Creating change in your life requires several elements and actions. When you consider success, it is not by accident that people achieve great things, use a systemized approach. In a recent DriveTime video VIDEO, Brad Sugars, founder, and CEO of ActionCOACH discusses his formula for success. Success does not happen spontaneously. It requires input and effort. Success requires focus and dedication over time.

What does success look like for you? What is your definition of success?

Whether you are working on a business, a relationship, or on health goals, you can apply the formula for success that Sugars mentions. Here is the formula he outlines.

DREAMS X GOALS X LEARNING X PLAN X ACTION = SUCCESS

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain

Big, audacious, massive dreams are the first variables in the formula. But dreams that aren’t written down and aren’t shared, are just wishes. Without being brave enough to write your ‘crazy’ dreams down they are just intangible thoughts. They never get any traction because, unwritten dreams aren’t solidified. They are amorphous, lacking real power to help you drive for change.

”So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable”.
Christopher Reeve (actor, author, philanthropist).

Step 1: WRITE DOWN YOUR DREAMS. Regardless of what you are working on, write your dreams down. Create a dream board, keep a journal, whatever the method, make your dreams tangible. Be willing to commit and start making the picture in your head a bigger reality. Keep in mind Dreams are things you want to achieve within 10-20 years from now. So, you have time to get that big house, the helicopter, to dive with sharks or to lose the 100 lbs. It all starts with pen and paper.

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success”.
Pablo Picasso (artist, author, visionary).

Step 2: CREATE GOALS Now that you have the big, juicy dreams on paper, move to setting goals. Set S.M.A.R.T. goals to help you achieve the dream you have articulated. Goals are things you want to achieve or change within the next 5 years. But setting long term goals isn’t the only option. You can break the goals down into chunks. Also consider breaking goals into yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals to achieve your dream. As a refresher, ensure your goals are (S) Specific, (M) Measurable, (A) actionable, attainable, (R) relevant and (T) time sensitive. Now the work begins.

“Development is a series of rebirths”.
Maria Montessori (physician, innovator, educator, trailblazer).

Step 3: Learn Once you have set goals to reach an audacious dream, you must learn new skills or build on your knowledge to develop yourself into the person you need to be, to achieve the success you are seeking. The learning phase will take time, and needs focus. Remember the old saying: practice makes perfect. You may have to add to your education, read books, take a class, go to workshop, get a mentor, or do all the above.

“Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning.”
Gloria Steinem (activist, writer, and ground-breaking thought leader)

STEP 4: Plan Crafting a working a plan is critical to achieving success. Plans need to have action steps and activities, outlined from a broad timeline, but the most effective plans include daily activities to get closer to achieving your goal. Daily action plans keep you focused and allow you to drill deep into the activities you need to do to get closer to your dream.

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home, and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
Dale Carnegie (write, salesman, and public speaking innovator)

STEP 5: ACT Now you are the point where you must act. Get started. Work your plan. Action might lead to a failure which means you need to go back to your learning and planning stages and rethink your strategy. Don’t consider a setback as a roadblock or the end. It is a directional beacon leading you into a new direction for success. But you must do something to get a result. Fear is a dream killer. It can paralyze you and it can make you rethink everything you have already accomplished. Overcoming fear in the action steps is paramount to your ultimate success. Here surrounding yourself with supporters is very important. They are your cheerleaders and keep your confidence high. What holds you back? What reduces your confidence? Who do you need to get in your corners to help you move forward?

To learn more about the Formula for Success visit actioncoach.com. Work with a professional, certified ActionCOACH Business Coach and the first coaching session is complimentary. Actioncoach.com/free-business-coaching.