This list came from a friend in the Blurgrass Chess Club: Fred Dowell

1. Figuring things out for yourself is the only way to make sustainable chess progress.
2. Concentrate on your strengths instead of your weaknesses.
3. Confidence comes from getting the education you need and taking the necessary action (playing in tournaments is crucial).
4. Like a laser beam, you focus on your goal and activities with Controlled Attention.
5. Try to focus on incremental small steps, progress not perfection.
6. Each obstacle will seem reasonable and insurmountable but each can be overcome with dogged determination.
7. Visualize in detail, with emotion, what the outcome of your goal looks like.
8. What do you believe that is actually false?
9. What can you understand that others find incomprehensible?
10. What is your brain doing to blindside you?
11. The granddaddy of all chess improvement:”TACTICS,TACTICS,TACTICS!”

I don't necessarily agree with this whole list. I take a severe issue with #2 especially. but anyway, it's Fred's idea and philosophy and I have faithfully presented it.