Success comes in many different shapes and forms.

Success to one person might be failure to another, depending on their views and
aspirations.
Regardless of your goal, there are 9 core skills that distinguish those who achieve
their goals from those who don't.  
Whether you want to master a new skill, start a company, get a new job, or become a
leader - here are the 9 things to make sure you include in your daily agenda.

1.  Meditate 
Meditation is one of the easiest, most natural ways to decrease stress and increase
energy.  It's no surprise that many of the world's most successful billionaires practice
meditation everyday. 
It is through meditation that many innovators have been able to come up with new
ideas that shape the world.
Many people suffer from constant stress and information overload which result in an
inability to succinctly process new information in an effective manner.   Among other
benefits, meditation can help you channel your thoughts.

2. Find Your Core Talent

Yes, there are successful people who have numerous talents and abilities.  However,
they didn't start that way.
When you are in the early stages of your development and success, it's important not
to let distractions interfere with your core talents you are developing.
When you find something you're good at, hone in on it and develop that skill to its full
potential.

3. Be Gracious 
Appreciate what you have.  If you let yourself get distracted by what you don't have, it
will only slow you down from getting it.

4. Be Aware
Keep a journal of your daily thoughts.  Being cognizant of your attitude and mindset
will help you be more optimistic and enable you to achieve your goals.
5. Help Others
Inspiring others helps you to establish yourself as a leader, and helps you grow a
network of supporters. If you can help other people accomplish their goals, they will
help you accomplish yours.

6. Workout
Being successful is more than just a mental game.
Most successful people incorporate exercise into their daily routine because it
promotes restful sleep, confidence, and overall physical and mental wellbeing.

7. Create routines and stick to them

Doing great things consistently over time is what creates success.
Find routines that work for you and help you be productive and focused.  Once you
find things that work, stick to them.

8. Make good use of your time

Successful people get things done as efficiently as possible.  It's important to make the
most of every day, maximizing your output yet doing so in a way that doesn't burn
you out.
Set a schedule everyday with everything you want to accomplish, and have time slots
next to each goal so that you can check off each task as you move on to the next one.

9 . Believe in Yourself
Above all else, you need to believe in yourself.  Believing you can accomplish your
goals is the single most important element of achieving your goals.  Your ability to
persevere and stay committed through any hardship is what can ultimately get you to
where you want to be.

Just because everything in your life is running smoothly right now doesn’t mean that
that’s going to last. You may dream of starting a new business. You could move across
the country. You fall in and out of love. You lose a loved one.  

In other words, life happens and it completely turns your life upside down.
Around four years ago, it seemed like I was living the dream. I successfully sold my
startup, had a guaranteed job for a year with a very large salary and was newly married.
Little did I know that six months later I would  purchase a startup that lost every cent I
owned. Overnight, I went from multi-millionaire to broke.

That experience taught me a lot about reinventing myself by adapting to change and

rolling with the punches.

Related: How to Reinvent Yourself

If you’re in a situation where you have to reinvent yourself, here are 15 ways that can
guide you through this transformative journey.

1. Do you really want to change?

There are times in our lives when we’re forced to reinvent ourselves. For example, when
my business failed, I had no place to go but forward. Many business owners are in similar
situations. I've found that if you don't want to change, you never will. In my
circumstance, I didn't want my family on the street so I forced myself to adapt to the
abrupt change.

2. Wake up early.
I was never a super early morning person. And, to be honest, I’m not the type of person
who ready to tackle the day at 4 a.m. I have, however, made it a point to wake-up no later
than 6:30 a.m. every day.

Once I started waking up earlier I discovered that I had more time to do activities that
would make me a better person -- both professionally and personally. I find that nobody
is up this early and I can get a lot more done. Especially at work.

3. Prioritize your tasks.

Reinventing yourself doesn’t happen overnight. Remember that hard work I mentioned
earlier? That takes dedication and patience. To make the transformation run more
smoothly, you should dedicate at least one hour per day towards achieving your goals.
That means that you need to prioritize your goals and tasks by creating to-do-lists and
time management tools so that you get the most out of your team so that you can focus on
reinventing yourself.

4. Attach yourself to the right people.

In today’s interconnected world it’s easier than ever to network with people from all over
the world. While people have associated social networking with meeting new friends and
finding job opportunities, you can also connect with people who can change you for the
better. Seth Godin uses the example of Shepard Fairey. The name may not be familiar,
but you know his iconic poster of Barack Obama.

