The Success Guidebook: How to Visualize, Actualize, and Amplify You

by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

An inspirational guide for visualizing and actualizing success on a personal and professional level.

Author Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, master life coach and founder of The Best Ever You Network has long espoused that we must redefine success for our authentic selves—a one-size fits-all-concept is not only outdated but unworkable. Success is so much more than data or the dollars in our bank account. True success is reflected in the smiles that brighten our faces and the peace that settles in our hearts. It's the gratitude we seek in all things and the intention and actions being our very best in each moment.

In The Success Guidebook, readers will find inspiration, motivation, and a pathway to live their best, most fulfilling life. By implementing Elizabeth’s unique Ten Factors of Success—the behaviors consistently exhibited by people who stand out and behave with world-class excellence—readers will learn how to finally overcome the stubborn obstacles that have stood in their way and harness the power to move forward with clarity, a renewed purpose, and the personalized confidence to build a life of bold, brave, and infinite possibilities. Included are profiles of 20 people who exemplify these principles. Here’s the You don’t need to be on a national or international platform to be world-class. You can have it right in your own home, to be and feel successful in each and every moment of your life. This book will help you learn how to tap into world-class behaviors and get the results you desire—at last.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction

241 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2024

About the author

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is one of the world’s leading voices in personal development and peaceful leadership, inspiring a global movement toward authenticity, compassion, and change. She is a bestselling and award-winning author, certified Master Coach, and founder of The Best Ever You Network, a global multimedia platform reaching millions through its network, magazine, coaching programs, and internationally acclaimed podcast, The Best Ever You Show, which has more than 5 million downloads worldwide.

With a combined social media reach of over 500,000 followers, Elizabeth has built an engaged community dedicated to living with authenticity, purpose, and heart. For over two decades, she has helped individuals, teams, and organizations navigate change and cultivate resilience through her compassionate and practical approach to transformation.
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Elizabeth is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Change Guidebook, The Success Guidebook, The Peace Guidebook and Percolate: Let Your Best Self Filter Through (coauthored with Dr. Katie Eastman), and numerous children’s books. Her work redefines change, success, and peace as daily practices rooted in awareness, aligned action, and shared humanity.
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With a degree in journalism from St. Ambrose University and leadership studies at Harvard Business School, Elizabeth brings both professional depth and lived experience to her work. She is a leading advocate for food allergy awareness, having survived multiple life-threatening anaphylactic reactions and serving as a spokesperson and board member for the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT). She also coaches gymnastics at the Maine Academy of Gymnastics, encouraging young athletes to build confidence, courage, and joyful strength.

Elizabeth lives between Maine and South Carolina with her husband, Peter, and their two dogs and two rescue cats. They have four grown sons who continue to inspire their dedication to lead with love and leave a legacy of peace.

Reviews

[Emma_bookaholic]

This is a good read although I felt the start was too baseball/sport heavy for me. I did like reading how to get from A to B when it comes to making a goal and the steps to get there though. Putting the goals into your own life, what do you want out of life? How to become successful yourself.

This book has scenario's and exercises to fill out which is good as it gets you thinking about your own experiences. I like how the chapters are broken down into sections.

I also like how easy this was to read, find your inner self, let it shine through, create relationships, network with like minded people and you will find you can help each other. It's ok to say no sometimes if you don't feel it would benefit you, you have to know your limits as it were but also, sometimes you need to push through the boundaries to change your outlook on things, to make changes, things can't always stay the same.

Learn from past and new experiences and relationships, friendships etc, they all add something in their own way.

[Erin Snow]

I read 30% of the ARC of The Success Guidebook. I am stopping at this point because I feel like the tone was set for the book by this point. One of the things I find most helpful in a self help book is really application techniques which this doesn’t have. It’s written in a I give you stories/examples on a topic and you reflect kind of way. This isn’t inherently bad it’s just not a technique that I find to be the most helpful.

