrifices and late hours, without sweat, resilience and even pain. There will be challenges, uncertainties, setbacks, disappointments and pain on our way towards our goal. No road towards a goal is smooth and easy. In fact there will be potholes and sharp turns, crossroads and dead ends because the road to success is always under construction.

Henry Ford said that many people do not realize how close they were to success when they stopped.

The point is that nothing is achieved without effort. We tend to complain about the effort, and everything associated with it, instead of accepting the effort and looking beyond to the end result, the attainment of the goal and the fulfillment of a dream.

The final attainment of the goal is just a moment in time for celebrating final success. It is on the journey towards success where we experience the excitement of a positive attitude and the satisfaction of small successes in overcoming the obstacles in our path. These small successes all contribute to reaching the final goal. It is on these journeys that we experience life and what it means to live to the full.

Phil Minnaar PhD is a management consultant specializing in management information, business intelligence systems and systems thinking. He has a multi-disciplinary PhD in Computer Science and Information systems, applied to Educational Management.

He has a particular interest in the power of positive thinking and recently published his book, The Positive Dictionary. He went through various dictionaries and selected only words with positive meanings or connotations. For each word he wrote a concise explanation in the form of an action or activity which can be practiced to use that word to become more positive in life. Each word is also explained in the form of a deeper thought or a slogan or a motto, which can be followed in life.

The Positive Dictionary is a practical resource for a positive attitude and success in the workplace.

More information about The Positive Dictionary is available on http://www.thepositivedictionary.com