Believe it or not, I didn’t consider myself successful, until 3 years ago. Until then, I was struggling through life, trying to make something happen for myself. Suddenly, phone calls and emails started rolling in from people who had been watching me grow and make strides in my journey. At first, I was confused, but as I began to look around, I realized I had come a long way. Not only had I accomplished some things that I had dreamed of as a child, I had worked pass that and done even more.

I’m not tooting my own horn, but I feel that it is necessary for me to share, because some people seem to think that what I have been able to do is extremely rare. In case you haven’t been following me and my career since the beginning, let me cue you in really quickly.

As a child, I dreamed of falling in love with my soulmate, and becoming a singer who writes songs that touch people’s hearts, travels the world, and designs her own albums and promotional materials. I met my husband in 2007. We formed a Soul/R&B group and started traveling and performing together. We have shared the stage with some reputable artists, seen some places we hadn’t before, and we’ve had a ton of fun doing it all! I was able to quit my job in 2012 and run our business from home. Because of the progress that we were making, others took notice and asked me to help them with their businesses. I entered into the realm of consulting and created a new stream of income for myself.

Maybe that wasn’t so quick, but you get the picture now…I am a girl who is living my dream and calling my own shots. I think I am where I am today because of some very simple things. I have named them My 3 Tips for Absolute Success. Check them out below!

1. Find What Drives You. Let’s be real; sometimes passion alone isn’t enough to keep the momentum up when you’re working toward your goals. Especially when the road gets a bit rough, it can be a great challenge to push through. For me, that drive came from my wanting to be different from the people around me. I had heard so many negative things about money and the people who have it. I had grown so tired of hearing the woe is me kind of talk from Christians who believed that we were placed here on earth to only suffer, be broke and broken down, and to wait for the day that we die and become rich in heaven. I wanted to enjoy my life and to show everyone watching that it was possible for a Christian to be successful. I also wanted to make my younger self proud that I actually did what I said I wanted to do.

2. NEVER Give Up! If you never stop trying, you are absolutely bound to be successful in whatever you do. I am a believer of Christ, and my bible says “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). If I gave up, I would essentially be saying that I didn’t believe that God was going to do what he said.

3. Enjoy the Journey. It is so easy to get caught up in trying to make progress, but if you aren’t careful, you can spend all of your time focused on work and miss out on the fun parts of life. Celebrate the small victories and don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself along the way. I spent so many days, weeks, months working so hard to gain traction with our business. I missed out on valuable time with my husband. When we were visiting with family, I’d be sitting in the room, but I wasn’t present. I was on my computer or on the phone curating a deal. Don’t get me wrong, handling business is absolutely necessary, but there is a time and a place for everything. Set some boundaries. Work regular hours, and leave the rest of the time available for yourself to live life.

I hope these tips were helpful! They sure have helped me all these years. Tell me, what is your dream?