As the New Year rolls around, numerous people strive to make resolutions. Perhaps like many, your resolution is to exercise and work out more often. Maybe you want to travel to places you’ve never been before. Or maybe in 2016, you want to achieve success.

But how does one define success? In his book Take the Stairs, author and award-winning speaker Rory Vaden outlines seven steps to achieving true success. The New York Times bestselling book is not only a perfect guide for the beginning of a new year, but also a great challenge throughout all of 2016.

As aforementioned, Mr. Vaden organizes his book into seven categories, or steps to success. After you read Take the Stairs, read the summary points below and use the questions to see how you can implement the ideas of this healthy book in your own life.

1. Sacrifice: The short-term easy leads to the long-term difficult, while the short-term difficult leads to the long-term easy.

Everyone from athletes to scholars to businesspeople will tell you that to be successful, you have to make sacrifices. In nearly every situation in life, going the difficult route initially will make the end of your journey easier.

Think about your long-term life goals and the sacrifices you may have to make to achieve them. Are you willing to make these sacrifices?

2. Commitment: The more we have invested in something, the less likely we are to let it fail.

In the same manner, this principle applies to everything in life, be it material possessions, life goals or relationships. Chances are, the things to which you have an unwavering sense of commitment are the things that are succeeding in your life.

What things in your life are you truly committed to? How can you work on being more invested in things you want to see prosper? 

3. Focus: Focus is power.

Procrastination: We’re all guilty of it. It can be so easy to pick up your cell phone or check your favorite website or watch one more episode on Netflix. But creating a mental vision and consistently checking your focus will help you achieve your dreams.

Are your procrastination habits preventing you from being focused? How can you stop procrastinating and focus on your goals?

4. Integrity: You think it, you speak it, you act it, it happens.

Thoughts and words are powerful tools — not only can they push us to pursue our dreams, but they can also seriously harm our chances of succeeding. Act with integrity by keeping your promises, thinking before you speak and choosing your words carefully.

Are you using integrity in your everyday life? How can you use integrity to reach your goals?

5. Schedule: Focused effort is amplified by appropriate timing and regimented routine.

Think about how hard farmers work, especially around harvest time. They have to keep a strictly regimented schedule, otherwise they’ll risk not completing their tasks. In the same way, learn to keep a routine as a way to push yourself forward in achieving your goals.

How important is routine in your life? How can you use scheduling and routines to complete your goals?

6. Faith: Our ability to have peace is directly proportionate to the term of our perspective.

Do you believe you can do it? If so, that’s only one step of the process. You must have faith in yourself, but you also have to act on it. Keep a positive outlook, give your absolute best and believe the rest is part on an untimely greater plan.

Not everything always goes according to plan in our lives. Do you believe everything happening each day is part of a greater plan? How can you change your perspective so you feel more at peace?

7. Action: It does not matter what we say we believe; our real beliefs are revealed by how we act.

Everything in Take the Stairs ultimately relies on one key to success: action. If you utilize the other six tips but don’t take any action, you’re out of luck. Don’t just recognize your inadequacies — resolve them, and hold yourself accountable for your actions.

Are you taking action to accomplish your goals? How can you create accountability in your life?

 

Achieving success isn’t as easy as it seems. But following Mr. Vaden’s seven simple steps could put you on track to attaining your goals in 2016. Grab a copy of Take the Stairs and begin your journey to success!