I can’t pinpoint one particular piece of advice I’ve been given as the pièce de résitance, because I’ve had the great fortune to have absorbed, and continue to absorb, some priceless gems. From the bottom of my heart, I thank the many people that have had a positive influence in my life and for those that continue to do that right now.

So, packaged together I can sum up the 6 top tips for success and happiness:

1: Follow your dreams. Follow your passion. Love what you do. Believe you can achieve. Plan it out and decide on your action steps to make the dream become a reality. Take the steps and set the wheels in motion.

2: When faced with a tough decision, be prepared to listen to positive and loving guidance from those around you who may have seen a positive step that you may have missed or a consideration you may have chosen to ignore as not relevant. These people are your advice angels. They are a true gift of kindness.

3: On the other side there are people that are your advice monsters. Don’t pay attention to negative and unhelpful comments such as, you’ll never make it, it’s for people that know people, you’ll never get the opportunity, you’ll be banging your head against a brick wall, etc. These people may mean well but generally they are reflecting their own insecurities and self-limiters on to you. Ask yourself, what have they done and what are they doing with their own lives? Are they a role model for me?

4: If someone in authority says, “No, you can’t do that!” acknowledge the reason they give as to why and then invest time into looking at other options that may not have been noticed or realized before, by you or the person in authority. Where there’s a will, there’s a way and if something is so strong in your heart and is a true passion and a real goal, then more often than not it is meant to be and a path will be revealed.

5: Consistently treat people with genuine respect and love and you’ll be amazed at how even those who at first may have appeared uninterested, unhelpful, obstinate and a real jobsworth, will be very willing to help you out. Stand your ground, be bold, be loving, respectful and always polite and you will see how many closed doors start to open up for you. Doors will open that you didn’t even know were there.

6: Always have an open mind and a hungry heart. Always aim to raise your game. How can I be better? How can I work smarter? How can I be more impactful? How can I be kinder? How can I be more loving? Never stop taking on new learning, new reading, new professional development and training. The day we do that we start to stand still. If we choose to stand still it goes without saying that many around us will keep moving forwards. This means, in essence, that the minute you stand still you start to go backwards.