If this is striking a chord with you then it is probably because the exact opposite is happening in your life right now, no matter how hard you keep trying. Everything you start, every relationship, every new project seems to be a struggle and frequently ends in failure - and you have no idea why.

The most successful people never expect to fail and it is a skill that can be learned and more about that later, but that is only part of the story. Successful people do not make excuses, they do not create artificial obstacles and they do not invent mental barriers. These are the kind of things that make the difference between real success and failure and if you can learn to overcome them, then everything you want to accomplish in life can be yours.

So let’s start from the beginning. Ask yourself what happens every time you want to start something new. Are you visualising outcomes, can you see everything working out well, do you instantly identify all the benefits together with the joys and pleasures that these will offer?

The answer to that is almost certainly yes and based on that desire many people will embark on this new venture filled with optimism and hope and the certainty that this time they will really achieve and succeed at everything.

However, once the initial excitement has faded then many will then start to create the barriers that have always prevented them from succeeding in the past. Real success requires action, a key part of powerful positive thinking and this is when the excuses really start to kick in.

I call it “What If” syndrome and it goes something like this. What if I start that new job and I fail; what if this new relationship does not work; what if this new business means that I lose everything; what if I move and lose all my friends – you get the idea.

What if is the exact opposite of everything you want to achieve because it prevents you from going forward? You have created a synthetic fear factor where none existed before and you have effectively paralysed any chance of attracting the thing you want most from ever working out.

You have created excuses for doing absolutely nothing. You have identified the goals but now fear the possibility of attaining them because it has become a step into the unknown and you are now way outside your comfort zone.

Successful people who are used to winning go about things in a totally different way. They first identify what they want to achieve and then assess the risks – for them the “What If” syndrome comes in at the front end.

Before they decide to press the go button they create a strategy by looking at all the things that could go wrong and then make the decision based on real facts. If at that stage they decide that what they want is unlikely to work out then the idea is rejected and that is why successful people always seem to be on the winning side.

They have worked out that they will succeed once again because they have already discarded the excuses and fears and have now started taking real action to ensure that everything they want is delivered on time. They have also used buckets of common sense to keep their objectives realistic – another key factor when delivering powerful positive thinking.

Successful people start working on their goals once they have decided on a clear objective and while they may occasionally be hindered by unforeseen events that no one can really factor in, the odds are very much stacked in their favour.

It is however your choice. If you are comfortable making excuses then please do not envy or blame others. The only thing that is really preventing your success – is you – so what are you going to do about it.

Could this be the day when you stop making excuses?