In any and every given moment of your life, you are either in command of yourself or you are being commanded. -Guy Finley, Author

It pays to learn, especially from your mistakes. The successful entrepreneur learns how to deal with mistakes every day. They look forward to the challenge. Its important to remember that they dont have to know it all. Theres always someone they can go to for assistance, support, or technical information.

To experience success means you have to set goals and take the necessary actions to make your goals happen. This process of learning continues until youve mastered it. After every failure, you can compliment yourself for trying, then tell yourself to try again.

Setting goals to reach success is like climbing a mountain. It takes a very long time to reach the top. Along the way may be several obstacles, but you must keep going. Further on you may stumble and need to rest. To reach the next level, there may be times when you have to take a different path or go around the obstacle. The last step to the top is the crucial one and requires all your concentration. Dont let the difficult climb persuade you to quit or from setting higher goals. If you enjoy the climb, you will eventually reach the top!

There is power and energy in accomplishment. Develop goals that you are passionate about, then work to make them real. If you miss reaching one goal, learn what you did wrong, and try again. You have every right to be successful. Failure means giving up. If your goal is strong enough and you are committed and passionate enough about what you wish to accomplish, it will happen. Wouldnt one idea be worth it, if it helped thousands of others to live better, be healthier, save more money, save time, help the environment, create new businesses, and employ others?

Successful entrepreneurs have a certain mental and positive attitude. They believe in themselves and are convinced that they can live richer, fuller lives. They fulfill their own personal desires for happiness. They are familiar with hard work and responsibility.

Take any business or service that is already established and successful and think of other products or services that may help others in different and new ways. Expand your consciousness; think success. Develop your need to be creative. Think outside of your normal way of doing, acting, and being. You may surprise yourself into discovering the next invention, the next form of entertainment, or the next wave of technology. Get rid of self-defeating habits and attitudes. Success comes to those who look for it.

Here are some goals you may set for reaching success in your life:

1. What are you passionate about? Make a list of things you love to do. A few ideas and types of businesses that may lead you to think of new products, new services, or new inventions may include:

* Travel
* Fitness/Health Care
* Electronics
* Technology/Internet/World Wide Web
* Teaching/Instructional Workshops
* Public speaking
* Writing: Books/Articles/Poetry/Advertising
* Entertainment/Music/Acting * Gardening//Landscaping
* Interior Design; Broadcasting/Television/Radio;
* Spirituality/Inspiration/Self-Improvement

The list is endless.

2. Set goals with specific conditions. Make your goals possible to accomplish. Plan your goals and structure your thoughts around positive actions. If you think your goal is impossible - it will be. Yet, if you think in positive terms, your goals will be easier to achieve. Refuse to let doubt sway you from your target. Stay positive and youll get to your goal much faster.

3. Think big, yet be realistic. Every accomplishment starts with a dream. Make your dream the biggest and the best - then work to make it come true. Write down everything you know about your dream and your desire to have it happen. What do you have to do? How soon can you make it happen? Be patient, nothing happens overnight.

4. Make a plan. Write your dream, idea and your plan of action in the present tense: I am successful. I have a successful business. My faith is strong and I am blessed financially. I am going to reach my goal. This helps your mind to visualize the outcome. Your mind is forced to act as if your dream has already materialized. Your mind works in the present and makes no distinction between what is happening now and what has already happened. Confusion comes when you send your thoughts to the future or back to the past. The mind may shut down and stop working on what you desire.

5. Set values on your goals. What value do you place on your life? On your career? On your business? What excites you? Let your imagination soar. Would you give up your values for someone elses if it meant losing your character or your faith? Your goals must be valuable to you before they can be fulfilled. When you focus on your dream, give it time to grow and develop. It soon becomes a reality.

6. Reward your progress. When you achieve even the smallest step in accomplishing your goals, get excited. Compliment yourself for taking a step toward reaching your goal. There isnt anything more gratifying then accomplishing your goal. When you make a major accomplishment, do something for someone else. Celebrate it!

With unlimited opportunities to reach your dreams and goals; with unlimited access to knowledge, information, instructors, and places to go for help, theres no telling what you can accomplish - if you desire! Then...

Always remember to thank the source from which it all comes.

Copyright 2004

Gerri D Smith

Gerri D Smith combines apparel fashion design and creative writing into a successful and growing mini-business known as Distinctive Impressions. For more then ten years, Gerri seeks to inspire thousands of others to realize their goals, to look and feel “distinctive” in the way they dress, and to improve their professional image.

With a deep passion for creating women's fashions and accessories for day and evening wear, her clients include professionals whom she has named "VIW's" (Very Important Women), as well as other small, medium, and large sized women . Her other interests include organizing, producing, and participating in promotional fashion shows, fashion contests, art and craft sales, as well as coordinating and participating in fund-raising events that show off both her fashion and small business/entrepreneur skills.

Gerri’s apparel and accessory designs are promoted and marketed both online and offline around the Bay Area, and are sold to private clients. As a free-lance designer, many of her designs are one-of-a-kind and by special-order.

Her love of writing is portrayed in her ongoing self-improvement and motivational articles, an inspirational non-fiction book, and a modern contemporary, and inspirational romance novel. Gerri’s published books are marketed nationwide through the world wide web and offline to business women and romance novel readers.

Gerri is host and publisher of an inspirational newsletter that encourages, motivates, and supports individuals, small business owners, and women entrepreneurs to go for their dreams. The newsletter is an internet resource creating multiple ways for subscribers to unlock the doors to success and improvement. And it is Free. Now, being able to share two of her deepest passions - creative fashion designing and creative inspirational writing with others is her greatest pleasure.

In addition to producing her fashions, accessories, and her creative writing to inspire and encourage others, in her spare time Gerri also finds great pleasure in researching, studying and learning new skills. She hopes to broaden her expertise with public speaking on business leadership and personal improvement. Her two self-published books, one a full length contemporary romance fiction novel, titled “A Challenge of Love,“ and an inspirational non-fiction book titled, “31 Cups of Inspiration,“ are modern classics and will inspire others for a long, long time.