During the course of my week, I talk to a lot of people that are working to achieve different goals and quite a few that seem to just be wandering through life with no direction in mind. It is a bit of a study to stop and look at the different people you know, and analyze if they have a direction in their life and if they love what they are doing and where they are going.

"At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want." - Lao Tzu

This all started out because my husband Chris had found the above quote, and we had started talking about it.  We then started talking about how most people don't really know who they are and what they really want. 

In thinking about my clients, friends and people I work with, there definitely is a divide between those who are successful and happy, and those that seem to always have success and happiness just out of reach.  One of the primary differences I see, is that the happy successful people that I know, are enjoying what they do for a living.  Personally, I love being in the real estate business, even if the market is very rough right now.  If I didn't, I don't think I would be as successful as I am.  I truly enjoy helping my clients, and love helping them get homes bought and sold.  There is definitely some satisfaction for me as well in negotiating with another agent or bank and getting them to do what is best for my client. This happiness shows in my work, and the energy and enthusiasm that I have!

Are you really aware of who you are and what you want?  I submit this challenge to you.  Print this e-mail and leave for work a half hour earlier tomorrow.  Stop somewhere you can sit down with something to drink and ponder the question "who are you really and what do you want?" If you feel uncomfortable asking yourself that , or immediately draw a blank, that should be a big warning sign for you.  To steal an exercise from Jack Canfield, turn your printout of this post over and spend at least five minutes writing out the statement "I want ________ " filling everything that comes to mind no matter how big or how small.  If you need more than five minutes, then take it!  If you need to be late to work you can use the excuse "I was consulting with my real estate agent".  I will cover for you.

This is the really scary part!  Once you have an idea of what you really want, look and see if where you're going is going to take you to where you want to be.  So often we get caught up in our lives, living from day to day, paycheck to paycheck or from one trauma to another that we don't see where we are really headed.  If that is the case, and you are realizing that who you are isn't who you want to be, then Lao Tzu has thought that would apply.

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."

The hardest part of breaking out of a rut and taking charge of where our lives are going, is simply overcoming the fear of change.  As soon as we start to deviate from our current path we are hit with a barrage of "what if" fears. 

• What if I can't do it?
• What will my friends think?
• What if I fail?
• What if I get laughed at?
• What if I get fired?

What are you "what if" fears?  These nagging fears are probably the main reason that most people keep doing what they're doing even if they hate it.  Again, back to  Lao Tzu and his wisdom.

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."

By now you probably really have to be heading for work.  But starting today, try not turning on the radio in your car on the way to work.  Instead, go back over what you've written down and think about where you are in relationship to where you want to be.  If you let go of your 'what if' fears, what would you be doing right now?  Most of us don't have the luxury of dropping our entire lives to change course in a day.  What we can do is start letting go of our fears and changing the direction our lives are going so that they will take us where we really want to be.  One last time, Lao Tzu has the appropriate quote for us.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."

Now, you probably have an idea of where you want to be going, so make a plan to get there.  Many of our goals are not something we can achieve over the course of a day, a week or even a year.  However, if we make an effort, and take at least one step toward achieving our goals everyday we can reach them.  Even in our busy lives where there never seems to be a moment of free time, there is room to take that one step.  The important part is to not say that you are "going to start tomorrow" or at some arbitrary point in the future.  We all know deep down that 'someday' never comes, and if you really want something to happen you have to start now!

I know this is a long post, but I hope it sparked something inside of you.  Please, post your thoughts and if there's anything I can do to help you achieve your goals just let me know!