Did you know that you have a powerful “secret weapon” inside you that you can use to achieve any goal you can imagine?

It’s true! This weapon is your MINDSET. When you activate its unlimited power and truly believe that you are capable of achieving your dreams, you will. It’s just that simple.

But cultivating a success-oriented mindset can be challenging – especially if you’ve suffered setbacks in life or have been surrounded by negative people who attack your self-worth or self-esteem.

Today I’m going to show you how to overcome these roadblocks – with five powerful techniques to help you create a positive mindset that will empower you to achieve anything you want in life.

1.  Meditate daily

When it comes to cultivating a success mindset, meditation is the most powerful tool at your disposal. It allows you to separate yourself from your thoughts so you can gain more insight into them and steer them in a more positive direction.

I recommend you set aside at least ten minutes every morning to meditate. You can use a guided visualization or simply sit in awareness, observing your thoughts and then letting them go without becoming attached to them.

(If you’re new to meditation you might find my Awakening Power: Guided Visualizations & Meditations for Success helpful. Click here to learn more.)

2.  Control your self-talk

Researchers have found that the average person thinks as many as 50,000 thoughts a day. Sadly, many of those thoughts are negative:

  • I’m not management material
  • I’ll never lose weight
  • I’m not smart enough
  • I don’t have the right education or experience
  • If I open my mouth, I’ll say something stupid
  • It doesn’t matter what I do, nothing ever works out for me.

This is what psychologists call victim language. Victim language actually keeps you in a victim state of mind. It is a form of self-hypnosis that lulls you into a belief that you are unlovable and incompetent.

In order to get what you want from life, you need to give up this victim language and start talking to yourself like a winner:

  • I can do it
  • I know there is a solution
  • I am smart enough and strong enough to figure this out
  • I know what I’m talking about
  • Everything I eat helps me maintain my perfect body weight
  • It doesn’t matter if I fail – what matters is that I TRY

Your thoughts determine your actions, which determine your outcomes.

That’s why it’s so important for you to think positive thoughts about yourself. Whenever you notice yourself thinking negative thoughts, consciously let them go and replace them with thoughts that are more empowering.

3.  Use positive affirmations

Affirmations are extremely powerful tools for building self-worth and self-confidence. I strongly encourage you to spend a few minutes every day repeating positive statements until they become a natural part of the way you think.

Create a list of ten to twenty statements that affirm your belief in your own worth and your ability to create the life of your dreams. These affirmations will replace the negative thoughts that have infiltrated your self-talk for all these years.

Here are some examples:

  • I am worthy of love, joy and success.
  • I am smart and make wise choices.
  • I am loveable and capable.
  • I create anything I want.
  • I am able to solve any problem that comes my way.
  • I can handle anything that life hands me.
  • I have all the energy I need to do everything I want to do.
  • I am attracting all the right people into my life.

Be sure to use positive affirmations that resonate with who you are and where you’re at right now – as well as the kind of person you want to become, and the life you ultimately want to live.

4.  Act as if

One of the most effective ways to establish a success mindset is to act as if you are already the kind of person who has created the ideal life you want to live.

Ask yourself: If you had already achieved your dream, what kind of person would you be?

Who would you have as friends? What type of clothes would you be wearing? How would you act? How would you treat others? Would you tithe a portion of your income to your church or favorite charities? Would you have more self-confidence? A better attitude? Would you take more time to spend with your loved ones? Would you eat healthier and spend more time exercising?

Whatever actions you identify, start taking them now. By acting “as if,” you will become the kind of person who is capable of creating the kind of success you want – and this will trigger your subconscious mind to find creative ways to achieve your goals. You will start noticing anything that will help you succeed.

Best of all, you will start acting on this opportunities, because you will have the confidence that your efforts will yield great results.

5.  Surround yourself with positive, inspiring people

Finally, one of the best ways to cultivate a positive success mindset is to surround yourself with people who are positive and will cheer you on and inspire you to do your best.

Look for people who are highly motivated and have already achieved a certain amount of success in their own lives. Not only will they inspire you by example, they will be able to offer advice and support to help you deal with obstacles that they’ve already overcome.

Believing in yourself is a choice. @JackCanfield (Click to Tweet!)

If you are going to be successful in creating the life of your dreams, you have to believe that you are capable of making it happen. It’s your responsibility to take charge of your own self-concept and your beliefs. You must choose to believe that you can do anything you set your mind to – anything at all.

Because the fact of the matter is, you can!


As the beloved originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, Jack Canfield fostered the emergence of inspirational anthologies as a genre—and watched it grow to a billion dollar market. As the driving force behind the development and delivery of over 100 million books sold through the Chicken Soup for the Soul® franchise, Jack Canfield is uniquely qualified to talk about success. Jack is America’s #1 Success Coach and wrote the life-changing book The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be and Jack speaks around the world on this subject. Check out his newest book The 30-Day Sobriety Solution: How to Cut Back or Quit Drinking in the Privacy of Your Own Home. Follow Jack at www.jackcanfield.com and sign up for his free resources today!

Image courtesy of Lia Leslie.