“And I say unto you, Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.” — Luke 11:9
The existence of truly unfettered and unwavering belief that we can achieve anything we want in life is a fundamental tenet to fulfilling our deepest desires and dreams. Belief, faith, or the unconscionable knowledge that we’re destined to attain or achieve something, is one of the most crucial determining factors in our ability to do so.
But how often do we have sheer and utter belief and faith in our abilities? How often do we say, “I know I can. And I will,” as opposed to, “I hope I can. And I might.”
More times than not, we simple doubt ourselves. We live in a state of constant fear, anxiety, stress, and worry, fretting and overthinking every little thing that we do, wondering if it will ever be good enough to fulfill our goals and live the life that we deserve. Needless to say, this is a far more common occurrence in our lives than harboring sheer and utter belief in ourselves.
But then again, we’ve got our reasons for overthinking things and constantly worrying and living in a state of fear, don’t we? How are we supposed to take the big risks associated with reaping big rewards, when there’s so much riding on the line? What happens if we fail? What happens if we can’t support our families, keep a roof over our heads, or put food on our plates?
Yet, that’s just it. Fears can easily manifest themselves. Once the mind gets going, it can head into a tailspin. Many of us know this all too well. The mind is a powerful tool, one that can be used for good, and certainly one that can foster bad. Like attracts like, as the saying goes.
So, if you want to achieve anything you want in your life, you need to hold powerful sway over that extremely complex bundle of tissue and matter in your head — your brain, and that construct that resides within it — your mind.
“A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.” — James Allen
Proverbs 23:7 tells us: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” This knowledge has been passed down for ages, and for good reason. There’s sheer power in those words. We will always gravitate towards that which we wholeheartedly believe in, whatever that might be.
How to Achieve Anything You Want
In any given day, our subconscious mind processes upwards of 60,000 thoughts. It’s those same thoughts that are pushing us towards whatever it is that we desire while at the same time bringing us closer to the things that we fear. The complex nature of our thoughts and the 3-part interaction in the psychic apparatus, which is the driver of the mind, can be dizzying.
How can we achieve anything we want when our minds are almost working against us? The truth of the matter is, as we already know it deep down inside, we get whatever it is that we focus on in life. When we focus on negative thoughts such as fear, anger, and resentment, we get more of the same. In fact, we live in a constant state of lack, wondering why we can never achieve the things we believe we want to achieve so badly in life.
However, when we live an abundant life, steeped in positivity, moving away from fear, anger, and resentment, and moving towards love, growth, contribution, and forgiveness, we get more of the same. Like attracts like. It’s rather simple and straightforward. But, we don’t often notice it at a micro level. We tend to look at things on a grander scale, not really realizing what’s going on in the here-and-now.
So, if you want to achieve those lofty goals that you set for yourself, live an abundant life, and grow spiritually, while also committing to follow three simple rules. And, as corny as it might sound, there absolutely are 3 simple rules for achieving anything you want in life.
But don’t get me wrong, this isn’t some overnight fix. This isn’t some bandage you can apply and assume that old wounds will heal and your life will suddenly be transformed before your very eyes. You have to go deeper than just the surface. You have to move past all of the pain and really get to he core of who you are as an individual operating within the confines of society. What are you bringing to the table?
Success in life, in whatever area we’re speaking about, is about delivering value. Whoever delivers the most value in the world, are the ones who can achieve anything they want. While people might gloss over this simple fact, ignore them. Commit to living a value-driven life and don’t look for shortcuts or underhanded strategies that will help you to advance at the expense of others.
So, all told, these 3 simple rules for achieving anything you want out of life might be straightforward enough, but actually employing them on a daily basis, without fail, is the hard part. We all know just how much life can get in the way. But, anything worthwhile in life isn’t going to come easy, so don’t expect achieving a lofty goal to be easy.
Yet that’s also the hard part. That’s where so many people lose their focus and interest. Big goals take a great amount of effort. It’s not going to happen overnight. Although we’ve morphed into this on-demand society that’s so used to getting fast everything, achieving big goals doesn’t quite work that way.
However, if you’re willing to put in the work, and you won’t throw in that proverbial towel, then you really can achieve anything in life. As outlandish as a lofty goal might seem to you today, over time, as you get closer, the reality of it becomes clearer.
#1 — Know what you want and why you want it
The first simple rule in achieving anything in life is knowing what you want and why you want it. And while this might sound very basic, it’s at the heart of all achievement. Namely, it involves getting laser-specific about your goals and writing them out in great detail. It also requires having a strong enough reason for wanting what you want in the first place.
