Which is more powerful, which one would you say is more likely to succeed? Which one do you think is going to be more motivated to overcome the obstacles put in their way because they have a clear and definite purpose.

If we assume they both came up against the same obstacles, what would differentiate John and Sarah? Sarah could ask herself, “am I going to let this obstacle get in the way of my dream? Is this obstacle going to rob me of my freedom and rob my children of their security?” A clear and definite purpose for achieving your goal is essential to your success.

If you set a goal, decide on the purpose. Choose something that is important to you. That “higher calling” needs to be the most important thing in the world to ensure your success. Pick something that is really important to you, make success your ONLY option.

I invite you to take some time to write down some things about your desires, we all have them, but everyday life has a habit of making them seem less important, eventually we get into the habit of submitting to life’s every whim and existing instead of living. By allowing life to control us, we lose control. By taking this step back to take stock of our goals we can regain that control and focus on what is really important to us.

What is your dream?

I want you to write down as many things as you can, they can be as big or as small as you like. They could be: Financial freedom, skiing on the slopes of an exclusive resort, sailing your own yacht in the Caribbean, spending more time with the people who are important to you. Don’t discriminate between the ideas yet, just write down anything you’ve ever wanted to do.

Now, which of these really burns into your heart? Which single one of these is going to make you feel best? Feel really good about yourself? Which will bring you the most happiness? Spend some time imagining doing each of them and let your feelings guide you on this.

How much will it cost to fulfil your dream?

This is an important piece of research you will have to do, find out EXACTLY how much it will cost because this will form part of your plans, you will need to earn your dream. By knowing exactly how much it will cost to fulfil your dream, you can easily check your progress and how far you have left to go.

What would you do to get there?

I now invite you to write down the things you would do to achieve this dream. Don’t just write ANYTHING IT TAKES, this is unspecific and will not call you into action. For example; are you prepared to work extra overtime, sacrifice a few of the treats you pay extra for, are you prepared to start a small or part time business, are you prepared to spend some of your time working towards it, are you prepared to sell some of your knick-knacks and possessions to help fund the venture?

These are suggestions that are on my list, your own list needs to be specific to you. If you can’t populate your list with at least 5-10 things which you WOULD do to achieve your dream, I suggest you pick another one because that dream isn’t the one you ultimately see yourself doing. When we have a burning desire to fulfil our dreams we will do anything it takes. Write down all the things you could or would possibly do to put you in the position you desire.