Remember learning how to read? No - me neither. One day I couldn't. It was just a jumble of shapes that were supposed to form letters, which in turn were supposed to mean something. Then as if overnight something clicked into place, and I could read. It was as if a miracle had taken place in my mind.

Learning most things is like that.

I do remember the lessons I had to have before I was allowed to take my drivers test....endless lessons, wondering if I would ever get it....of course I did, but it took practice, practice and more practice. Every week consolidating what I had learned with the new skills that were being taught.

So if you are sruggling with a new discipline, a new way of eating, a new exercise program, a new language, a new job, a new school, a new - anything....remember the early lessons, build on them. Consolidate them in your mind and then you will be able to move forwards.

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"Don't try to force anything. Let life be a deep let-go. See God opening millions of flowers every day without forcing the buds"
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
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Take buying anything large - a house, a car, a boat, a small island - you choose - remember this is your life we're designing. First you decide what you want. Then when it comes to houses and islands you have to decide where. Then assuming you're not related to Bill Gates or Conrad Hilton, you are going to have to speak to someone about financing the purchase. Easy, there are lots of lenders out there. And then of course comes the long process of paying off the debt. Every week / fortnight / month you make the scheduled repayments. Over time the interest is reduced and you begin to pay off the capital, until at some distant point in the future, you "own" your own place. Of course you could decide that you would prefer to party hard all weekend, every weekend, live at home with your parents and not buy that first property - but that's up to you isn't it.

And so it is with everything we say we want. It can take time to build up a portfolio of clients. It can certainly take time to learn a new skill, and it takes dedication to keep going when you can't see the end in sight.

But you can live your life by design - you just have to know what your life is going to look like, and then start taking those actions that will get you there.

Change your patterns of behaviour from ones that don't serve you, to ones that do and you will be amazed at how fast providence follows intent.

So, as you carry on refining your goal list, your reasons and the actions you should be beginning to implement, bear in mind that you can only change those things over which you have direct control. Namely - what you eat, what you drink, what you say (outloud), what you say (to yourself), what you are thinking (worrying) about and the actions that you take. Everything else is out of your control. It's like worrying about what the weather is going to do tomorrow or next week, or whether there will be a parking spot, whether your teacher will mark your assignment fairly, how the other team will play in the game.

All you can do is be the best that you can be, that's it. And when you realise that and internalise it properly, it makes life an awful lot easier to live.

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"There is little sense in attempting to change external conditions, you must first change inner beliefs then outer conditions will change accordingly"
Brian Adams, How to succeed
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In working out what you want to achieve, there is one important element that we should always incorporate into each and every planning session and that is WHY.

• Why do you want to earn a million dollars by year end?
• Why do you want to be a size six in 3 weeks?
• Why do you want to run a marathon?
• Why do you want a dozen more customers?
• Why do you want to sell a hundred new mortgages / cars / widgets this year than last?

Why?

It's an interesting question isn't it.

Unfortunately most people don't have a satisfactory answer to the question WHY...which is why they will rarely get what they say they want.

• Why not?
• Because I do, that's why
• Because my mom / dad / sibling / business partner never thought i'd amount to anything and I want to prove them wrong

I use the "because I can" phrase quite a lot. To me it gives me free reign to be outrageous, to try new things, to do whatever I want (within reason). But lets face it, it's not a proper reason is it.

And whilst you are working out the reasons WHY, there is something else I would like you to consider and that is this

What will your day / week / month / life be like if you did manage to do whatever it is you said you wanted. Are you willing to spend hours training each and every day for several months in order to be physically fit to run the marathon? Are you willing to spend a lot of time on the telephone asking for more business?

Spend some time and work out what your life will be like when you achieve your "goal" and then if you are willing to continue (and believe me when I have said this to my audiences in the past, most people feel very uncomfortable about what their days are going to be like from here on in) why not start acting as though you already had those new customers. Start working the telephone, meet your new customers as if they were the ones to bring in the most money to you (hint they might be). Start training like you mean it. Start living your life. Because a goal isn't the be all and end all, that's just an end point. Each and every decision you make can take you towards those things that you say you want, or away from them.

So to recap:

• What do you want
• Do you have the time in your schedule to achieve it?
• Why do you want it? What reasons do you have?
• What will your day be like if you get "it"
• Does that fit with the life you really want to live?

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"Awake, arise and stop not 'til the goal is reached"
Sai Baba
Indian Spiritual Leader
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But the difference between you and everyone else, is this:

• You are willing to have another go
• You are willing to say, you know what, maybe I need to try something a little differently next time
• I am not going to give up

If at first you don't succeed....have another go

Now looking at those things that you say that you want to achieve over the next 7 days - do you have enough realistic time in your schedule to make those things happen? Or do you need to modify your plans and or the time that you spend on other things.

Bear in mind that you can multi-task, so use your car to listen to books or tapes...or buy a dictaphone and outline your book or training program. Can you get up half an hour early and do some exercise or can you slot a walk in at lunch time? When you know what time you have to "spend" you are less likely to waste it on things that do not matter.

With many thoughts

Elle

But the truth of the matter is - the world is full of people who "dream" their way through life, wondering why things aren't getting better. So, whilst thinking is the beginning, those who are willing to take action are the ones who will achieve the truly remarkable results.

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If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them
Henry David Thoreau
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