Focus On What You Want

This is a basic idea of success and the main reason why most people never attain any great level of success in their life.  To get what you want, you need to focus upon what you want.  Simple idea, right?  Well, if that is the case why do most people focus upon what they do NOT want?  Answer this in your life and you will instantly find the pathway to success.

Know What You Want

T. Harv Eker likes to say that "most people do not get what they want because they do not know what they want".  I found this statement to be very true.  Ask the average person on the street what they desire and you will uncover answers such as:

Peace of Mind

Happiness

A New Car

Healthy Children

Serenity

To get married

While these are all good things, they are not very practical in answering what someone wants.  Vagueness is a disease of the mind which kills lives.  Here you can see how this happens.  For example, what does peace of mind mean?  Is it attainable on a continual basis?  How do you know if you achieved it?  Couldnt you do a mental exercise to implement that in your life today?  Is peace of mind dependent upon external factors?  Monks around the world would say no.  So what is it that the person really wants?

As you can see, the fact that nothing is quantified means that nothing is measurable.  It is a proven fact that when things are measured, progress is made.  I found when dealing with weight loss, the best method is to measure different parts of the body periodically to track progress.  The fact that one is measuring gives him or her an idea of progress.  Of course, the way clothes fit tends to drive the same idea home.  Nevertheless, there is a desired end which can be measured i.e. I want to fit into a size 6 or have a 32" waist.  This is clarity.

So, for most people, the first step is to sit down and decide what he or she truly wants.  Make this specific, use lots of adjectives, and assign numerical meanings wherever possible.

Focus On Obstacles

I am going to follow this section up with a post of its own but for now I will delve into it briefly.  Even when people decide what they want, they tend to focus upon the obstacles that are in the way.  This is where immediate self sabotage enters the picture.  People use built in excuses to absolve themselves of responsibility even before starting.  This is a method to protect themselves from disappointment.

To illustrate this, I will use money as an example.  Who does not desire more money?  Almost everyone will answer yes if you ask them "would you like more money".  However, this is where the progress ceases in this quest.  Few ever more past the point of wanting to making it a quantified goal.  Even if one does embark on the process of establishing a goal of this sort, the immediate reaction is usually something like "I am not smart enough" or "rich people are mean" or "it takes too much effort".  Of course, these are mostly knee-jerk excuses and not obstacles at all.  Some are able to circumvent this yet get stopped when obstacles are pondered.

Consider:

I do not have time

I lack knowledge

I do not understand finance

The stock market (investing) scares me

A lack capital to get started

Notice how these phrases are nothing more than obstacles which are in the way of financial progress.  Are they real?  Certainly.  It takes time to get wealthy and specialized knowledge is needed (which takes time to acquire).  Understanding of financial principles is needed.  Investing has the element of fear in it.  And capital is required to operate in an arena based upon capital.  However, none of these hindrances is insurmountable.  Everyone who has achieved any type of financial success has overcome them.  Why not you?

The reason is because sabotage occurs before the goal is even attempted.  To truly succeed in life, it is necessary to raise your vision past the obstacles to what you truly desire.  This is what the successful do.  There is a secret that I am going to reveal to you which should help: no matter what the pursuit, no matter who the individual, there are always obstacles in the way.  Accept this as a fact of life.  

Those who focus on the obstacles are stopped while those who overlook them and concentrate their efforts upon what is desired will reach their goals more often than not.  This is the key to all success.  Keep this in mind.

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