It would be great if we could envision the life we want today and tomorrow it becomes a reality. But life does not work that way. If we want a successful life, we have to put in the time and effort. The following are my four P’s of success, and they are powerfully vital to having the life you want.

1. Passion is the first P. Without passion you won’t enjoy your life, and loving life is a magnet for success. The passion on the inside of you will attract the things you love on the outside of you. This is true for both relationships and business. If you are in a relationship and you no longer want to be in that relationship, you begin to lose excitement and passion for it. At that point all you can see are the negative things, which starts to chip away at the love you have for the other person. Over time, there will be more arguments and disagreements. This is not because you hate the other person, but because you are no longer happy. You have lost the passion. Passion keeps you receptive to happiness and possibilities. Passion keeps you enjoying life, even on bad days.

So my advice is this: If you are not passionate about something, don’t do it. If you are not passionate about your relationship, kick it to the curb. If you are not passionate about your career, find something you love to do and then find a way to get paid for it. If looking at your bank account drains your passion, then sit down and make a plan to start saving more than you spend. If you want to enjoy your life, get some passion.

2. The next P is Purpose. When you lack purpose, you won’t feel fulfilled by anything you do. You won’t be inspired to give 100% effort, you’ll just go through life doing enough to get by. This way of living does not produce success, it creates mediocrity. Purpose gives you the will to get up each day, ready to share your talents and abilities with others.

For example, let’s say you are a nurse. You’re really good at what you do, but at the end of the day you feel like something is missing. You don’t feel like you did enough. Yes, you have a good job, it pays the bills and you can do some of the things you like. Yet each day you wake up full of dread. You get through the day by just doing the bare minimum until it’s time to go home. Not only are you not providing the best care to your patients, but you are not taking care of yourself when you are living without purpose. Maybe nursing – or whatever your current profession – is not your purpose. And that’s okay.

Find the thing that you are connected to in your soul and brings other people happiness – this is your purpose. Likely, this thing is already trying to find you. It is pushing at you, whispering in your ear, never leaving you alone. Your purpose wants to be heard, to be lived, to carry on its journey. When you live a life of purpose you are living a life of love.

3. The third P is Patience. It is true that patience is a virtue. For most of us, being patient does not come easy because we want things fast. However, without patience you will give up and stop, making excuses that dig you into a deep hole of denial. Excuses are not your friend because they lie to you. They tell you, “You wouldn’t have made it anyway,” and “You are better off staying where you are.” Don’t listen to that! You will make it if you keep trying, and you will never be better off settling for less than you deserve.

The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is the decision to keep going, despite challenges. As the saying goes, “success is not born, it is made,” so if you want it, start making your path and stick with it. What else will you to do, just sit around talking about all the things you should have done? Get up, get out and get it done. You’ve got this! Even if nobody else is with you, I am with you.

4. The last P is Planning. Without a plan, you will quickly get off track and lose focus on your goals. With a plan, you can stand firm when challenges come because you are prepared for them. An effective plan should take you on a journey from where you are now to where you want to be, without overwhelming you. When I ask clients what plan they have to create the life they want, their usual response is, “I am just doing things one step at a time.” Okay, but then where is the plan that lists out these steps?

By writing down your plan for achieving your dreams, you have a clear blueprint of where you are going. That means that even when your day gets hectic, you don’t have to try and remember what you were going to do. You simply look at your plan and know exactly what you are going to do. Our written plan is our objective way of staying grounded so we don’t move too fast or lose momentum. Think of your written plan as your navigation system. It spells out where you are going, and if you make a wrong turn it helps you get back to the right path. Get a plan and get serious about achieving your goals.

If you apply the four P’s of success in your life, you are sure to become more fabulous and reach your full potential.