What do you want?
Some of you either really like this question because it makes you excited to talk about what you want, or you are a bit intimated by it because you haven’t got a clue. Actually, most are probably somewhere in-between, with a vague idea, but possibly hold some level of fear to fully commit to it. I believe that there are not two different types of people, but that there are two different temporary states of being. To know, or to not know. The grey area in between these polar opposites is filled with overthinking, doubt, anxiety, and everything else that makes it unclear which side you stand on. But that grey zone, that is the area that challenges you and teaches you to answer that question above and commit to your answer.
This grey zone is where you are tested day in and day out to answer that question with confidence and strength. What do you want? What do you really want? Can you sit there, and answer it, without any voices in your head telling you that you can’t have that? Can you drown out all the noise, all the hate, all the pressure, all of the past opinions, and just tell yourself what you want. If you can, say it often. It is when you convince yourself to start moving towards what you want with a plan. We all want something in our life to materialize. Whether this is subconsciously or consciously, we all have feelings and ideal pictures of what we want to happen. Sometimes it is hard to continue believing when life doesn’t happen the way you envisioned it. But I truly think the reason you don’t believe, isn’t because you can’t do it, but because you stopped telling yourself what you wanted when it got harder.
What do you want?
When you know what you want, and you realize that you get one life to pursue topics/skills that you are truly interested in, you don’t waste time questioning it. You spend time doing it. You take the information around you and problem solve to figure out the best ways to get you closer to your aim. Without a bullseye, you cannot have anything to aim at. Without a GPS coordinate, you have no idea where your destination is. You have to know. You have to spend time figuring this out. Then when you figure it out, you have to commit your time to you and what you want.
Stop giving your time away to people and places that distract you from what you want once you have figured that out. Find people that will guide you down a path towards this aim, but know deep down that it is you who are responsible for it. You know what’s best. We all have a conscience and when it is speaking to you, you should listen very closely. You can only listen closely when you are quiet. All of the tv shows, the parties, the entertainment, and the random opinions of people that don’t have the same aspirations as you, are simply distractions from something you already made your mind up about. What you want. We all have access to great examples of people who knew what they wanted and stopped at nothing to achieve it, and we know how much those examples inspire and motivate us.
Why can’t that be you? Why can’t that be you in your way? On your own time, with your own struggle, with you own undeniable commitment to you and your dreams. Society, our friends, and sometimes even our family will have us stuck in that grey zone, because a lot of the times that is where they are too. No one wants to be lost alone. But you have to be so self aware that the decisions you are making are not being influenced by people who don’t understand what and who you want to be.
You want to learn from people who spend the least amount of time in that grey zone. Everyone gets there from time to time, but it’s how long you stay there that can have a huge impact on your life. That zone may seem fun, it may seem like it isn’t a big deal, but it is. Days add up. Weeks add up. It all adds up and before you know it, what you want can become harder to justify because of the time you spent not figuring out and committing to what you want.
But just because it is harder to justify does not mean you give up. You have to see the light at the end of the tunnel because this is your life, and you have right now. No matter what happened in the past. Want something! Whatever it is, just want it, identify it, and work for it. There is nothing you can do about what has already happened, but there is something you can do about what is going to happen.
The quicker you commit to it, the easier it is the start creating a plan of action. When you have a plan of action, you can then start to build simple daily habits that help you grow into the person you need to become in order to accomplish and have what you want.
If you feel anxious or overwhelmed by this question, that is ok. It is ok to feel that for a moment, or a period of time in order to muster up the courage and the confidence to answer it. But do not run from it for too long. You will always be reminded of it while you move through life. It is something that no matter how much you try to sweep under the rug and pretend doesn’t matter, it will creep back up at some point and you will have to face it, like many of our fears.
But on the other side of this fear is clarity, calmness, fulfillment, inspiration and purpose. You are going to be moving through life anyways while you are here on this earth, so why not move through it with intention and purpose? With clarity and love? It doesn’t matter if you haven’t done that in the past. What matters is what you are going to do moving forward? It is your decision. And maybe you are saying to yourself that you were like that in the past and lost yourself for a moment, I have been there. I have been there a couple of times for a couple of different reasons. And what I have found is when I faced my way back to clarity, by doing the work and asking myself these difficult questions, I never once regretted it.
It transformed my actions, which transformed my results, which energized my life. Not only did it affect what I do everyday, but it affects all of those around me to be their best. I have always been very aware of how contagious energy and attitude can be. And I make the conscious decision everyday to bring my best to other people as consistently as possible. We are not perfect, but usually when I step into situations with the awareness of what I want to create, what I give off comes back to me. The response created with your energy, and your intention is passed through other people and shared, and when that can be used to motivate and inspire people around you, well that’s when magic happens. That is when you create moments that propel you into great experiences and memories that can inspire people for days, months, and even on rare occasion, the rest of their life.
Ask yourself what you want. Go through your desires and make it clear. So clear that you understand exactly what you are asking for. Then write it down and commit to it. Commit to it on the days that are easy. And commit to it even harder on the days that are hard. When you truly identify and commit to what you want in life, you’ll never regret the time spent going after it.