If I ask you where you want to be in five years, are you going to place yourself in a better or worse set of circumstances? Oftentimes, the pursuit of our goals is based strictly on the improvement of our circumstances. Is it any wonder that we miss the truth that circumstances are really irrelevant to our success or failure? After all, where we envision ourselves to be is a matter of perspective based on where we are now, and the people who are already where we wish to be have no desire to stay there. Success originates within the heart and mind. It manifests itself by creating positive changes in our behavior that propel us through life. Focusing solely on improving your circumstances is a lot like treating a headache by rubbing an aspirin against your forehead. When we choose to polish our characters, then our circumstances improve naturally as a side effect of living a life of excellence.