As I speak with people around the world, I am constantly asked one question. What does it take to be successful? I can rest assured that this question is going to come up no matter what audience I am speaking to. I believe we are in the era of empowerment. People are searching and on a desperate quest to discover their true purpose.

A lot of factors go into creating a successful life. However, the first place you have to start is with your thoughts. Your moments cannot create what your mind cannot conceive. Until you shift your paradigm you will never see what is truly possible for your life. We are all called to greatness but very few will pay the cost to produce a life of greatness.

Here are 4 tips to figure out what your greatness is:

1. Define what success means to you

One of the main reasons that so many people are not experiencing success is because they do not really know what success is. While I could offer you many definitions, success is essentially having the resources you need to reach your full potential in life.

Notice that I did not say that success was having a big house or a luxury car. Those are the products of success but success is not things. Success is the fulfillment of purpose and the maximization of your potential. Success is not about what we accumulate but what we add to the world.

We are all called to greatness. However, when you allow others to define your success, you discount the special gift that you have been given to bless the world. Stop viewing success only in terms of financial gain and see it as the opportunity to fill a gap in the world.

“Success in life could be defined as the continued expansion of happiness and the progressive realization of worthy goals.” – Deepak Chopra

2. You have to stop making excuses for your life

Do you really want to succeed? Then you have stop making excuses for your life. Excuses are the lies we tell ourselves for why we cannot live a better life. Excuses are the fortresses we build in our minds that engineer our failure.

What if the only thing that stood between you and your future were excuses? The same energy you put into making excuses for why you are not further in life can be used to engineer the life of your dreams. In fact, dreams manifest at the intersection of excuses and expectations.

Different results require different reasons. You only need one reason to revolutionize your life. If you live a lifetime of making excuses, your dreams will ultimately become extinct. Excuses temporarily relieve the pain of confronting our choices. However, expectations force us to take accountability for our actions and align us to achieve greatness in life.

3. Rewrite the story of your life

One of the great joys of my life is empowering people around the world to reach their full potential. I have seen so many people triumph over tragedies and overcome opposition. However, before you can experience big breakthroughs you have to look at your internal programming. What do I mean when I say internal programming?

I am talking about the story that you keep telling yourself. Most of the stories that we create for our lives are stories of defeat and disfunction. When our internal programming is off we perceive ourselves as victims and we script defeat for our lives. On the other hand, when you have a paradigm shift it changes your internal programming. As your thinking changes you script stories of victory and triumph for your life.

The story you are creating is scripted by your perception of the conditions of your life. The conditions of your life will either endanger your potential or expose your power. When you can view the conditions of your life as a catalyst to change, you break cycles and create new chapters in the story of your life.

4. You have to live with intention

I know what it is like to have a dream and to feel like it is dying right before your eyes. I know what it is like to see a business that you have worked so hard to build, collapsing no matter how hard you work to save it. At the same time, I know what it is like to bounce back from setbacks and not be defined by disappointments. Years later I am a successful entrepreneur and highly respected thought leader. How did I get here?

I owe a lot of my success to the power of intention. Years ago I lived life without a clear plan or direction. I felt like I was living life in a maze. Then I had a powerful moment of awareness where I realized that I needed to live with a mission. In fact, I decided to break that mission into small daily action steps.

Those action steps were intentions. Guess what? The decision to take these small daily action steps toward a bigger mission completely changed my life. All of a sudden unexpected resources showed up. Incredible new relationships started to blossom in my life. My intentions ultimately became my reality.

“You feel good not because the world is right, but your world is right because you feel good.” – Wayne W. Dyer

When you have a paradigm shift, couple faith with expectation, and live with clear intentions you inevitably arrive at a place of success. Stop looking for a formula for success and set clear intentions for your life. When you act with intention anything is possible.

How do you define success in your life? Please share in the comment section below!