The Following is from the Art of Non Conformity blog.... worth Sharing here.

 

 

 

January 24, 2011

How To Get What You Really Want

Last week I hosted a fun contest to give away my Frequent Flyer Miles to one reader. I expected a few hundred comments, and I got a few thousand.

Wow. I tried to publish as many as I could; the rest are backlogged in Wordpress-land--we can see them from our side, but they're not up for public viewing due to the site being overloaded.

First lesson: if you want your site to run very slooooow, just get hundreds of people to comment all at the same time. In this post I'll share the winner's name and story (it was a very tough choice for my biased judges and cat), but I also want to look at a broader issue.


But really -- and this is important -- you don't need to win a contest, or even join a cartel, to pursue an adventure. Many of the commentors mentioned that it was their "life dream" to go to the place they mentioned. Hmmm.

If it's your life dream, you don't need me or anyone else to make it come true.

Please don't misunderstand me; contests are fun and I'm thrilled to share my mileage wealth with one of the many great members of our community. No problem. But even better, if we can work to help many people have fun adventures of their own choosing, the rewards will go much further than the one person who wins the miles.

With that in mind, here's how you get what you really want:

1. First, decide what you really want. Studies have shown it's hard to get something if you're not sure what it is. If time and money were no object, who would you be? What would you do?

2. Never make decisions based on the perceived limitations in front of you. There is almost always a way around perceived limitations; watch this video for a great example. Instead, make decisions based on what you identified in Step 1.

3. Take small, immediate steps toward getting what you want. Don't wait long; take the first step right now. Possible small steps toward traveling where you want include reading a guidebook at the library or bookstore, saving $2 a day, scheduling a date in your calendar even if you're not sure it will work, etc.

4. Review the steps on a regular basis. If it's your life dream to go to Destination x, write it on a post-it note and put it where you'll see it everyday. Then always think, "What's next? How can I make this happen?"

A long time ago, Barbara Sher wrote something that made a big impact on me:

Whatever your dreams are, start taking them very, very seriously.

I loved this philosophy when I first read it years ago, and have been actively applying it ever since. Dream big! Then follow the dream, step by step.