Congratulations! You stepped out there to fulfill your dreams. You clearly understand that having lasting, meaningful success means setting priorities and being focused on achieving your goals. You are not just a wish upon a star dreamer, your sleeves are rolled way up and the elbow grease is flowing. Soon, the success that began on the inside with purpose, determination, and vision will be bursting through the seams where others can see the impact. People will be talking all about your rising star momentum and your brilliant ideas. How fantastic!

You already know that people who study leadership and success found that highly successful people have this ability to delay gratification. Successful people have habits of self control motivated by big dreams - a desire to do something meaningful. But when did you decide that delaying gratification also meant waiting for your joy?

Joy. Not just joy, unspeakable joy!

That sense of good cheer, absolute delight, sheer elation, great happiness, incredible bliss. How strong are you feeling it today?

Yes, you must be serious about the work. Yes, you must prioritize. Yes, you must focus. Yes of course that determination and the no excuses attitude helps tremendously. Yes, it must be meaningful enough to put down or put aside things (and people) that get in the way of building strong habits of success.

And while you delay the gratification to reach that long term goal, do not delay your joy. You do not have to wait until the dream is achieved and the celebration begins to feel unspeakable joy. I know there is a certain joy that will come from the achievement. This may be the joy you are focused on but is not the only joy life has to offer.

Today, I encourage you to create, notice, feel & express even more of your joy. I invite you to do what you can to feel unspeakable joy right now. Right here, in this moment. Find joy in areas of your life and circumstances that are and are not related to your delayed gratification. You will see how these joys, help you stay strong and focused while that long term gratification is being delayed.

Here are five ways to feel even more unspeakable joy in this moment:

Decide to Have Unspeakable Joy

It is often the decision to have more joy that begins to create more joy. You are a capable intelligent creative person. When you set your mind to doing something, it gets done. So why not set your mind to feel more joy in this moment and in every day.

Be Present in Your Current Situation

Yes, things may be down but not out, bent but not broken and there is unspeakable joy even right there where you are reading this. When we are young, we want to be old. When we get old we wish we were young again. When it's hot, we spend time wishing for cooler places. When it is day, we can't wait for night. When it's Monday, we are already, like the O'Jays, living for the weekend. My point is this, with apologizes to Joni Mitchell (& Janet too), don't let it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone. Notice more of the joys in your current circumstances by being fully present. If you seriously can't be joyful about your current circumstance, find joy in knowing it won't last forever.

Name At Least 5 Things that Bring You Unspeakable JOY

Don't be shy. No one is judging you here. Nobody needs to cosign on what brings you joy. However, if you have not experienced more than three of these things in the last seven days, scratch that list and start a new one. The incredible India Arie says it best when she sings "it's the little things." You may enjoy sitting outside on your break listening to the wind blow through the trees. You may enjoy reading a story that takes you to another place. You may enjoy dancing till your shoes fall off. You may enjoy getting dressed up as your favorite comic book character for a convention. Your list is your personal list.

Speak Gratitude for 10 Joyful Things about This Day

Aside from your list of unspeakable joys, name 10 things that have already happened to and for you since you woke up today that brought you authentic joy. Challenge yourself regularly to create this list within 2 minutes, 1 minute, or 30 seconds. Yes, extra credit is given for a longer list.

Spread Joy to Someone Else

There is nothing more effective for generating your own joy as spreading, giving, sharing joy with others. Look around you and find someone that could use more joy. Speak an encouraging word. Do something courteous and considerate for someone that you have absolutely no reason to be nice to. Say please and thank you to everyone. If you are up for an even bigger challenge, spread real joy to someone you don't like just for the joy of being kind.

Author's Bio: 

Adrienne Fikes, M.Ed., C.S.C is the Soul Power Coach™. She coaches creative, compassionate thinkers and business owners living with "Absent-Minded Professor Syndrome" because they have big ideas about being of service to the world but are often afraid of their own talents. She lovingly call them her "butterfly chasers" because they usually come to her struggling with indecision over a career change that incorporates their natural gifts or drowning in a sea of over commitment and stress from their business. Generally they are already pretty awesome people who need more peace of mind to be comfortable taking the initiative and risks required to exist within a seriously creative space. Many also feel like they are searching for a new tribe that "gets them." As soon as they stop talking themselves out of reaching for help, she shows them exactly how to be more laser-focused, balanced, accountable, and accomplished by embracing their own Soul Power. For more information about living with Soul Power, visit http://www.mysoulpower.net You may also connect with Adrienne, the Soul Power Coach on Twitter (soulpowercoach), Google+ (SoulPower Coach), and Facebook (Soul Power Coach)