Numerous studies have suggested that goals are far less achievable when they aren’t specified in detail or written out. In fact, these kinds of goals encompass passive goal setting. Passive goal setting is far more arbitrary and non-committal. So if you’re serious about achieving something notable, you need to engage in active goal setting.
Knowing precisely what you want in life has real power. It gives you direction. It helps to inspire and motivate you. It provides structure. And it gives a real sense of purpose. Knowing what you want, and I mean exactly what you want down to the last detail, is how you make your dreams come true. It’s the first step in the formula.
Call it the Law of Attraction, destiny, or merely goal setting, there is a powerful pool of vibrational energy, the stuff that we cannot see, which binds and pulls us in the right direction when we get precisely clear on what we want. Make it real and exact. Make it quantifiable and specific. Set your goals the right way using the SMARTER method. This is the first step in achieving anything you want in life.
But also, make sure you know why you want what you want. If that reason is powerful enough, it can give you the strength to push you through. If it’s flimsy or artificial, it won’t support you during your times of need. When you’re feeling down, stressed out, or worried about whatever it might be, it’s that deep-enough reason for achievement that’s going to help you see your goals through.
#2 — Create and follow a massive action plan
As cliche as it sounds, one of the biggest things holding most of us back from achieving what we want is the necessity to take massive action on a consistent basis. While it sounds simple enough, we all know that it’s far from the truth. Many of us know firsthand just how hard it is to keep taking action on a daily basis, and push through those limitations that hold us back.
But that’s precisely what it takes. If you know what you want and why you want it, and it’s powerful enough to push you through, you’ve got the first part covered. But it isn’t the whole equation. You absolutely must create a massive action plan.
Think about an airplane for a moment, if you will. An airplane has a goal — it knows where it’s going and why it’s going there. For example, if a plane were departing from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and heading to John F. Kennedy Airport (JKF) in New York, it knows what it wants. It wants to fly from LAX to JFK, and it knows why — because people are paying for that service.
What the plane also has is a massive action plan. In the airplane’s case, this is called its flight plan. The flight plan knows the starting point and the ending destination. It also knows some other things such as general direction of travel, average flight altitude, cruising speed, and so on. There are a number of factors that go into the flight plan.
Without a flight plan, how would the plane know how to get from Point A to Point B? When all the details hadn’t been worked out such as the amount of jet fuel required, the weight of the plane with all its content such as passengers, crew, and luggage, and a number of other factors, how could it get from LAX to JFK?
It would be much harder for a plane to reach its goal, even if it knew what it wanted and why it wanted it. Similarly, for you to achieve anything you want in life, you need a plan. You need to know how you’re going to get from one point to the next, otherwise you’re wasting your time. Without this knowledge, achieving anything you want in life becomes far more difficult.
#3 — Track and analyze your results, making changes along the way
The third simple rule for achieving anything in your life is to track and analyze your results, making changes along the way. Think about that airplane again for a moment. It has a massive action plan to reach its destination. But what happens when there’s turbulence along the way, excessive air-traffic congestion along its route, or some other issue?
Does the airplane stop and turn around, going back home? Or, does it keep going, making adjustments along the way? We all know the answer. But the only way that the airplane can make those adjustments is if it’s tracking and analyzing its results. An airplane tracks things on a micro-scale down to the last second. The onboard computers help to crunch that data and come up with alternate plans when necessary.
Similarly, if you’re trying to achieve anything in life, you have to track meticulously, analyzing your results along the way. How else could you know if you’ve veered off course? If an airplane forgot to track its flight path for an hour, it could end up going in a completely wrong direction, wasting fuel and aggravating its passengers.
If you want to achieve your goals, you have to track and analyze with meticulous accuracy. Live and breathe the data. Analyze it. Obsess over it. Figure out ways you can enhance the data and help to improv things little by little. For example, if you’re trying to save $20,000 to start a business, you need to get serious about your income and expenses.
To save $20,000, you need to track your expenses down to the last cent. Every penny that you’re spending is a penny that’s not going towards your dream. So, if you buy a pack of gum, track it. If you get a morning latte, track it. Then, analyze your results. How much money is going towards “extras” in you life? How much is going to towards the essentials?
While people might ignore the details, it’s those same details that are going to help you achieve the things you want in life. Even if you’re not a detailed person, you have to become detailed if you want to see things through. No one else is going to do it for you.
While these rules might seem simple at the outset, they involve a completely revamped way of thinking and living. The more we veer off track, the less likely we are to achieve the things we want out of life. Take them seriously and commit to putting the necessary time and effort to see things through. This way, you can achieve even the loftiest goals that you set for yourself. Just don’t expect it to happen overnight.