The other issue with this ARC is that it’s meant to be more like a workbook so reading it in ebook format does not work. It takes to long to rewrite the workbook pages and you can’t do that without having to rewrite the questions or the context. So it basically nullifies the parts where you are supposed to reflect if you are not able to easily write.

[E.J. Yerzak]

Elizabeth has done it again! This multi-faceted approach to success explores what it truly means to be successful, the many forms success takes, and how to act on the things we need to do to achieve it. The stories woven throughout this guide really bring a personal touch to each chapter and help illustrate each theme.

[Avinash Priya]

Success isn’t just about how much money you make, because money can disappear in a heartbeat, and suddenly, your net worth could drop to zero. Real success is about what stands the test of time. It’s shaped by your attitude and the people you surround yourself with. These are the things that truly make you successful, not just the numbers in your bank account.

Covered in three clear sections ‘Visualise, Actualise, and Amplify’ the book is packed with actionable steps and strategies that help readers see their potential, plan effectively, and boost their efforts to reach new heights of success. The flow from imagining your success to celebrating it makes the content easy to follow and encourages real world application.

By covering her own experience and of others this book comes is a practical and inspiring guide for anyone looking to take charge of their life and achieve their goals. Without mixing up too much of details the author covers everything in simple and straightforward language. The best part about the book is that you don’t need a background in business or self help to understand the ideas.

Each chapter provides tools you can use right away, and offers extra resources for those who want to dive even deeper. Too often, self help books focus on individual effort alone, but this one reminds readers that working with others can amplify success in surprising ways.

AN absolute motivating read that provides a step by step framework for success that anyone can follow. It's perfect for anyone who wants a no nonsense, easy to read and understand guide on how to level up their life.

[Randye Kaye]

Success is defined by each of us in our own way - but without clarity, how do we know? And how to get there?
Once in touch with our own value, once visualized, how do we navigate the paths - and detours - along the way?
It's all right here in this guidebook - from the authentic, accomplished, generous creator of the Best Ever You Network. I especially love the collaborative nature of this, with many people's stories of resilience, mistakes made, bravery, lessons learned, and success.
Devour this book. Take notes, take steps, and come away inspired and guided.

[Susan Gould]

Elizabeth knocked this guidebook out of the park!!!!

Elizabeth conveyed an evolved approach to how we each interpret success and I can place the interpretation of success from previous generations aside. As the stories unfold, I have a greater appreciation that the path to success isn't a straight line. Success can be achieved with a squiggly line of ups and downs. Elizabeth coaches and guides us to overcome obstacles with changing our mindsets.

Great read, resource and challenges at the end of each chapter. I will refer to this book for years to come.

[Lucille Guarino]

Insightful as it is practical

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino’s approach to success is all-encompassing - comprehensive without being extreme, flexible but not submissive - where self-introspection is the better alternative to coasting in neutral. Her guidance and strategic tools can apply to anyone at any point in their life and are measured by doing what makes one happy rather than the perception of others. Highly recommend.

[Kirsty Crawford]

I’m not usually one for non-fiction unless it’s an autobiography or memoir. This was really brilliant laid out with very easy to follow steps.

I love that there are exercises at the end of each chapter to really solidify understanding and make it relevant to your own life. I also loved the inspiring stories that were shared throughout.

I also love that the topics are very easy to flick back to meaning it can be used and will help many for years to come.

[Lauren Flewett]

Who doesn’t like a self-help book and who doesn’t like success??

The author splits this success guidebook into three main chunks to succeed - Visualise, Actualise and Amplify. Each of these three topics are then split into three to four subsections to further break it down. This makes it really easy to digest.

I loved the fact that exercises were included so you could further engage with what you had read.

A great little read for anyone looking to succeed.

[Tom Ruse]

Success defined by one of the best

Elizabeth delivers again with her latest release. Too often people are caught up in other people’s definition of success. With her latest release, The Success Guideboook, Elizabeth guides her readers to define success on their own terms.

