Nice work, Einstein. Think you can do it again?

Success – everyone is striving for it in one way or another. For some people they are looking for a very measurable result such as financial success or weight loss, while some are looking for success in areas such as relationships, or even just personal happiness and contentment.

However you personally define success, everyone is looking for something. A great way to set yourself up for a launch into the realm of massive success in any given endeavor is to simply ask yourself:

Have I ever had any success in this area?

The reason why you want to ask yourself that question is because you are looking to get a firm grasp on a very useful concept: Belief.

Once you accomplish something – even on an incredibly small scale – you have proven to yourself that it is possible to do that thing. Now all you have to do is replicate the process in order to see bigger, better, and more long-term results.

Here are some examples to give you an idea of how this concept works. Once you understand it, then applying it to your life will be a simple matter of plugging in your own success history in order to pave the way for more permanent and long-term success.

1) Relationships

If your goal is to have a great long-term relationship, but you are starting to get frustrated with your lack of results, then simply ask yourself what you have done in the past that has been successful.

Did your past successful relationships start out from your present position of frustration, anxiety, or loneliness, or did they start out filled with fun, passion, and confidence?

Whatever your emotional state was that attracted relationship success in the past is what will attract future relationship success as well. It is not about finding the right person. A relationship starts with you, so look back on your past successes, think of what you did right, and start doing it again.

2) Financial Success

Who doesn’t want more money or other abundance in their life? Yet, for so many people it is one of the most difficult to attain goals.

At some point in your past, were you more financially well off than you are now? If so, what was different about your state of mind then? Were you ambitious, confident, and full of energy for your future? If so, compare that to a state of mind that is based in feelings of lack, uncertainty, fear, or even shame.

If your previous financial success came about during a time when you were more mentally “on task” for success, then recapture that state of mind and you are guaranteed to start having more opportunities for abundance now.

3) Weight Loss

Have you ever lost even 1 pound during your weight loss efforts? What about 5 or even 10 pounds? Most people have seen some measure of success in their efforts to lose weight, but for whatever reason, that success did not last.

This may sound simplistic – and indeed it is – but what did you do to lose the weight that you lost in the past? Whatever it was, you have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that weight loss is possible. Now all you have to do is replicate your own efforts until you get to your goal.

Seem too simple? That’s because it is. Try it and see for yourself.

4) Career Success

Some people will be able to recall a time in their lives when they were happier at work than they are right now. It might even be way back to when you were a teenager, and even working for minimum wage meant cash to have fun with your friends, or to go out with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

What was your state of mind like then? Was it steeped in topics such as freedom, happily spending the money that you were making, or even just getting an education or a level of work experience that brought you joy?

Compare that to how you might feel now. Does your present position (or lack thereof) fill you will joy, hope, and excitement? If not, then find a career option that does fill you with those feelings and you will have found a direct path back to your previous level of career satisfaction.

5) Personal Contentment

Are you more happy and content right now than you have ever been in your life? If you are, then don’t change a thing! However, for everyone else, plug in the same variables that have been discussed already.

When was the time in your life when you were the most happy and content? Again, this might have been a long time ago, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t recapture that same level of joy again.

Think back to what it was about your life that made you so happy back then. Yes, there may have been certain material or physical characteristics (money, better health, etc.), but try to block those out for a moment and think about why you were so happy.

It was likely due to a feeling of excitement for the future, a level of freedom, high self-confidence, etc. Even if you can’t replicate the actual circumstances from your past, you can – and should – replicate that state of mind. It’s a state of mind, meaning that you control it, and changing it won’t cost you a thing.

The bottom line to all of this is that even though your life may not be exactly what you want it to be right now, you can fill yourself with confidence and excitement for a brighter future by simply looking to your own past.

In any area of your life where your past was brighter than your present, you already have the irrefutable proof that you have it inside of you to be successful in that area.

Now all you have to do is copy your own notes!