Got a minute? According to author Willie Jolley, that’s all you need to make a change that lasts a lifetime. By taking 60 seconds to make a decision and act on it, Jolley says, you take the first and most important step toward getting all you want out of life.

Jolley’s book, It Only Takes a Minute to Change Your Life (1997, St. Martin’s Press, 1-888-2motiv8), is divided into short segments you can read in a minute, so even the busiest salesperson has time for motivation. Your life is in your hands, so take a minute, take these suggestions to heart and let Jolley lead you in a more successful direction.

1.  Discover your dream. Most of us have to work for survival, but extra achievement calls for extra motivation. When the carrot at the end of your stick is the dream vacation to Europe or the summer home in the Bahamas you’ve always wanted, Jolley says, you will be more motivated to give 100 percent every day. “If you look at successful people from around the country and the world,” he says, “you notice a common element among them. They all have a dream or a vision of where they will fit in the future.”

For those that have let the responsibilities and pressures of adulthood blind them to the dreams they had as children, Jolley uses an exercise to help them rediscover their heart’s desire. “Imagine going to the doctor and being told that you have only a year to live, but that the rare illness you have insulates you from failure,” he suggests. “Everything you write down and attempt, you will achieve. It is amazing how many people do that exercise and say, ‘Wow, I forgot I wanted to do that.’ The one-year time limit helps people to reconnect with their dreams.”

2.  Set goals. Once people reconnect with their dreams, they need to connect the present reality with the future fantasy. Between your current position and your dream lies a chasm, and only a bridge of goals will get you across. “You have to have a dream first,” says Jolley, “but then you have to have goals. A goal is nothing more than a dream with a deadline. Many people who have dreams don’t know how to reach them, and that’s where goals come into play.”

Jolley advises writing your goals down and reading them three times a day: once in the morning to get you focused; once in the afternoon to help neutralize demotivating experiences and help you regain your focus; and once before going to sleep to embed your goals in your subconscious. Frequent goal review should help strengthen your commitment to your goals and ensure ongoing progress.

3. Avoid the dream killers. To bring your dreams to life, don’t put them in jeopardy. Guard them carefully against things like your own and other people’s negativity, plus fear and mediocrity, Jolley says. “The number one thing that can kill your dreams is you,” he asserts. “We all sell ourselves out of our best ideas, but one good idea that is implemented and put to use can change the world.

You must stop using negative words and start using positive, affirming words. We must overcome the enemies within ourselves, then overcome the negative people around us who suffer from possibility blindness.”

According to Jolley, another big thing we have to fear is fear itself. “Most people have fears that shackle them,” he says, but refusing to be intimidated by fear sets you free. “Fear not that you might fail,” says Jolley, quoting from Dr. Robert Schuller’s book “Success is Never Ending and Failure is Never Final”, “fear that you will never succeed if you are unwilling to try and take risks.”

Finally, Jolley says high standards make for great achievements. When he tries to explain the importance of striving for excellence, he lets Oprah Winfrey do the talking. “I saw Oprah Winfrey on television one night,” he says, “and she was asked for the key to her success. In response, she said: ‘I pursued excellence. I gave my best in all that I did. Excellence is like truth. You can cover it over, cut it down or try and bury it but it will always rise to the top.'”

4. Make a commitment. You have to consider the obstacles, hardship and disappointment that lie between you and your goals and be willing to take your lumps to reach them. “Commitment is very important,” says Jolley. “How bad do you want to succeed? Are you serious about it? Or do you have more of a ‘let’s try and see what happens’ attitude? If you are committed, all manner of things will happen that wouldn’t if you weren’t committed.”

Almost anything worth achieving will probably entail some sacrifice, but don’t let that stop you. Things won’t always go as you planned – be prepared for unpleasant surprises and try to turn them to your advantage instead of letting them stop you in your tracks.

5. Make a change. By replacing what you’ve always thought and done with more constructive beliefs and more productive habits you open up new windows of opportunity. Jolley tells the story of a young man searching for the secret to success: “He came to a wise man and asked, ‘What do I have to do to become a success?’ The wise man said, ‘You have to change your thinking and change what you do, the way you act. And finally you have to be willing to make some sacrifices to make your goals become reality.’ The young man paused and reflected and then walked away. Many have heard what it takes to be successful but refuse to change and therefore choose to fail.”

Change always involves a degree of uncertainty, but you can choose to face it , take a chance and get everything you deserve out of life or stick with what you know and settle for what you have. What’s your decision?

“The minute you decide and take action on your dreams is the minute you change your life,” Jolley says. “You can either go with the flow that life directs you in or direct the flow and determine your destination.” In just 60 seconds, you can make a decision to alter the course of your destiny. Make up your mind to make the most of your life.

Based on an interview for Selling Power Live! by Lisa Ferrari.