[Ric Keller]

I love this book! Practical tips that are easy to apply!

[Jenn Drews]

This book is fabulous: Elizabeth is a great storyteller. Her books are easy to read and understand with practical tips along with real life stories to help keep the book lively.

[April]

This is Elizabeth's guide on success, where she takes on a journey to success.

The book itself is very striking with that cover, instantly drawing you in.

The format itself is very straightforward and simple to navigate through with the book split up into 3 sections : 1 Visualise, 2 Actualise, and 3 Amplify.

It is easy to get to the section you need to get to.

Elizabeth shares many inspirational stories and anecdotes in an attempt to help cement her explanations of the 10 Steps to Success, and this is really helpful in supporting reader understanding.

She has lots of hints and tips to help the reader and allow them to practice her advice.

I also thought the drawing of the 10 Steps to Success was incredibly helpful, and this also fed nicely into how Elizabeth chose to split up her book!

If you are looking at working on your success, then this is a good book to help guide you 😀.

[Jackie Rose]

This book is a life-line. Absolutely brilliant! It is packed with 80 success tips, stories, journal prompts and somehow the author has managed to seamlessly create a masterclass as well, complete with certification. I added this to my resume. Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino has been one of my favorite self-help authors since she began at Hay House. Her books and information about change, gratitude, compassion, and success have completely changed my life. Highly recommend! Will be recommending our HR department buy copies and bring Elizabeth in to present and do a book-signing.

[Tami Wylie]

This book takes you on the journey to success by showing you different pathways and sharing the journeys of other people to help guide you along the way. Breaking down the journey into 3 key parts: Visualise,Actualise and Amplify, the book shows you that there are many paths that you can take on your journey. It also stresses that it’s important to set a goal that you want to work toward. There’s lots of practical advice and ideas within the pages. The book is very straightforward and easy to understand. I thought that the 10 Steps to Success was really well explained and illustrated in a way that made it easy to follow.

[Rich Gresham]

quite enjoyed this book

[Ankit Sharma]

I picked up "The Success Guidebook: How to Visualize, Actualize, and Amplify You" by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino expecting another typical hustle-culture preach, but honestly, this one surprised me in a good way.

The whole book revolves around this really cool three-step framework - visualize, actualize, and amplify your success. What I loved about this approach is that it doesn't make success seem like this impossible mountain you need to climb while suffering every step of the way. It's refreshing because most success books I've read make it sound like you need to sacrifice everything and work yourself to death, but Hamilton-Guarino actually makes it feel doable and, dare I say, enjoyable?

The stories she shares from her own life really got me. That's what kept me hooked, to be honest. It felt less like reading a textbook and more like having chai with someone who's been there and gets it. The way she connects her personal experiences to the lessons makes everything click better, you know? It's not just theory thrown at your face.

Now, here's where I have some issues. The book moves really slowly at times. There were parts where I was like, "okay, I get it, can we move on now?" It dragged a bit, and for someone who reads a lot, that can get boring pretty quickly.

Also, and this is a big one for me - the book could've easily been half its current size. Like, genuinely half. A lot of it felt like unnecessary padding, which is frustrating because the core message is actually solid. I kept thinking the same points could've been made in fewer pages without losing any impact.

The physical book itself? Pretty bland, not gonna lie. The cover and pages could've been way more appealing. For a book about success and amplifying yourself, the design doesn't really match that energy.

But despite all this, I did enjoy reading it and got value from it. The three-step framework is something I've actually started thinking about in my own life, and that personal connection Hamilton-Guarino builds is genuine. If you're tired of the toxic productivity narrative and want a more balanced take on success, give this a shot. Just maybe skim through the slower parts.

Would I recommend it? Yeah, with those caveats in mind. It's got heart and some genuinely useful insights, even if the execution could've been tighter.

