Do you have what you want in life?

Do you bitch about not having it?

Are you so focused on what went wrong in the past that you aren’t able to effectively use the present to create the future?

Let me help you out here:

Stop wishing for a better past.  I’ve tried it.  It doesn’t work.

Stop living in the land of woulda/shoulda/coulda.  You did the best you could, it was enough, and you can do better now.

Stop arguing for your limitations.  If I had a dime for every person who speaks a heck of a lot more about their liabilities than they do they’re assets, I’d be a billionaire.  Stop that!

So, now that we’ve got the ground rules down, where do we go from here?

UP!

Lots of people talk about the “secrets” to getting what you want in life.  Let me debunk it for you:

THERE IS NO SECRET.

There are 21 things you NEED to do to get what you want out of life and guess what?

Most people can’t hang with it (consistently, persistently) past #5 so if you can get past #5, you’re the cream of the crop.

Try these 21 steps for the next 30 days (in no particular order; work it, repeat it, change it as needed) and see what unfolds.  As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” AMEN!

1. KNOW- Know what you want.  Let me help you out with this: if what you want changes every other day, you don’t know what you want.  Know your desired outcome and STICK with it. #nowifflewaffle

2. DECIDE- When you know what you want, you have to decide what actions you’re going to take to have that.  Take massive action by deciding what steps you’re going to take TODAY to get there. #decisionscreatedestiny

3. DO- I love planners who perpetually plan but never execute.  That won’t get you where you want to go.  Once you KNOW and DECIDE, it’s time to DO.  Today.  Take action.  Get it done.  Don’t let time, money, or other people limit you.  Stop looking for immediate reward or gratification.  You are planting seeds here.  Put on your farmer’s hat and focus on dropping seeds in the ground and nurturing the soil.  It’ll take root and bloom on its own time.  If you don’t go into a restaurant, order a meal and then insist upon going to the back to watch the chef cook the meal, why are you micromanaging your dreams and expecting a return before it’s harvest time?  Stop that.  Do your best.  Give your best.  The rewards will come with consistent action and consistent focus, all up to you! #justdoit

4. KEEP DOING- I love people who do the “Okay, I went to the gym once.  Where’s my 50 pound weight loss?”  Really?  Well, having a gym membership only correlates to weight loss if you actually go there repeatedly over time.  The same thing applies to whatever you want in life.  You have to keep taking action, ESPECIALLY when you’re not in the mood and seriously when you’ve lost the “want” to do it.  Remember: Do what you HAVE to do now so you can do what you WANT to do later. #beyourbest247

5. CHANGE AS NEEDED– Your end goal needs to be clear but how you get to that end goal is always up for reconsideration.  Plans will change.  Strategies will change.  As Tony Robbins says, “Stay committed to your decisions but stay flexible in your approach.”  Roll with life’s punches.  Stay clear on what you want but remember that there AT LEAST 1,000 ways to get there.  Do not limit yourself to ten.  Don’t complain about things not working until you’ve tried 999 DIFFERENT ways to approach it.  Until you’ve hit 999, you haven’t earned the right to complain. #thatisall

6. FOLLOW THROUGH- Keep your promises.  Don’t make promises you can’t keep.  Treat your time as sacred and honor the commitments that are most critical to creating the life you want.  Follow up with resources, relationships, and people who can help you get there.  Follow up and follow through are the name of the game.  Do not get bogged down by rejection.  It’s temporary unless you make it permanent.  When a door closes, be quick to look for another door or window.  Go the distance by staying the course. #followthrough

7. KEEP YOUR FAITH- When you feel like giving up most is usually when you’re closest to the next breakthrough.  No matter how tired you are of waiting for life to be the way you want it to be, adopt (from the very beginning) an “I don’t believe in defeat” attitude.  As Norman Vincent Peale has said, “The rough is only mental.  I think victory- I get victory.” #period

8. ENJOY THE RIDE- Waiting to arrive really sucks because you never really do.  If it isn’t one thing, it’s another so why waste time waiting for this or that to happen?  Life is a rollercoaster.  Put your seatbelt on, put your hands in the air and keep a barf bag close.  That’s it.  Enjoy wherever you are.  It makes the time go faster.  As is said in A Course in Miracles, “Infinite patience produces immediate results.”  Yeah, chew on that one for a day or two. #twistedbuttrue

9. LET DRAMA AND NON-SENSE GO- That includes drama prone people, places and things.  If you’re focused on creating the life you want, you have no time for emotional vampires.  Anyone who is sucking your energy dry needs to be kicked to the curb.  Stop calling, texting, and emailing.  Stop responding out of guilt that they have no one else.  Let me help you out here: emotional vampires  ALWAYS find their next victim.  Simply decide that you are not it.  In other words, you have no time to waste your energy on people who have no intention of making their lives better.  When you hear a misery prone, constant complainer/whiner who always seems to be in one drama situation or the next, take my advice: #dropemlikeitshot! #justsayin

10. REMIND YOURSELF WHY YOU WANT IT- Every now and again, you’re going to say to yourself, “Do I REALLY want this?  Why can’t I just settle for a “normal” life like everybody else?  Why can’t I just be happy with what I’ve got?”  Let me help you out here: A) You aren’t everybody else nor do you want to be, B) If you were meant to follow the herd, you’d be a sheep (sheep is plural but I can’t tell you the singular version of the word), and C) God would never put a desire in you that He didn’t also provide the internal resources for you to fulfill so you’re not wanting what you can’t have or what you are incapable of creating; you’re wanting what you were born to desire.  You need to remind yourself on a regular basis WHY you want to create this kind of a life.  You need to keep the WHY ever in front of you so when the going gets tough, your momentum doesn’t get going.  The “what” of your journey will not be enough to motivate you.  Only the  WHY will. #keepyourwhywhenthingsgettough

