His rule for success was: Everyday alive and breathing is success.

My new rule for wealth:  

I am wealthy when I can maintain the life quality I currently have for 12 months without having to work.   

 I am wealthy when I have the time to travel, exercise, study and meditate without being limited by a steady job.   

I am wealthy when I am healthy enough to exercise 4 times a week and do the things I love (martial arts, yoga, dancing) without any physical restrictions. 

I am wealthy when I have at least 2 ideas I can work on in the areas of life I am passionate about.   

 I am wealthy when I express my love to my family and friends whenever I speak to them.   

When I first did this I suddenly realized that I was in fact already wealthy. I also had the realization that even if I suddenly won the lottery, my life really wouldn't change that drastically!   When I changed my rules in the area of wealth, it also became a lot easier for me to acquire additional wealth. Since I was already wealthy, I was behaving and feeling like someone who is wealthy.   Do you think it is easier to acquire wealth when you already know you are wealthy? 

All of my rules are constructed in a way that I am in control of whether or not they are fulfilled. For example, one of my criteria for wealth is: ''I am wealthy when I express my love to my family and friends''. I am in control of whether or not I do this and it is important that you set your criteria in a way where you are in control.   If my criteria was: ''I am wealthy when my family and friends love me'', I would be setting myself up for failure because now the control is no longer in my hands.   What if my friend was angry and yelled at me one day and if my rule for love stated that someone who yells at you doesn't love you? I would mistakenly come to think that he didn't love me. At this point I will not only feel my friend doesn't love me, but I will no longer feel wealthy either.   This is the power of rules and it is important that you set them up in a way where you are in control. I once heard someone's rule for success, which I immediately adopted. 

His rule for success was: Everyday alive and breathing is success. Talk about setting yourself up for SUCCESS!   What happens if something in the external world happens and my rules for wealth are no longer fulfilled? Well, I just go ahead and change the criteria I have for that given rule. I am an expert meaning maker and I play in the world of meaning in whatever way will give me the most positive emotions and the highest quality of life. 

The Mind-Made Prison: Radical Self Help and Personal Transformation by Mateo Tabatabai