[Jordan Douglass]

This was a good book, but I enjoyed The Change Guidebook so much more. This book started out with a bunch of stories related to sports which i didnt relate to. It provided great insight kn networking. My favorite part was the Recipe to be the Best Ever You. #GoodreadsGiveaway

[Leigh]

I was fortunate enough to win a copy during the #goodreadsgiveaway. I have never read anything by Elizabeth before. I truly appreciate her prompts. However, this books just wasn’t for me. I am not a sports person, so the constant stories regarding sports just wasn’t for me.

This happens to be one of those times, were the book offers value, but didn’t speak to me.

[Feathered Quill Book Reviews]

The motivational, award-winning book The Success Guidebook: How to Visualize, Actualize, and Amplify You by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino offers advice on how to envision and achieve success in both your personal and professional life.

Elizabeth spent years studying the essential elements of success and how they manifest in various people. She, however, found the conventional metrics for success irrational and unreachable. She aims to present success in this book in a fresh, genuine way as a multifaceted phenomenon that is closely related to several factors that, when obeyed, consistently result in enduring and life-changing impacts.

Elizabeth was from an affluent family, but an unforeseen event caused them to lose everything, including the home she had lived in since second grade and other properties on Minnesota's Lake Vermillion. Following this sudden shift, she developed a fresh viewpoint and redefined success, not in terms of wealth or notoriety, but rather as implied by the famous statement made by the late, great UCLA basketball coach John Wooden: "I knew what success was not. I didn’t see recommendations, promotions, points, scores, trophies, medals, and money as accurate measurements. Such items may result in status, but status isn’t necessarily success.” He went on to say, “Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of being.”

Drawing from her experience as a master coach and the creator of The Best Ever You Network, Elizabeth provides 10 tried and true strategies for taking creative action to help the reader envision, achieve, and magnify success and excellence. She breaks out her deep realization into three sections: Imagining your success, Actualizing it, and Amplifying it. She further deconstructs it into smaller subjects, which include Believe and Focus, Ask and Network, Sustain, and Adjust among others. These well-explained issues are both educational and intriguing, drawing heavily on her own and others' experiences in what she refers to as "Stories from the Heart." These featured stories show individuals who have persevered in the face of adversity and managed to create a life that inspires others.

The Success Guidebook: How to Visualize, Actualize, and Amplify You promises to assist you in letting go of the need to prove yourself to others or disprove their beliefs. Furthermore, it guarantees permanent understanding and alignment with your true self. You are prompted to take action by this fantastic tool, which also informs you that you are already very successful. Significantly, it deviates from the conventional definition of success, which the author has discovered overrides a great deal of our personal lives.

Quill says: In her exquisite work, Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino offers a groundbreaking discovery that ensures lasting life happiness and fulfillment. Her skill as a writer and desire to convey simply understood information to her audience is reflected in her word choice and timely topics. She stands out as a mentor and potential multi-award winner whose work will change your mindset.

[Kitabi Keeda]

A self-help book that will turn you into the best version of yourself!

⭐INSIGHT: A self-help guide that aims to redefine the age-old concept of success that often feels unattainable & outmoded. By focusing on a more individualised definition of success, the book delineates the steps you can take in order to manifest & achieve your dreams.

⭐REVIEW: One of the fundamental questions that the book poses is, “What does success mean to you?” I resonated with how the author set the tone by starting off with her own journey of finding success, thereby demonstrating that the word has different meanings for everyone at different points of life. The writing style is lucid, accessible, & engaging, & at no point did it feel clichéd or boring; the author succeeds in bringing her own unique viewpoint to an already established idea. By supplementing her words with actionable steps & anecdotes from prominent personalities, she delivers a practical yet relatable roadmap to success for people from various walks of life. The biggest strength of the book is that it focuses on a more holistic approach to being successful; the author makes it clear that more money or more fame are not the ultimate measures of success — real success is achieved when you thrive in all the areas of your life, be it profession, relationships, health, et al. She also talks about manifestation, practising gratitude, paying it forward, & dealing with negative people who mock you or your dreams, thus making the book a comprehensive & motivational guide for all those who want to improve the quality of their lives.

