I want to share some "guidelines for a successful life" that you may not have come across in your formal educational process. I unashamedly describe myself as a formerly shy, low self-esteem underachiever with a bad attitude -- in other words, I was a pretty normal young adult. You may be able to relate to that, along with feeling lost, confused, scared, frustrated and depressed about your prospects for the future. If that's the case, don't despair -- I believe most people have a similar experience, something like: "OK -- I've got my degree(s) ... now what???" Relax -- you're not crazy, and you're not stupid -- you just haven't been given a REAL education on what it takes to be successful.

So here are a few guidelines and resources I can share that helped me get it together:

• Mission Statement. In his classic book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill interviewed over 500 highly successful people and found they all had what he called "a chief definite aim or major purpose." So the first step in creating a successful life is define your mission. To help you craft your own Mission Statement on line, go to
http://www.nightingale.com/t_mission_select.asp. (If you need more clarity on your career direction, first do a search on "career assessments" -- you'll find a number of free on-line assessments to help you narrow down your choices.)

• Positive mental attitude. Henry Ford was quoted, "If you think you can, or if you think you can't, you're right." It's critical for all of us to believe in ourselves, regardless of our current situation, because our circumstances can only improve if we believe they can. I highly recommend Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's book The Power of Positive Thinking.

• Goal Setting. Once you've created a Mission Statement and believe you can achieve it, you'll then need to set your goals in the four major areas of life: Mental (your career and financial goals), Physical (the shape of your body and what you put in it), Emotional (your relationships) and Spiritual (those things that help your spirit soar). The best teacher of goal setting is Brian Tracy -- seek out any of his books or audio programs on the subject.

• Time management. You can then manage your time based upon your goals in these four areas of life. I highly recommend you get a daily planner, then set an appointment with yourself every weekend to schedule all of your activities for the upcoming week -- you'll sleep real good on Sunday night if you do. First Things First by Stephen Covey is a fine book to help you do this right.

• Visualization. All great athletes, from the professional ranks to the Olympians, use mental rehearsal to picture successful outcomes in their sports. It's no different for you. The basic technique is to put yourself in a relaxed state, breathing deeply with your eyes closed. Then use a "pre-programmed daydream" to see yourself achieving your goals, whether it's completing a project, closing a deal, being in great shape or improving a relationship. Check out Shakti Gawain's book Creative Visualization.

• Life long learning. I was not the best student in high school -- I graduated with a 1.74 grade point average because I refused to take studying seriously. I'm now very serious about not only my success, but especially the success of my clients. So I now have an annual learning goal -- since 1998 I've absorbed the knowledge of over 50 books and audio programs a year related to my field. I've come to realize that when we stop learning, we're dead. No money for books right now? No problem -- your local library has all the books you'll need. For life long audio learning, Nightingale-Conant Corporation is the world leader.

• Humor. Finally, you GOTTA laugh at life! A well honed sense of humor will help you keep perspective on your life, especially during the inevitable tough times, so you can stay focused on success without taking any setbacks personally. My best "coaches" on this? Rodney Dangerfield, Richard Pryor, Jim Carey and The Marx Brothers' movies.

I hope you find these guidelines and resources helpful, and begin to apply them today. In the long run they'll bring you the satisfaction of a life well lived. By the way, these tips apply to anyone who's still learning and growing in his or her life -- I didn't fully embrace all of these ideas until I was in my 40's ... and so can you!

Success Skills Coach Jim Rohrbach, "The Personal Fitness Trainer for Your Business," coaches business owners, entrepreneurs and sales professionals on growing their clientele. He has helped hundreds of individuals to achieve their goals since he developed his first coaching program in 1982. You can visit Jim on the web at www.SuccessSkills.com.