11. TAKE TIME EVERY DAY TO FOCUS ON WHAT IT WILL FEEL LIKE TO HAVE IT- Feelings create faith because when you feel that something is possible within you, you feel a surge of energy to take the actions necessary to get there.  Make time to close your eyes, visualize the outcome, and bask in it.  Those feelings will drive your to-do list for that day in a way your logical mind can’t.  Feel the achievement of the dream and the dream comes that much faster. #feelitintoexistence

12. EVALUATE WEEKLY HOW  MUCH CLOSER YOU’RE GETTING TO IT- Why do people hate stats, KPIs, and number crunching?  Numbers are your friends, especially when you run the show.  If you tell me you want to lose weight, then I want to know how many days you’re going to work out, for how long, doing what and how many calories you’ll consume each day in addition to that.  With those numbers and body measurements every four weeks, we could evaluate your results (based on your actions) and quickly decide if the strategy’s working or if it needs to change.  When people tell me, “I don’t really want to commit to a certain number of hours per week, calories per day, or words written per day”, I know they’re not ready.  Why?  Because if you can’t commit to daily actions, you aren’t ready to actually get there.  #dontletfearkeepyoufrommeasuringvictory

13. DON’T STOP UNTIL YOU HAVE IT- That means, until you get EXACTLY what you want, keep giving ALL you have to ALL  you do.  Don’t let up.  The closer a person gets to his/her dream, the more that person seems to let down their guard, lesson their efforts.  Don’t do that.  Give 100% because that’s how you do it.  Don’t see results coming and think, “Hey, I can take a little rest here.”  No.  Focus and give your max because giving your best is what you were born to do, regardless of the outcome.  The other thing I see people do is settle for “good enough.”  Tell me any child who incessantly asks for a puppy, receives a rock, and is thrilled to have that.  Life will pay you any price you ask.  Don’t be the person who accepts pennies instead of hundred dollar bills.  Don’t stop until you get EXACTLY what you want. #nomincingwordshere

14. WHEN SIGNS TELL YOU THIS AIN’T IT, LISTEN THE FIRST TIME- How many times do we go for something that really isn’t for us, get signs that it really isn’t for us and we rebelliously keep pushing?  There’s a difference between persisting on a road that’s meant for you and bullishly staying on a detour that wasn’t yours to take.  Your intuition and life experiences will give you clues as to which journey you’re on.  Listen the first time.  You do not have to spend forty years in the wilderness if you listen to your inner knowing the first ten times it tells you “This ain’t it!”  #listenthefirsttime

15. FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE IT ALREADY- Point 11 begins this but let me finish it here: if you live like you’re missing something and you’re constantly in pursuit of getting “THE” thing, you’re living in a “waiting to exhale” way of life.  Don’t do that.  Nothing is missing from today.  Nothing.  When you finally get that and decide to be happy today, it’ll put you in a mode to be more productive, super efficient, and happier in the meantime.  By the way, most of our lives are spent in the “meantime.”  Why not enjoy the now?  #lovetoday

16. LIVE LIKE YOU’RE NOT WAITING TO “ARRIVE”- Re-read Point 15… TEN  times… #readuntilitclicks

17. CELEBRATE NOW- Gratitude brings more things to be grateful about.  No matter how bad your day, find ONE THING to be grateful about and live in that space on that one thing until the rest of the day turns around or until tomorrow comes. Whining, complaining and throwing a pity party will happen but you need to set limitations on that.  Misery loves company and you don’t want to attract people to you who bitch about everything that isn’t working.  Remember: what you focus on grows. #celebrateallthatis

18. TRUST THE PROCESS OF LIFE- Life is either on your side or its not and you get to decide which world you live.  Be really conscious about deciding (daily) what world you live in.  Either life is a daring, bold adventure that you got to go on or it’s this hideous, unfair, ever menacing experience that happens to you every time you turn around. #choosetheadventure

19. BECOME SO GOOD THAT THEY CAN’T IGNORE YOU- Don’t keep your talents, gifts and abilities a secret.  Stop dumbing yourself down to make other people feel better.  No amount of slaughtering to your self esteem will ever make another person feel big who doesn’t.  Decide that your talent makes room for you and show it off every chance you get.  Proclaim your talent.  That’s not selfish; it’s called being honest. #yesyou’rethatgood

20. REMIND YOURSELF THAT PERSISTENCE IS THE ONE FACTOR THAT DETERMINES SUCCESS… AND DECIDE THAT YOU’VE GOT IT IN SPADES- Re-read Point #6… TEN TIMES… talent, genius, money, good looks, and tons of friends will get you no where if you aren’t resilient enough to persist NO MATTER WHAT.  The only thing that distinguishes the victim from the victor is that the victor decided to be the last one standing. #bethelastonestanding

21. NEVER GIVE UP- The life you want may seem TOTALLY unreasonable.  Good!  Tony Robbins put it this way, “Unreasonable people rule the world.”  Resist the temptation to give up on your dreams and settle for a “normal” life.  You aren’t normal.  Life gives you what you settle for.  In fact, remove settle from your mental dictionary and replace it with UNREASONABLE.  You don’t have to bargain with life and you don’t ever have to beg Godfor what He so freely is willing to give you.  You get what you believe you deserve.  #believeyoudeservegreatthings

Those are the 21 steps.

I bet you knew each and every one of them.

How many of the above do you implement on a REGULAR, CONSISTENT basis?

Yeah, get ‘er done!