HOW TO GUARANTEE YOUR SUCCESS:

A Personal Blueprint for an Unshakable Life

By Dr. Don A. DuBose

I need to tell you something that might sound impossible right now: You can guarantee your success. Not just hope for it, not just work toward it, but actually guarantee it.

I know what you're thinking. If you're struggling with depression or anxiety, the word "success" might feel like it belongs to other people—the ones who seem to have it all together, whose brains don't ambush them with panic at 2 AM, who don't spend entire days fighting just to get out of bed.

But here's what I've learned, both as a psychiatrist and as someone who's walked through my own valleys: Success isn't about being the happiest, the most productive, or the most put-together person in the room. It's about something much deeper and much more attainable than you think.

Dr. Don A. DuBose

Dr. Don A. DuBose is an interventional psychiatrist, mental health coach, and founder of Future Psych Solutions, where he integrates advanced neuroscience with compassionate, faith-informed care to help individuals overcome depression, anxiety, and trauma.

The Two Paths (And Why You're Not Stuck on the Wrong One)

Every day, we make small choices that lead us down one of two paths. I'm not talking about big, dramatic decisions—I'm talking about the small moments when you choose what to focus on, what to believe, and how to respond.

The path to success is marked by resilience, patience, endurance, the ability to delay gratification, optimism, and acceptance. People on this path can handle setbacks. They can wait for things to get better. They can accept that healing isn't linear. They possess what I call "quiet power"—the ability to keep going even when everything in them wants to quit.

The path to failure is characterized by pessimism, impatience, irritability, and giving up too soon. It's where anxiety tells you that nothing will ever change. It's where depression whispers that you'll always feel this way. It's where the fear of rejection keeps you from even trying.

Now here's the important part: If you're struggling with depression or anxiety, you're not on the "failure path" because you're broken or weak. You're in a battle, and the fact that you're reading this right now means you haven't given up. That's already success.

The Secret Nobody Tells You About Anxiety and Depression

Here's something that changed everything for me, and I've seen it change everything for my patients: The characteristics that determine which path you're on—resilience or despair, hope or hopelessness—they come from your thoughts and feelings. And those thoughts and feelings are fueled by two powerful forces:

Faith and belief versus anxiety and doubt.

And here's the secret: Both of these are products of your imagination.

Wait, before you close this tab thinking I'm saying your anxiety isn't real—that's not what I mean at all. Your anxiety is very real. Your depression is very real. The chemicals in your brain, the trauma you've experienced, the legitimate pain you feel—it's all real.

But here's what's also true: Anxiety is your imagination creating a future you don't want. When you lie awake worrying that you'll never get better, that everyone will abandon you, that you'll always feel this broken—you're using your God-given creative power to paint a nightmare you haven't lived yet.

Depression does something similar. It whispers that your past defines your future, that you've already failed, that there's no point in trying.

Same imagination. Just tuned to the wrong channel.

Faith and belief work the opposite way. They're your imagination creating the future you do want. "If I keep taking my medication and going to therapy, I will heal." "If I reach out for help, someone will respond." "If I trust God with this pain, He will meet me in it."

You have the same imagination. You're just learning how to redirect it.

Focus: The One Thing You Can Control (Even When Everything Feels Out of Control)

I know that when you're depressed or anxious, it feels like you can't control anything. Your brain feels like it's driving the car while you're trapped in the trunk.

But here's the truth: You have more control than you think. Not over your feelings—those are real and valid. But over your focus.

Focus is the bridge between your imagination and your reality. It's what you consistently direct your attention toward. And yes, it takes energy to focus—energy you might feel like you don't have right now.

But here's what I've discovered: It also takes energy to be anxious. It takes energy to ruminate on everything that could go wrong. It takes energy to replay every embarrassing moment from your past. You're already spending that energy.

The question is: What if you could redirect even a small amount of that energy toward something that actually helps you instead of hurts you?

I'm not saying this is easy. I'm saying it's possible. And I'm saying it's worth it.

The Tree: A Picture of How You Actually Work

Let me paint you a picture that's helped so many of my patients understand how healing actually works.

Imagine a tree. (Stay with me—I promise this isn't some cheesy metaphor. It's actually going to help.)

The fruits of the tree are your outcomes—the life you want. Peace instead of panic. Joy instead of numbness. Energy instead of exhaustion. Healthy relationships. Meaningful work. A life that feels worth living.

The leaves are your characteristics—your patience, your resilience, your ability to hope. These are what other people see. These are what you wish you had more of.

The trunk is your focus—what you consistently pay attention to, what you think about, what you believe about yourself and your future. The trunk transports nutrients from the roots to the leaves. In your life, your focus transports whatever you're dwelling on (truth or lies, hope or despair) into your daily experience.

The branches are your daily choices—whether you get out of bed, whether you reach out for help, whether you take your medication, whether you show up for therapy. These choices extend naturally from your trunk.

Now here's the part that most self-help advice gets wrong: You can't just force yourself to have different fruit. You can't just decide to be less anxious or less depressed, any more than an orange tree can decide to grow apples.

Believe me, if willpower alone could cure depression or anxiety, you would have already done it. You're not weak. You're just trying to change the fruit while ignoring the roots.