“The Internet helped it spread. The poster connected one supporter to another, became an
icon, a freely shared ID badge and ultimately a parody. And in the center of the spread
was the artist. While Fairey didn’t make a penny selling the image, it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that he connected, and that connection gave his art leverage. He’ll never
need to look for work or revenue again. It will find him.”

5. Learn.
Whether if it’s reading or attending a workshop or webinar, find ways to enhance your
knowledge. It will make you a more well-rounded individual and help you grow both
personally and professionally. Lifelong learning also makes you more motivated, develop
mental skills, and introduces you to new people and thoughts. I like to do this by reading
books.

6. Find a mentor.
“Someone has to show you how to move and breathe,” writes James Altucher. There are
types of mentors out there;

 Direct. The mentor is in front of you and will guide you.

 Indirect. These are mentors who aren’t physically with you, like authors.

 Everything is a mentor. Altucher states, “If you are a zero, and have passion
for reinvention, then everything you look at will be a metaphor for what you
want to do.”

If you have mentor that insists that you do things their way, that’s find. Learn it their way
and then do it your way.

7. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Try new things, experiment with fun projects. After I lost my business I started several
different companies. I tried everything from being a blogger, running an agency to
starting a payments company. Some were successful, others failures. What's truly
important is that you aren't afraid to try. Do what you enjoy and this will help you figure
it out while hopefully making some money in the process.

Related: Take These 25 Steps to Complete the Journey of Reinventing Yourself

8. Be honest with yourself -- and others.

You have to be honest with yourself and others along the path. I'm nota humble person.
So when my business failed I didn't want to talk with anyone about it. Time to get over
yourself. The more people know, the more they can help you. This is very true of
yourself as well. Learn to be honest with yourself and face some of those fears.

9. Don’t justify your decision.

Speaking of honesty, if anyone questions your decision, be transparent with them.
There’s a reason why you made the decision reinvent yourself and if you have facts and
passion to back that up, their opinion shouldn’t prevent you from going forward. And,
ultimately, they’re going to have to respect that.

10. Get out of your comfort zone.

We’re creatures of habit. But, breaking out your comfort zone forces you to have new
experiences, meet new people, and learn something new.

Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, therapist and author of "Better Than Perfect"

tells Entrepreneur, “Breaking your own mold can only make you stronger and more
confident to reach higher levels in your professional and personal life.” Dr. Lombardo
adds, “In order to be more creative, you have to try new things, see things in a new way,
put pieces together in a new manner.”

11. Manage your finances.

Reinventing yourself won’t always be free. For example, if you want to change careers,
you may have to take workshops or college courses. Because of that, it’s important that
you create a budget and stick to it so that you have the funds to complete your
transformation.

Here is my tip: take 20 percent of whatever you make and put it into the bank for a rainy
day. I like to have at least 12 months personal runway sitting in the bank "cash" at all
times. As entrepreneurs we make a lot of money some months and have other months
where we don't make anything. Learn to manage your finances better on a variable
income.

Related: Embrace Change: The 4 Skills Needed to Reinvent Yourself

12. Follow the 24-hour rule.
If you meet someone at a networking event, for example, you should follow-up with them
within 24 hours to stay fresh in their minds and begin building a strong relationship. It’s
also polite and frees up time since you aren’t letting your follow-up responses build-up
into an unmanageable list.

13. Make new lists every day.

When you make lists everyday on the areas that you focus on you’ll notice that certain
items will stick and others won’t. Instead of devoting your energy on areas that you’re
not passionate about, you can dedicate that energy to achieving a goal that is attainable
and desirable.

14. Take one step at a time.

Reinvention is a process that could take years. Don’t overwhelm yourself by getting
consumed on the big picture. Take steps to accomplish your end goals. For example, if
you want to get in better shape, than the first step would be going for a walk, the next
step would be setting a schedule, then getting a gym membership and finally eating
healthier. Take it one step at a time.

15. Accept failure.

You’re not going to pick-up a guitar and instantly be transformed into Jimi Hendrix.
You’re going to fail a lot when attempting to play “Voodoo Child.” Reinvention takes
hard work and patience.

Along the way you have to accept that you’re going to fail. Embrace it. Learn from it.
And keep moving forward. Because you can do this.