⭐STRENGTH: 1. Writing style is accessible yet engaging.
2. Focuses on a more individualised & holistic definition of success. Refreshing take.
3. Inclusion of journal prompts & exercises at the end of every chapter.
4. Inclusion of personal stories from prominent personalities from various walks of life in each chapter makes it relatable.
5. Even while talking about naysayers, the author is empathetic in her tone & tries to make us understand why they might behave the way they do.

⭐GENRE: Self-Help

⭐RATING: 4.6/5

[EntreLibros]

I find this book entertaining because it includes self-analysis exercises at the end of each chapter. However, the concepts and advice the author explores seem very basic to me. I don't feel like I'm learning anything new.

Throughout the chapters, Elizabeth advises the reader to "believe in themselves," "have clear goals," and "be strong and not let adversity get the better of us." She accompanies this advice with anecdotes, often related to sports. I'm not a big baseball fan, so I didn't connect with many of the anecdotes.

I find the advice very obvious, and the author's writing is minimal. Most of the stories are about people she knows. Sometimes I struggled to connect the stories to the chapter's lesson, and I don't even consider them motivational.

[Dulcie]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The Success Guidebook by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino does have a lot of basic tips to help you do better in life. However, Elizabeth does use some unique ideas to present her guidelines—mainly using baseball analogies. She has great case studies from both famous people and regular people to help you put the ideas into practice. There are 80 tips in the book. While not all of them will work for you, there are many that will resonate.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to write a review. The Success Guidebook is currently for sale at your favorite bookstore. #goodreads #hcibooks

[Lauren Griffiths]

I really enjoyed dipping in and out of this nonfiction, self-help book and I found it very motivating and inspiring! I loved that it was interactive and had different exercises woven throughout the individual sections. The overall layout of the book was really great and I found myself wanting to pick it up each day and get fully immersed. I definitely feel that this book has given me a much needed mental boost and I am feeling positive and excited for the future!

[Summer ReadsBooks]

Truly a wonderful experience as someone who wants to fry the most out of life.
I learned so much about myself, and the importance of chocolate chip cookies haha!
This was a goodreads giveaway review but I will be passing it on to many friends, it’s just that life changing.

[Parul Verma]

The Success Guidebook explains success through structure and consistency. The ideas are broken down simply, making the book approachable and practical. Suitable for readers looking for clarity instead of quick inspiration.

[Amorina Carlton]

How do you define success? Is it money, fame, or maybe just happiness? Of course, what is happiness, that's probably a loaded question. The reality is that success isn't actually a black and white concept, but we seem to pretend that success is this one-size-fits-all idea that we're all striving for. In "The Success Guidebook," author and self-help guru Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino suggests we redefine success by our own standards. If you want to be rich and famous, okay, sure that's your success. But if having kids and a simple life is success for you that's more than okay! I know for a fact that my mom thought being a mom and living in her small town was enough. I never really got that while she was alive, but the older I get the more I understand - and this book helped me understand all the more.

As a writer, I sort of had this concept down - maybe I could be in one of Elizabeth's books one day (just kidding). I even resonated with one of the stories. I believe it was Elizabeth herself that said if she could impact even one person positively (and she has obviously impacted thousands already!) she would be happy and feel successful. That's the same way I feel about my writing! I haven't done that with my personal writing yet. But in the past few years, I've actually redefined it again. I am a trained journalist. I absolutely positively affected people with my journalism. This skillset - book reviewing - is similar and related to that somewhat. And I realized that my childhood self would be jumping for joy that anyone - even a single person - cared what I thought. So, this is also success. This is something to be proud of. Are there people "more" successful sure. But we shouldn't judge ourselves by others.

If you're looking for some guidance and help you'll find a lot of great tips and beautiful inspiring stories within these pages - even some famous faces! Grab a copy and dig in today!

