One simple strategy to achieve what you want

What if I told you that you could accomplish anything you wanted? Would you believe me?

OK, here’s a challenge for you: Think of something you want to accomplish. For the next five minutes, think of all the ways you can accomplish it and write them down. Not a single solution is off-limits.

For example, say you want a different career. Start by writing:

1. Research what it takes to have that career.
2. Assess current skills and knowledge to determine if a starting point already exists.
3. If so, re-write resume to reflect skills and knowledge to pursue that career.
4. If there are no required skills and knowledge, acquire necessary education.
5. Research schools or programs to get that education.
6. Ask people who already have that career what they did to achieve it.
7. Peruse job listings in that field.
8. Hire a coach to keep you focused on your goal.
9. Apply for jobs in that field.
10. Ask an organization to allow you to spend a “day-in-the-life” in that career.
11. Get up 30 minutes earlier each day to spend time researching.
12. Become an intern in the desired field.
13. Email everyone you know and ask for advice on how to get where you want to go.

I admit I only spent 3 minutes coming up with these action items but even at that, I came up with 13 ways to start moving in the direction of obtaining a new career. And none of them appear impossible to do, do they? Notice, too, there isn’t a single obstacle. This is a major point and I will let you in on a little but incredibly powerful secret as to why not a single roadblock was introduced in this list:

Your mind cannot hold opposing thoughts at the same time.

If you’re busy focusing on how to accomplish something, you cannot simultaneously be focusing on how not to accomplish something. Put another way, if I am thinking about how to prepare chicken for dinner, I cannot, at the same time, be thinking of how to barbeque ribs. Therein lies the difference between people who get what they want and those who do not. They simply program their minds to think of solutions instead of obstacles.

Now, go write your list.