Recently at a meeting of funeral home owners, I met a young owner who said, "Mike, I need some coaching, please help me. I want to be successful. What must I do?"

Well, we can’t fault him for laying it on the line. I was glad to share and asked him to make some notes. "There are many things one must do," I said, "and you should not expect to know it all in five minutes." But here are some tips...

Believe you can. Have the mental posture for success. It requires daily dedication to self-support, self-encouragement and positive self-talk. How much do you believe in you?

Create the environment. The right environment, supportive spouse, family, co-workers and more help make for a smooth ride. How conducive is your environment to attitude and success?

Have the right associations. Hang with the right people, other successful people. Network. Make the right friends. Stay away from poison – even if the poison is family. Have a mentor. How successful are the people you associate with?

Expose yourself to what’s new. New info is essential to success. If you are not learning everyday, your competition is. How much time are you spending each day on learning something new?

Plan for the day. Have goals and details. Are your plans and goals in front of you everyday?

Become valuable. In the community be less of a funeral director and more of a funeral educator. Your value is linked to your knowledge and willingness to help others. How valuable are you to others?

Take responsibility. Successful people take responsibility for everything they do and everything that happens to them. Don’t blame others. Do you blame or take responsibility?

Make mistakes. Sometimes the best teacher is failure. Don’t think of them as mistakes but as learning experiences. How willing are you to make mistakes?

Be willing to risk. No risk, no nothing! Most won’t risk because they fear the unknown. Risk is the basis of success. How willing are you to risk?

Balance yourself. Your physical, spiritual and emotional health are vital to your success quest. How balanced are you?

Stick with it until you win. Don’t quit on the ten yard line. Make a plan and a commitment to see things through. How many projects do you abandon before they are complete?

So, my young friend, there is no quick fix or secret sauce. But there is a secret formula. This is part of the formula. Are you willing to put forth the effort?