This week’s Success Tips come from Samantha McDonald. Having had a successful career within the music industry, Samantha shifted her focus and became a personal and business coach. Intrigued by the power of the mind, she went on to become a master Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner and today she writes for several national magazines. In this short extract from her chapter in Secrets of Great Success Coaches Exposed, Samantha reveals six top tips for achieving success. I wonder which of one these points is most relevant to you right now?
What are your top tips for reaching greater levels of success?

Think big, and then think even bigger – dream, dream, dream! And then make it brighter and even more compelling! The more perfect your dream is, the more your mind will want to have it, and the easier it will be to make it happen.

Always believe in yourself and in the power of positive thinking – I cannot stress this enough. You absolutely need to believe in yourself and your ability to make things happen. If you haven’t been able to make things happen before now, it’s okay, because today is a new day! You can start fresh! But it all starts with what you believe.

Surround yourself with positive people – get rid of toxic people or anyone who makes you feel less worthy than you are. They are like poison and don’t deserve a place in the awesome life you are creating. Trust me – the energy you spend trying to overcome their negativity can be much better spent elsewhere. Set up your own support network, filled with helpful people like a coach, good friends, close family, and other like-minded souls.

Push your boundaries and write your own rules – how exciting is this? We’ve each been given a life, and the ability to make it whatever we like. There is simply no excuse for being a spectator in your own life. Stand up and be counted!

Do everything from a place of love and integrity – I was once in a seminar and the speaker asked, ‘What would love do?’ I had no idea what he was talking about! What did he mean, what would love do? It’s only recently that I realised, in order for us to be most effective and also attract positive things our way, we need to give and do everything from a loving perspective.

Be successful in your own eyes first – don’t be fooled into thinking that you need to impress other people. Your idea of success will no doubt be different to the next person’s, so it’s important that you have a very clear idea of what you want, and why you want it. Use your own measures of success and be proud of what you’ve achieved, rather than keeping tabs on where everyone else is at. That way, you’re doing things from a place of love rather than a place of fear.