[Book Reviewer]

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino's The Success Guidebook offers a pragmatic personal and professional development approach. Drawing from her extensive experience in the financial industry and her journey as a working mother, Hamilton-Guarino divides the book into three primary focus areas, spanning ten chapters. Each chapter introduces a key factor of success, complemented by practical exercises designed to embed these lessons into everyday practice.

Hamilton-Guarino advocates for a personalized definition of success, recognizing that individual aspirations vary widely due to differing backgrounds and personal values. She explores themes of motivation and adaptation, suggesting that one's understanding of success evolves over time. This nuanced view encourages readers to define their own metrics of achievement. The author's credibility is enhanced by her role as a recognized coach, and she enriches the text with personal anecdotes and professional insights. Her emphasis on the combination of vision and effort particularly resonates, underscoring that success requires more than just dreaming—it demands action. The interactive elements of the book, such as reflective questions, are beneficial, aiding readers in mapping out their objectives more clearly. One of the book's strengths is Hamilton-Guarino’s ability to distill complex concepts into relatable stories and actionable advice. Her dedication to helping others achieve their potential is evident throughout the narrative.

The Success Guidebook stands out as a resourceful and engaging work in the self-help genre. For those seeking to enhance their life through a structured yet flexible framework, this book promises a blend of mentorship and motivation right from the page. For anyone interested in self-improvement, this book is a commendable choice.

[Amber PhD]

A Brilliant Blueprint for True Success and Fulfillment!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 **A Brilliant Blueprint for True Success and Fulfillment!**

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino’s *The Success Guidebook* is nothing short of life-changing. This isn’t just a book on success; it's a compassionate, insightful guide that redefines what it means to live fully and achieve greatness from a place of genuine, personal fulfillment. Elizabeth’s wisdom, grounded in her experience as a master life coach and founder of The Best Ever You Network, brings an entirely new and refreshing approach to success—one that’s rooted in authenticity, gratitude, and presence.

What makes this guidebook so powerful is the practical yet transformative Ten Factors of Success. These principles aren’t about chasing wealth or accolades but about embodying the habits and perspectives that foster true, heart-centered success. Elizabeth's guidance is down-to-earth and inspiring, encouraging us to redefine achievement through kindness, gratitude, and intention, reminding us that success is found in the moments that make us smile, feel at peace, and live with purpose.

Each chapter is a gem, offering not only actionable steps but also profiles of remarkable people who embody these world-class principles in their own lives. I especially loved Elizabeth’s reminder that we don’t need a global platform to make an impact; success can be as immediate as living authentically within our own lives and relationships.

*The Success Guidebook* is a must-read for anyone looking to overcome personal barriers, refocus their path, and create a life filled with confidence, purpose, and lasting happiness. I finished the book feeling inspired, empowered, and ready to step into a life of true, sustainable success—one that reflects who I really am. Highly recommended!

[Arun Verma]

📚 A detailed handbook on how to visualize, actualize and amplify success.

It is a transformative read that redefines what it means to be successful. The book's central message is that success is not about meeting society's often unattainable standards but about aligning with your own values and aspirations.

This is my second book from the same author. The Change Guidebook aligns your heart, truth, and energy for personal growth with gentle exercises for reflection. The Success Guidebook redefines success with practical tips to balance personal and professional goals. The main difference? The Change Guidebook focuses on inner alignment, while The Success Guidebook offers strategies for success in all areas of life.

The book guides readers to redefine success meaningfully and fulfillingly, integrating personal and professional achievements. It highlights ten success factors linked to real-life outcomes and introduces the "visualize, actualize, and amplify" technique. Exercises and journal prompts at each chapter's end offer practical ways to apply the lessons and track progress.

The book is an engaging manual for improving skills efficiently, with a narrative style that makes mastering a skill accessible and relatable. It offers a structured, step-by-step guide and features heartwarming success stories that encourage readers to balance health, relationships, and personal space alongside professional goals.

Overall, it offers essential insights and tools to help you understand and achieve true success.