Tiffany's life-tini

Through UndercoverWear, I have always encouraged women to “Dream Big” and “Live Your Dreams”. So based on that, I started thinking about how I have achieved the level of success that I wanted.

First of all, I have always set my goals. For example, on our honeymoon, when most couples are thinking about SEX, I made a list of all the things I wanted to accomplish in my life. (Oh yes, I’m sure that just tickled my new husband. Sex or goal setting – which do you think he would’ve preferred?)

Some of my goals were quite simple– like having a wine and cheese picnic or enjoying a beautiful sunset. Other goals were much more elaborate. Specifically I wrote that I wanted to become a millionaire. Yep, you read correctly. Here I was 21 years old, sitting in a lovely log cabin in New Hampshire and I declared that I would become a millionaire. Rather aggressive, don’t you think?

I suppose that if I said to my family and friends that I wanted to build a multi-million dollar business, have my own jet plane, travel around the world, own 5 homes at the same time and appear on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, they would’ve told me I was “nuts.” Those things just don’t happen to two “kids” living in a three-tenement house in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

So how did WJJ and I achieve our goals? I’m sure it was because everything came so darn easily for us.

Let’s see, the first 2 years of our marriage, we invested our entire life savings into a modular home company. We got lots of orders and then the company informed us that they couldn’t actually produce the home –so we lost everything.

Then we opened our first retail store. It became quite successful so WJJ quit his position with IBM. The day after he left his job, our store burned to the ground with no insurance. We now had no jobs, no store, and no money.

And then of course at 9 years old our son Jamie developed Reyes Syndrome and we were told he wouldn’t live through the night.

Hmmm…maybe it wasn’t so “easy” after all.

Subsequent to all these events I was interviewed for Savvy Magazine. The reporter asked me what obstacles I had overcome to achieve success. Honestly, I couldn’t remember one single thing. I guess I didn’t allow myself to get stuck on anything negative that had transpired in the past. I had banished all that “stuff” from my memory. Notice I said banished –not vanished. I took those negatives and threw them away –then didn’t just disappear.

In addition, as many of you know, despite the adversity –I will often make the story humorous.   You can ask me about Jamie’s Reyes Syndrome. Believe me there are several funny stories I have developed. Why? Because through the grace of God, Jamie lived–That simple.

So here are my “Do’s”

I DO believe that life is not a spectator sport.   I also know you have to believe in yourself–believe in your dreams and believe that you deserve happiness and success.

And finally there are the “Don’ts”

Don’t think about the “What if’s” –think about What is.

Don’t regret –looking back stops you from looking ahead.

Don’t be daunted by failure. Everyone has failed at least once in his or her life.

Don’t be daunted by others. Some will believe in you others will try to drag you down.

Don’t be daunted by disappointments. A disappointment is merely a setback –not a stop sign

Don’t give up–the hour that you embrace failure is one hour before success was about to happen.

And finally Success is a journey not a destination.