3 There’s a timeless, proven formula that the world’s most successful people have used for centuries. But people often overlook it.

So says Hal Elrod, author of “The Miracle Equation.” The formula involves two decisions:

Develop unwavering faith you can achieve what you desire.

Maintain extraordinary effort until you do.

Elrod knows. He’s survived two near-death experiences. He was hit head-on by a drunken driver at 80 mph. And he beat a rare form of cancer.

Yet he also became one of the top salespeople in the 50-year history of his former company.

Here’s how to become the best version of yourself:

Determine your mission. One hundred goals will never carry the weight of a singular mission, Elrod says. “A mission implies a different level of commitment.”

For example, the military carries out “missions.” Humanitarian organizations carry out “missions.”

“The weight here is much different from that of a goal,” Elrod said. Goals are the many things we want to accomplish. A mission is something “we are committed to accomplishing, no matter what.”

Prioritize your qualities. Which personal ones are most important?

Pat Williams and Jim Denny wrote “Character Carved In Stone: The 12 Core Virtues of West Point that Build Leaders and Produce Success.” Those 12 core virtues start with compassion, courage, dedication and determination.

Next are dignity, discipline, integrity and loyalty.

Lastly there is perseverance, taking responsibility, service that is humble and trust.

“We become role models of these 12 virtues by consciously and continuously working on them and building them into our lives by the decisions we make,” Williams said. “Hour by hour, day after day.”

Become emotionally invincible. This is key to optimizing both your professional success and your personal quality of life, Elrod says.

He says the cause of all emotional pain is resistance. The more we resist our reality, the more emotional pain we cause.

The key to emotional invincibility is acceptance, Elrod says. Accepting life as it is, even the bad stuff, frees us from our self-created emotional pain. “When we do this, we are then free to consciously choose to experience whichever emotion will best serve us in any given moment,” he said.

Live passionately. Do what gives your life meaning and purpose, and you will never be tempted to give up, Williams said.

When you are mentally spent and physically exhausted, where do you find the will to go on? “It comes from your passion to succeed and overcome,” he said.

Embrace challenges. Don’t settle for the path of least resistance. Take on challenges and dreams that demand more of you, Williams says. “Then see them through to completion,” he added.

Set your standard. Self-discipline in all areas is not a trait most are born with, Williams says. “It’s a virtue we can practice and learn over a lifetime.”

He quotes Harry Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, who wrote that, “In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory won was over themselves. . . . Self-discipline with all of them came first.” Michael Mink