Depending on whom you ask, success means different things. If you were to ask me, I'd say it means having a career that revolves around my real life. If you were to ask my cat, she'd say it involves finding a way to catch, immobilize and destroy her own tail. The first step in achieving success is often deciding what it means to you.

Chances are your answer is similar to mine. But whatever your version of success, people who want to be successful should mimic the behaviors of the great ones who came before them. These behaviors include:

Follow your talents. It's helpful to be passionate about your pursuits, but passion without talent is like a car without a full tank of gas -- it won't get you as far as you want to go. The book The Element discusses this: no matter what you are good at -- whether it's writing, drawing, computer coding or motivational speaking -- focus on that area and keep pursuing it. Everyone has a gift, so find yours and put in the time to make yourself better at it.