The most important part of the tree—the part that determines everything else—is invisible.

The roots.

Root Work: The Foundation That Actually Changes Things

The roots are your foundation. They're what feeds everything else in your life. And if you want different fruit—if you want peace instead of anxiety, hope instead of depression—you have to nourish the roots.

So what are the roots?

Here's what I've found to be true, both in my own life and in the lives of countless patients I've walked with: The ultimate foundation is a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Now, I know some of you just tensed up. Maybe you've been hurt by the church. Maybe you've been told that if you just "prayed harder" or "had more faith," your depression would go away. Maybe you've been shamed for taking medication or going to therapy.

Let me be crystal clear: That's not what I'm talking about. That's spiritual abuse, and it's not from God.

I'm talking about something different. I'm talking about building your identity on truth that doesn't change when your feelings do.

The Truth That Heals: What to Focus On When Your Brain is Lying to You

In Philippians 4:8, Paul gives us a prescription for focus: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

This isn't toxic positivity. This isn't "just think happy thoughts." This is a deliberate choice to focus on truth when everything in you is screaming lies.

And when we apply this to Christ, something powerful happens:

True: Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." When anxiety tells you that you're going to fail, truth says God is with you. When depression tells you that you're worthless, truth says you're loved beyond measure. Your feelings are real, but they're not always true.

Noble and Right: God is righteousness. You don't have to earn His love by being "good enough" or "healed enough." You're already accepted. Already valued. Already worthy—not because of what you do, but because of who you are in Him.

Pure and Lovely: God is love. Not the conditional "I'll love you when you get better" kind of love. Not the "I love you but I'm disappointed in you" kind of love. The "I love you in the pit, in the panic attack, in the medication fog, in the therapy sessions where you can't stop crying" kind of love.

Admirable: He alone is worthy of our admiration and trust. When you're anxious, it's because you're trusting in something that can't hold you—your own strength, other people's opinions, your ability to control everything. When you shift your trust to God, you can finally rest.

Here's what this looks like practically: When your roots are in Christ—when you're consistently focusing on who God says you are instead of what your anxiety or depression is screaming—something begins to shift.

Not overnight. Not magically. But gradually, like a tree growing stronger roots.

The Unshakable Mind: What It Looks Like to Heal

When your roots are deep in Christ, you start to develop what I call an unshakable mind. Not because you never feel anxious or depressed again—let's be honest about that. But because your identity isn't defined by your symptoms.

Bad day? It's one day, not your whole life. Panic attack? It's uncomfortable, but it's not catastrophic. Setback in healing? It's part of the process, not proof that you'll never get better.

You begin to see every struggle as an opportunity to either win or learn. And you know—really know, deep in your bones—that the ultimate outcome is secure. You're held. You're loved. You're not going to be abandoned.

This isn't me minimizing your pain. This is me offering you a foundation that can hold you in your pain.

And here's what I've seen clinically: When you have this foundation, healing isn't something you have to force. The characteristics of resilience, hope, and peace—they start to grow naturally, like fruit on a healthy tree.

Your Blueprint: Small Steps Toward Guaranteed Success

You have the blueprint now. You understand that trying to change your life by just changing your thoughts or behaviors is like expecting different fruit while the roots are still malnourished.

So here's what I want you to do—not all at once, but one small step at a time:

Start with the foundation. Begin building your life on Christ. Not as a magic cure, but as the source of truth when your brain is lying to you. Talk to Him honestly. Tell Him you're struggling. Tell Him you're not even sure you believe. He can handle it. Read His word—even just a verse a day. Let truth slowly replace the lies.

Guard your focus (gently). You don't have to be perfect at this. But start noticing where your mind goes. When anxiety spirals, can you redirect—even for thirty seconds—to one true thing? "God loves me." "I am not alone." "This feeling will pass." It's not about toxic positivity. It's about truth.

Accept that healing isn't linear. Trees don't grow in straight lines. Neither do you. Bad days don't mean you're failing. They mean you're human. Give yourself the grace that God is already giving you.

Remember who you are. You're not your diagnosis. You're not your symptoms. You're not "the anxious one" or "the depressed one." You're a beloved child of God who happens to be walking through something really hard right now. Your worth isn't in question. Your healing is already beginning.

Get help. Therapy is watering your roots. Medication is watering your roots. Community is watering your roots. God works through all of it. Don't let anyone tell you that seeking help is a lack of faith. That's like saying a tree shouldn't need water.

The Guarantee

Here's the guarantee I can give you: If you build your life on the foundation of Christ, if you consistently water those roots with truth, if you give yourself grace for the process—you will bear fruit. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not the way you expect. But it will come.

Because that's how trees work. And that's how you work.

The valley you're in right now? It's not your forever. The struggle you're facing? It's not your identity. The pain you feel? God sees it, and He's not disgusted by it. He's near to the brokenhearted. He's close to those who are crushed in spirit.

You don't have to have it all together. You don't have to be strong. You just have to be willing to let Him be your roots.

The tree is yours to grow. The choice is yours to make. And the guarantee? It's already written.

You're going to make it. Not because you're strong enough, but because He is.

Now take one small step. Water those roots. And trust that the fruit will come.

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

- Jeremiah 17:7-8

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

- Psalm 34:18