1)You are responsible. If there is something you don't like about your life, you are responsible to change it--and what's beautiful about this is that you have the ability to change it even if the only thing you can do is change your attitude towards it.
2)Gratitude. No one is successful alone. We all have had help along the way, mentors, cheerleaders, lucky breaks and our guardian angels seen and unseen. As soon as you lose this "attitude of gratitude" you either become a miserable, whining wretch, or you get really cocky thinking you did all this by yourself. Ever notice how either extreme of people have a real entitlement complex? I deserve because I am so great, or I deserve because I have so little and you have so much. The only thing we're entitled to (at least in America) is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Notice the founding fathers didn't say we're entitled to happiness, just the pursuit of--if you want happiness get grateful (and see #1 and #8).
3)Faith. I'm not talking here about faith in a creator or higher spiritual being, although I think that type of faith is important to many, including me. Here I'm talking about the faith to take risks, the faith that when I jump off this cliff (metaphorically speaking) my parachute will open.
4)Invest in yourself. Covey calls it "Sharpening the Saw" others call it self-help, self-improvement or self-mastery. Whatever you call it, its important to spend time with yourself, read, take a course, listen to tapes, go to a seminar. I spend literally thousands of dollars every year on an executive coach, seminars, books, etc. I can tell you these are the best investments I could possibly make!
5)Never give up. The one quality I admire most in myself and others is tenacity and the mental toughness it takes to win. I remember like it was yesterday watching Julie Moss crawl across the finish line of the 1982 Hawaii IronMan. I was 16 years old and I had no idea what an triathlon was, much less what the IronMan was about. But I knew I was witnessing something extraordinary and that vision sticks with me to this day whenever I feel live giving up or slacking off--I think of Julie Moss. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VqdxuPYWbc
6)Get a role model. Or two, or three or a dozen. I am fortunate to have had several fabulous role models in my life starting with my dad who is a self-made millionaire originating from very humble circumstances (as a kid he picked cotton for a penny a pound--sounds Dickens-esque, but its true). My mom, who was one of the most nurturing people I ever met, my husband who rivals her in kindness and many, many "gurus" and business mentors.
7)Be a role model. I think it was either Dan Sullivan or Brian Tracy (see #6) that said the price of becoming an extraordinary human being is that you have to give back. As you grow in your capacity to lead an extraordinary life, you will attract people to you who want what you have. That is the price--you must then teach them what you've learned.
8)Laugh. A lot. And be funny. People are attracted to people who laugh a lot. And it makes you feel better.
9)But don't be a joke. Some situations call for seriousness before humor, learn to tell the difference.
10)Tell the truth, but be kind. One of my other role models, Jim Rohn says be kind without being weak. This is something I struggle with but I've come to realize that the kindest thing you can do sometimes is tell the truth. But remember the truth can be hard to hear, so always tell the truth with the best intentions in your heart. Don't tell someone the truth to hurt them, or to feel superior. Always do it to make the other person or the situation better, have a helping heart (and a helping hand).