What does success mean to you? To some people, it might mean landing their dream job, home ownership or being able to afford the finer things in life.

For me success is having a life I do not need to take a vacation from. However, being able to afford to take a vacation if I want. True success to me is peace of mind and a deep sense of contentment. Success is being who and what I want to be. Success means freedom from the norm.

I would like to encourage you to never give up on being successful. Listen to yourself and never give up on your dreams. Remember that just because you do poorly on a project, get a ‘C’, are told you are not smart enough, or you do not have the talent, or ability does not mean that you cannot be successful and become whatever you set your intentions on becoming.

Some of the most successful and famous people have been rejected and have dealt with failure.

Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first job and told she was no good on television. Walt Disney was fired for not being creative. Thomas Edison was fired from his first two jobs for not being productive enough and later had 1,000 failed attempts at making the light bulb. The list is endless of successful people that have come through challenges.

A success story rarely happens without a failure story.

Sometimes failures, attempts and rejections are numerous, but we cannot allow them to keep us from pressuring what we want. Keep creating, perfecting and dreaming.
Here is a list of somethings that successful people have in common.

Commitment
Tenacity/Perseverance
Good Habits

Once a person commits they will not turn back. Committing to something makes a statement that we are serious. Things will start falling into place once we commit. We still will face opposition, but staying committed is the difference between quitting and succeeding.
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. The moment one definitely commits one-self, then providence moves too.”–W.H. Murray

Commit and never give up.

Winston Churchill repeated a grade during elementary school and, when he entered Harrow, was placed in the lowest division of the lowest class. Later, he twice failed the entrance exam to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. He was defeated in his first effort to serve in Parliament. He became Prime Minister at the age of 62. He later wrote, "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up."

Successful people have good habits in time-management, decision-making, health and among others.

My suggestion to you, find people who are successful in the way you desire to be and study them. Here’s to success!