cartwheel fun exercise desert
Flickr/Amy Selleck
Success.
Sometimes we taste it. 
Sometimes we touch it. 
Sometimes we feel it. 
That intoxicating, yet elusive feeling we experience when we achieve our desired goal, task or dream. Each day we’re faced with many choices. Some are big and some are small but remember – and this is key – every one of these choices is important. The sum of what we choose determine if we succeed. 
You can teach yourself to make good choices. Below are 21 choices you can train yourself to make, day by day, in order to succeed. This isn't a magic list that I have pulled out of thin air but choices that SUCCESSFUL people make each and every day… Olympic Athletes, CEO’s, Pastors, Generals and World Leaders. 
1) Get up early.  Stop hitting the snooze button and start your day. Most “noise” starts after 9 a.m., so by getting up early you can get the average person’s day done before they even arrive at work.
2) Eat healthy. Find out what works for you and stick to it. Think of food as FUEL, and fill your body with it. Eliminate everything that doesn’t make you run smoother. Try lean meats, fresh vegetables, nuts, seeds and a little fruit. It’s that simple and more than enough to keep you running at peak performance.
3) Take a risk. When you choose to take a risk you also accept the chance to fail. In making this choice, you learn. If you aren’t choosing to take a risk once in a while you simply aren’t learning.
4) Add value. You can do a little or you can do a lot but is what you’re doing actually adding value? Take a second and make the choice that pushes you to add value. If you acknowledge it, you’re adding it.
5) No excuses – ever. "He that is good at making excuses is seldom good at anything else" – Benjamin Franklin. Read this: 3 simple steps to kill the quitter inside.
6) Be tenacious. It’s not easy to keep going when everyone and everything seems to be against you. Your persistent determination is what sets you apart from those who only wish. Make the choice to keep going when others quit.
7) Get your rest. You can only do so much on coffee and exercise. Your body needs to shut down. If you can’t get 8 hours a day then figure out how to incorporate a nap. Winston Churchill said so eloquently  – “Nature has not intended mankind to work from eight in the morning until midnight without that refreshment of blessed oblivion which, even if it only lasts twenty minutes, is sufficient to renew all the vital forces.”
8) Find your purpose. This is what drives you. It fuels your decisions and satisfies your passion. If for some reason you are finding yourself making choices that are leading you away from your purpose STOP IMMEDIATELY and get yourself back in alignment. Every choice you make must be aligned with your purpose on this earth.
9) Accept yourself. There is no use hoping you’re going to be someone else. Face yourself. This is YOU. Once you choose to accept this undeniable fact, then and only then can you work on being the best YOU that you can be.
10) Practice self-discipline. Just do it. The slogan has certainly been well used and for good reason…IT WORKS. If you want to do something, make the choice and do it. Discipline yourself – start small and learn how to do it for you. Read this: The battle of self-discipline
11) Build support networks. We all need it but few of us allow it into our lives. Choose to allow yourself to be supported. You’re not “Atlas,” you don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.
12) Value honesty. It’s easy to tell a white lie. For some, those “white lies” have become a way of life. Make the choice to be impeccable with your words and see your influence grow.
13) Exercise. This isn’t a choice. Simply put, if you’re not choosing to exercise on a daily basis you’re killing yourself. I’m not saying that you have to go run 10k, lift heavy things off the ground or pass out after a killer spin class. What I am saying is, find a way to MOVE your body. “Humans must be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves” – Kelly Starrett.
14) Do your best. Personally, I find this to be the most important choice for me each day. I’m constantly training myself to question if “I’m doing my best” when involved in an action. It’s this constant questioning that forces me to push that one ounce further or be that much better than I thought I could be.
15) Have faith. You must believe in yourself and the direction you’ve chosen. If you doubt for a moment, it will come back to haunt you. How many times have you NOT followed that “gut instinct” and found yourself in an undesirable outcome? We intuitively know what is right for us. Stick with that choice.
16) Be decisive. Out of all the traits that successful people have, the ability to be DECISIVE consistently ranks as one of the highest. A decisive choice means ACTION, and it means NOW. Leave the waiting to those who can’t pick a flavor of ice cream. Chocolate Chip Mint… Move on. A good read is Decisive Action.
17) Ask for advice. A mentor, mastermind or confidant needs to be part of your arsenal. The ability to have someone to bounce ideas off of is essential in helping you reach your goals. You aren’t expected to have all the answers and you don’t start out on your path with a detailed road map. The choice to be vulnerable and to ask for advice from a trusted adviser is when your true strength sometimes materializes.
18) Fix your attitude. Only you can choose how you’re going to start and end your day. You can get out of bed ready to take on the world but then stub your toe while getting into the shower and WHAM… watch out world, “Godzilla” is on the move. OR you can choose to condition yourself to keeping your attitude in check. The simple act of breathing for a second (mindfully breathing) can prevent you from escalating your attitude into places you don’t want it to go.
19) Play. Make the choice to fill a portion of your day with play. Define what play means for you and honor this daily. Play can be tasting fine wine, enjoying a new foodie experience, coaching your child’s sport, 10 min of Solitaire, picking up the Stratocaster—it doesn’t matter what it is. Just make the choice to put play ahead of a mindless distraction or yet another project on your tic list.
20) Appreciate what you have. Appreciate what you have and stop choosing to “try to keep up with the Jones.” We’re living in an ever-increasing entitlement society where more, more, more is becoming the norm. You’ve worked hard to accumulate what you have. Enjoy it. Choose to appreciate what you have rather than moving on to the next bright and shiny thing (whatever that thing may be). How about just appreciating YOU. Check out the words of wisdom over at Simple Mindfulness.
21) Say NO. Learn this one. You can’t be all things to everyone at all times. It may be a hard choice, but one you must learn if you truly want to be a success and role model for others.
If your week isn’t filled with making the right choices on the above list then get ready to be happy with where you are now. You’re going to stay there for a while. Yes, I’m being BOLD throwing that out there at you! Sometimes it takes BOLD action to move forward and I’m making a choice by writing this to you.
This post originally appeared at The Good Men Project. Copyright 2013.