Are you living the life you dreamed as a kid?

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach us what we need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that we may not have learned at church, school, home or at work. Let's strive to apply what we learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Let's be givers in a world of takers.

Life only gives us what we have the courage to dream and the confidence to pursue.

We all can develop the traits of successful people. These traits will help to boost our self-esteem, our self-image, and our self-worth. Acquire these traits and you will do more good to this world than you have ever imagined.

Here are 7 traits of successful people:

1.      Defined purpose/mission and vision. Focus on what matters most. Choose endeavors you can master. Lack of focus leads to mediocrity. Take full responsibility for everything that happens to you. Take responsibility for your results in life.

2.      Picture and chase excellence. If you chase security you will never experience the wonderful things life has to offer. Have paranoia about being productive. Get over or around the roadblocks that life brings to you.

3.      Continuously look for and take up new challenges. There is no security in the comfort or familiar zone. Do what is uncomfortable and fearful. No stretching, no growth; no pain, no gain.

4.      Have a strong work ethic. Work everyday day like it was your first day. Talent is overrated. Hard work always comes before smart work.

5.      Continuously invest in yourself. Take the time to bet better. Be prepared. Never let a day go by without reading something that helps you to get better.

6.      Be great at prioritizing. Never let the things that matter most be at the mercy of things that matter least. Learn to live by your priorities not your obligations. How good is it to succeed at something that does not matter?

7.      Persist to the end. Nothing takes place of persistence. Remember that the road to success is paved with failure. Meaningful success is not achieved until after significant failures. When you are deep in the muck picture your victory, living the life you always wanted to live.

Above all, don’t forget to help others along your journey. It is by helping others to get what they want that we get what we want.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)