Can there be anyone on the planet that doesn’t know what the Super Bowl is? Whether you watch it or not, more than a billion people will be watching this bad boy today in at least 65 countries around the world. It’s a monster whether you have a favored horse in the race or not.

This year pits two teams together that got to this game in different ways. One team, the New England Patriots, were expected to be here. They’ve shown a consistent pattern of success over the years by following the same formula, even when they change players. The other team, the New York Giants, got here through sheer determination, as they were literally at the point where if they lost one more game their season was done, and they’ve run off an impressive string of unexpected wins.

What this proves is that there’s no one way to attain success, yet there are things that everyone should think about in some fashion so that they can achieve success in their lives. Yes, this is one of those motivational posts of mine and to coincide with Super Bowl XLVI, or 46, I’ve come up with 46 ways that we all can reach our own pinnacle of success, our own Super Bowl. And think of it this way; whether you win it or not, do you think that if you finished close to your ultimate dreams that you won’t have succeeded in life? As a friend of mine once pointed out, success sometimes happens by only a nose; second place pays very well.

These are in no particular order except the first and last one; enjoy the day!

1. Believe in yourself
2. Believe in a purpose
3. Have a dream to pursue
4. Dream big
5. Share your dream with your best friends
6. If they don’t like your dream, find new friends that will
7. Learn everything you can about your dream
8. Never be afraid to take chances on things you want
9. Research to make more informed decisions
10. Think positively about things you want to do
11. Don’t be reckless but don’t fear change
12. Find mentors you can follow, whether they know it or not
13. Find like minded people who also have a vision, whether it’s the same as yours or not
14. Motivation is always a good thing to have
15. It’s never a bad thing to have to get motivated again; we have to eat and bathe often as well
16. There will be setbacks; realize it, and let them roll off your back
17. Nobody is perfect; learn from your mistakes
18. If you follow what someone else did word for word it might not always work for you, so only use it as a guide
19. Make plans to attain your ultimate dreams
20. Set goals both reachable and unattainable so you can show successes while always striving for more
21. Don’t do things you know aren’t right for you even if everyone else is doing it
22. If you need help, ask for it
23. Don’t lie to yourself; you won’t respect yourself for it in the morning
24. If you need time to reflect on things, take it; just don’t go away too long
25. Don’t do things because they’re popular; do them because they’re fun
26. Don’t forget to take care of yourself while you’re reaching for the stars
27. Work on reaching your goals and you’ll find that your success will attract others
28. Don’t always look for the next big thing; it will distract you and could harm you
29. Don’t trust or distrust others without reason; no one gets successful on their own
30. Just because you have plans and goals doesn’t mean you can’t alter them on the fly
31. Always take time to help someone along the way if they ask for it; you won’t believe the dividends it will pay later
32. Hold yourself accountable for working towards your dreams
33. If you need one, a vision board of things you want when you become successful might help
34. Always have a priority list of what’s most important in your life
35. Don’t limit what you want in life; doing that limits how hard you’ll work for it
36. The biggest, strongest, smartest, richest or bravest aren’t always the ones who’ll succeed before you
37. Loyalty, honesty and trustworthiness will bring you more joy and success than you can imagine
38. Imagination is your friend; no one ever created something special without it
39. Always think of the greater good while you’re reaching for your dreams
40. Wealth is always attainable; make sure you have your internal infrastructure ready to handle it
41. Take in the beauty around you; if you don’t think you have any, then go find some
42. Love your family; success means nothing without someone to share it with
43. Finish things; many people have great ideas that they never complete
44. Open up to others but don’t ever tell them things they might use against you later on
45. Support the dreams of others; give advice when you can if they’ll accept it
46. Nobody is better than you; are you feeling that now?