Don't Call it Failure, Call it Practice - a Self-Help Guide to Success

Here's a list of 5 ways to help you achieve your goals

1. Be prepared to work hard - very few people are successful unless they put in the hours.
2. Don't procrastinate - if something needs to be done today, don't put it off till tomorrow.
3. Think about what you actually want to achieve - be as specific as you can. For instance, don't just say "I want to be famous", work out exactly what it is that will make you famous and what steps you will need to elevate you to that position, including the time-scale required.  As an example, if you want to be a top musician, what training or qualifications will you need?  Are you willing to spend the time and money to get this training? Who will you need to approach for more information or training? How long will it take? Are there any other matters which need to be resolved?
4. Once you have decided on your goal or goals, make a detailed list of all the steps needed to reach that goal, including the qualifications you will need, the number of hours you will need to practise every day, the research required to find out more about things you need to do, the various organizations you will need to approach, the people whose help you might need,  the phone numbers and contacts you will need ro obtain, the books you will need to study, the money you will need to raise, and any other arrangements you will need to make, including appropriate clothing, transport and accommodation if necessary.
5. Prioritise the items on your list, so that you do them in the right order. There are four main categories of prioritisation:

• Important and Urgent
• Important but not Urgent
• Urgent but not Important
• Not urgent or important, but still necessary in due course.

1. Mark all the Items in category 1 with an "A" , and make sure you do these first.
2. Mark all the items in categories 2 and 3 with "B" and do these next.
3. Mark all the items in category 4 with "C" and fit them in as and when you can.
4. Review the list frequently, because things which were non-urgent initially could become urgent if you leave them too long, and the priority of other items, or newer items might change the sequence.
5. Cross things off as you finish them, and add any new items to the appropriate category.

This system works very well and, provided you don't procrastinate too much, it will make you very efficient in achieving short-term goals, which is a step along the way to achieving your long-term goals.