We all love to think about creating financial freedom, financial independence or however you define financial success.  So, what do these often used phrases mean to you? For me, it’s about being able to do what I want to do, when I want to. It is being able to work on the things that matter the most to me, while spending time with the people I choose to.

On the “dollars and cents” side, when the income generated from my assets exceeds my cost of living, I’ve created freedom. This allows me to live life on my terms. And while there is no doubt in my mind that just about anyone you ask will tell you that they want to be rich and successful,  the truth is that most people will reach the end of their life knowing that they barely even scratched the surface of what they were capable of.

To clarify being rich isn’t about just money or keeping up with the status quo.  It’s about creating an environment you thrive in and enjoy waking up to. Have you ever had to dread your morning drives?  It really doesn’t have to be that way.  So, why is it so few of us ever really reach that level of financial success?  Here are some reasons I came up with:

• Don’t know where to start
• No proven system
• Not willing to do the work
• THE BIGGEST ONE – Lack of belief that you actually deserve it.

Self Assessment – Where Are You Now? It’s important to realize that whether we know it or not, we’re already creating results in this area of our life. The thoughts we think, the actions we take and the habits we’ve developed up to now determine where we are on this path of freedom. I just want to point out again though, I am not solely focusing on money. It is as simple as getting up in the morning, feeling good about what your’re doing and the direction your life’s going.

Create your own definition. The purpose of this post is to make you think and to see if you’re aware of the path you’re on and to ultimately provide some ideas to change your path, if you should choose to. Based on my experience and observation of others, I’ve come to believe that creating financial success is the combination of your inner game (belief in yourself, how you look at things, attitude, etc) and your outer game (getting things done, the systems you have in place and learning how to leverage your time.)

Here are 5 keys, both inner and outer, that I’ve noticed in others and that I’ve personally adopted. These are all things that can be developed and learned if you’re willing to do the work on yourself.

1) A Belief In Yourself – You’re consciously reading this article however, 90% or more of the actions you will take are determined by your subconscious. You’ve heard it before, right? Yea yea, it’s a cliche by now. But why do you think that the majority of lottery winners end up broke? It’s because deep down, they don’t believe they deserve to be rich. So, the subconscious ensures this. First and foremost, you must believe in yourself to the core. It doesn’t matter what I or anyone else writes on a blog or tells you, if you don’t believe this, nothing else matters. Until you believe that you actually deserve whatever level of financial independence you’re striving for, it will continue to allude you. Look, we’re not talking about you becoming the next billionaire, but simply living life on your own terms. You certainly deserve this. You just may have some programming to do. But know that a belief in yourself is the foundation to all achievement.

2) 100% Clarity and Focus on What You Want To Achieve – How many times have you opened a book, read a chapter or two only to put the book down for good? And how many times have you written the same goals on December 31st , only to see them eventually fade away? One of the hardest lessons for me to accept was that I can only do so many things effectively at one time. There is nothing wrong with having multiple goals, yet we only have so much time in a day and even our lives. What are your top 2-3 goals, that if you achieved them, would create the greatest positive impact in your life? Out of 24 hours in a day, how much time are you really spending on them now? I don’t mean thinking about then, but actually spending making them happen?  Knowing you deserve it, get clear on what you want and then, dedicate the time and energy to make them a reality. This is a great place to start.

3) Model Success I forgot where I heard the following quote but it has stuck with me over the last 2-3 years. “Don’t be original.”  I’m not talking about not being true to yourself or being a free thinking person. but in business there are things that work and things that don’t work. Unless, you’re out to invent the next form of transportation, I’d suggest finding someone who has created what you’re looking to create in your life and adopt a proven blueprint. It will save you time, money and a lot of potential frustration.

4) Create a Game Plan and Develop a System –  - “I must create a system or be enslaved by another mans. ” William Blake  Perhaps enslaved is somewhat of a strong term to use however, the concept to remember here is this: How many times have you read the latest feel good, self help book and then put it down only to never refer to it again?  We’ve all done this. If we are going to create lasting financial independence, then we need to develop a game plan that will support the goal.  To give you an example, here is a 5 part blog post I wrote a while ago 5 Steps To Create Financial Independence in 5 Years or Less.

5) Morning Routine & Daily Plan – Now that you have developed a game plan, there needs to be a method to how you approach your day.  The goal here is to manage your day so that you allocate enough time to the tasks that will eventually lead to your goal’s achievement. If we don’t to this, it can be easy to end up wasting time on unimportant things.  My Morning Routine outlines how I start out my day.  I also have a daily plan whereby I create time blocks to accomplish the 3-5 major goals I am currently working on. This keeps me moving towards their completion.

The dream of financial success is something that lies inside all of us. Has your dream fallen to sleep? If so, how come? You know it’s never late to get started and today isn’t too soon. I hope you find this article helpful in attaining financial independence or, however you may define it.