Blindingly obvious and very simple but so very difficult to bring to mind at just the moment you need it. It is insane to expect the result to change if you repeat the same actions, but we all do it – hundreds of times a day! It is probably only one or two of your actions that are really holding you back from the results you want – which ones are they? What actions could you replace them with that would better support you in the creation of your ideal life? In the formula
E+R=O
Event + Response = Outcome

if you change your response to an event in your life you may produce an outcome that will better support you in creating your ideal life. Try it and see. What have you got to lose, apart from a life that you aren't happy with?

So think about aspects of your life that you could change to better support you in the achievement of your goals.
Do you need to drink more water? Write down five things you could do to make that easier to achieve. Which one do you think will work best for you? Try it and see if it works.
Do you eat biscuits at break and know that this is sabotaging your weight loss goal? Again, write down five ways to avoid the biscuits. Try the one that you think would work best for you and see what happens. If it doesn't work then pick another idea to try.
Do you want to react differently in a situation where you usually get angry or tearful or self-conscious? Write down five alternative reactions and try one of them to see what happens.

Visualisation is quite fun and effective. It lets you imagine what your ideal life will really be like. The problem is finding the time to fit it in to a busy schedule. However, if you can sneak a few moments here and there, it would really help to visualise yourself using the new actions and enjoying the new results.
How easy does each new action feel?
Which of your ideas make you feel good?
Which ideas seem like really hard work?
Write down the ideas that seem fun to you and that you would enjoy trying to help achieve your goals. Commit to trying them out for a week and note any changes in your life.
Do the changes make life easier or better in some way?
Are your new responses resulting in different outcomes?
Do these different outcomes make you happier?
If you can answer yes, keep doing it. If not, ask yourself what else might work for you and have a go. It may be that you need to avoid the trigger that causes the unhelpful reaction – I need to avoid the temptation of crisps and biscuits. It may be that you need to face the trigger head on and consciously react differently – I need to face tasks I don't want to do and just get on with them. Only you will know. Do whatever works for you. You are creating your ideal life and you are doing it your way.

This is taking 100% responsibility for your life and 'acting as if' you already are that successful person you want to be. In this way you re-invent yourself as a successful person. So when faced with a temptation, low mood or difficult situation, ask yourself,
"What would a successful person do in this situation?"
Then do whatever comes to mind. If you just take action you will quickly develop many habits of successful people and become a successful person, living your ideal life. This question has got me out of bed and motivated to take action on many occasions!

Keep reading your vision of your ideal life and finding ways to be the person who achieves it. Decide how you want to be.
What do you want to be more of? Do you want to be kinder, more confident, more generous, fitter, healthier or happier?
The list of possibilities is endless, but decide what you want to be more of.
Then think about what you want to be less of. Do you want to be less anxious, less lethargic, less grumpy?
Exactly who and what do you want to be?
What do you want to look like?
How do you want to feel?
Does your current image support this?
If it doesn't then reinvent yourself. Try on some other 'you's until you find one that fits. Reinvention is not the sole preserve of rock stars, we can all do it. They say that life is an illusion, so do as Christine Comaford-Lynch suggests in her book, "Rules for Renegades" and pick an empowering one!

It really supports the 'act as if' strategy if you can persuade yourself that you are no longer the 'old' version of you, but a brand new version. So have a go. Make believe like you did when you were a child. Have fun. Be the person you want to be. When faced with a difficult situation remember to ask yourself
"What would this person do?"
What sort of clothes does this person wear?
How does he/she dress and carry themselves?
What does he/she eat and drink?
What does he/she do to keep fit? (Sorry, but if they are successful then they will do something to keep fit!)
How does he/she react in different situations?

Really get under the skin of the 'new' you. Find out what makes this person tick. It may help to cut out pictures from magazines illustrating the clothes, accessories and lifestyle that the new you would have. Look at the pictures often and see if they work for you. Would you be really comfortable living in that sort of space, wearing those clothes, eating those meals and doing those activities in your spare time? Fill the board or book with pictures of the lifestyle you aspire to. Find a way to try out aspects of the lifestyle for size. Test drive the car, eat dinner at one of those restaurants, spend a week cooking those meals. Live the life as best you can within the limits of your current life. Does it feel good? Could you get used to this? It has to work for you so only you can decide. Find your inner child and really have fun with this one.

As I mentioned last week, family and friends may not be comfortable with this. But they can be a valuable source of feedback on the 'old' you if they can be trusted to be totally honest – and if you can bear to hear the truth! Ask them how they see you – what image are you giving the world at the moment? Is this what you want? Ask them for help and ideas. Get them involved. At the very least they will be reassured that there is a reason for your unusual behaviour – you haven't completely lost the plot (yet). You are changing the plot to suit your wonderful new life.

Now you may think that you have a lifetime to do this so you can put off reinventing yourself until the children have left home, you have retired, got a promotion …Think again. So many people have died before they achieved their dreams because they put them off, believing there would always be more time. They died with their song still inside them. Why would you want to spend another moment living a life that is less than you want and deserve? Why would you want to spend another moment being a person who is not a true reflection of the authentic you inside

You are unique.
Give yourself and the world the benefit of the person you are meant to be.


Sue Courtney is a Personal Success Coach and Image Consultant. She can be contacted by email at sue@successandimagecoach.co.uk