Everybody wants to be successful. No matter whether its sports, work, business or something else, we all want to be as successful as possible.

Luckily, the factors that contribute toward success aren’t secret, they are well known and understood. Here I’ve summarised the top 7 that apply to many successful entrepreneurs, sports people and celebrities.

1. Do something that you truly love doing. This is obvious really. If you are doing what you really love doing then it’s no longer work, its a labour of love. The real trick, if there is one, is to identify what ‘floats your boat’ and then keep doing it. My personal goal was to become a freelance web designer but I’ve been lucky enough to work with many for whom internet marketing was their passion.
2. Exercise patience and discipline. Most successful people have the ability to see things in a from a long term perspective. Discipline is essential if you are to keep going when faced with setbacks.
3. Define your goals. Maybe one day you want to start your own business which would be an excellent goal. Defining this will enable you to plot a course that will lead to your achieving this aim.
4. Feel the fear and do it anyway. We can often procrastinate due to fear of failure. You need to notice the fear and fight against it. This inclination needs to be overcome.
5. Avoid procrastination. We will often procrastinate because a task is unpleasant, or lots of work. Break down large or unpleasant tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks of work that can be ticked off.
6. Take responsibility. Remember and remind yourself that success is achievable and you can and will do it. For example, it was ten years ago that I decided that I wanted to become a freelance web designer. At the time I knew a little HTML but that was about all. This led to my achieving my goal and working as a freelance web designer for the past three years.
7. Draw up your own action plan. Your action list should be things that are realistic, easily measured and attainable. For example, in the action plan that I drafted for myself I listed all of the skills and experiences that I wanted to gain while employed and I ticked these off, almost daily.

Following this advice will not guarantee success, but it will make a significant and positive contribution.

Search engine optimisation is a rewarding and growing industry so if you have an interest in online marketing this could make a good career choice.