When I was small I loved to be read fairy tales at bedtime. Lots of scary and dreadful things would happen and at the end the handsome prince would rescue the fair maiden, (me!), and they would all live happily ever after in a beautiful castle!

You can make your dreams come true! I mean it! I've seen many women use this simple recipe for creating their own happiness. What do you want to do? Is it really to lose 10lb, have a designer wardrobe, drive a beautiful convertible car and have a holiday in the Bahamas with comprehensive room service? You may not be completely clear on what you really want.

What really matters to you? You can find out today. Imagine that you are very old, near the end of your life, and that you have had a happy and fulfilling life. Sit in your comfy old rocking chair and remember all the things you have done, the places you have been, the people you have loved and the lessons life has taught you. Relax, smile and take your time.

Write down what you discovered. What was really important to you? Make a list with all the components of your ideal life. You've made a good start. You may find it helpful to cluster the things that go together, for example put all health related things in one block and the home related things in another. You may have blocks for health, relationships, knowledge and skills, home, etc.

Do you want to find the answer of how to make your dreams come true? Pick one area of your life to work on now. Think of all the ways you could make your dream come true. Don't hold back or assess each one for merit - just let the ideas flow out. Jot these ideas down. Now you've thought of every single one, imagine you have a dear friend who wants to reach the same dream and consider all the things that they could do. Write these down too. Are there any that you can add to your list?

Now choose what you will do this month to start the ball rolling. I suggest you make a date in your diary to take your first action. Then choose a treat to reward yourself for taking action; this will help make the journey fun and keep your motivation high. Finally make a third date in your diary to congratulate yourself on your progress and decide what to do next.

I've seen many women use this simple recipe to take control for creating their own happiness. One client was bored working in an office and hated being inside all day. She earned the same whether she gave it her all or not. She was overweight. She wanted to enjoy work and had also vowed to get fit before she reached 40. She happened to take her dog to the vet for vaccinations and the vet commented on how it was unusual to see such a healthy dog and how so many were overweight. She decided to start her own dog walking business. She gave it her all and 12 months later had a thriving small business walking dogs. She earned slightly more than she had in her office job, lost weight and gained control over the hours she worked.

What will you cook up when you use the recipe for success?