March is International Expect Success Month, so for the four Fridays this month, I’ll be talking about success from a variety of angles.

What you focus on expands. Therefore, when you focus on success, you are not only more likely to find it, but you are more likely to find the lessons found in the “failures” along the way to success.

However, if you obsess and worry over details, continuously looking for the “failures” along the way to success … guess what you’ll find? Yep, you guessed it — Failure.

So how do you cultivate an expectation of success? Here are some tips:

• Work on your attitude. When you have a positive, forward-thinking, upbeat attitude, you are more likely to expect success. Attitude is a choice. Whenever someone asks me how I’m doing, regardless of how I feel I answer with something like, “Fantastic!” or “Awesome!” or “Spiffy!” or “Dandy” or … you get the point. I choose, in each and every moment that I can, to be happy and feel great.Does this mean that I don’t get down? Of course not. Sometimes something happens that is totally worth a cry. So I embrace the sadness long enough to cleanse it from my system, and I do my best not to bring others down along the way.
• Acknowledge the blessings in your life. Use gratitude and celebration to acknowledge the good things that happen to you. Did you just land a new client? Do a happy dance! Did you just finish a particularly tasty meal? Be grateful for the food and the flavor. Did one of your listings on eBay just sell? Celebrate your success!Blessings happen to us all day long. Sometimes they are big and bold. Sometimes they are small and subtle. But when you make the effort to acknowledge them, you will find yourself noticing them more and more.
• Use body language to increase your happiness and confidence. Stand in a power stance for two minutes a day. Research by Amy Cuddy shows that doing so can literally change your body chemistry making you feel more confident. Smile more often. Research shows that smiling also changes how we feel and can cultivate more positive emotions.I’ve incorporated the power stance into my morning routine and have found that I am feeling much more confident in my life. I’ll even find myself holding more powerful poses throughout the day, without even thinking about it!

Originally created for the TidBitts.com platform, launched in September of 2014, my content on Fridays helps you “Own Your Awesome” in the eight facets of your life.