What Do You Want?
Three Tools for Getting What You Want
July 2004



Five years ago, if anyone told me that in 2004 I’d be living in Denver, Colorado, meditating daily, (previously, sitting still for five minutes was torture), teaching seven weekly yoga classes, running my own business and leading classes for women on aligning with their power and intuition, I would have sat in disbelief, jaw dangling. Yet I am sure the thought of it would have slapped a silly grin on my face, knowing deep inside that I would love it! Inspired, I wonder, what will come by 2010?! Oooh the possibilities!

What Do You Really Want??
A tough question for many of us. We may be tuned into short term wants, “I want a day off”, “I want acknowledgment from my boss” vs. really taking time to think about ALL that we really want in this lifetime.

What do you want? Maybe it is more symbolic or emotion based like peace, connection, purpose, or maybe it is tangible like a wonderful relationship, a safe home, a trip to Italy (yes please!) or a new job.

The First Step
Take 10 minutes or more and list out all the things, emotions, elements that you want this lifetime as of right now. This, mind you, is not a “to do” list of “shoulds” and “need-to’s”, it is a wants/desires list that makes your belly hum with excitement. Be exhaustive, be “selfish,” be lavish, and luscious in your imagination; for now forget about practicality and what is realistic! Please indulge!

Review your list. Prioritize your “biggies”, the one’s that excite you most (choose 3-5). Compare your current life with these big wants and consider whether or not it is bringing you closer to, further from, or has no bearing on your desires. If your current lifestyle, is pulling you away from or not contributing at all to what you want, it is time to seize the opportunity! Please don’t dismiss your desires — you truly can create what you want!

Motivation
What lights you on fire? What sets your belly abuzz? What cracks your face into a smile instantly? Choose your wants this way. If a so-called want is really a should (because you ought to or it would be a good idea) bag it!! This will be short-term success leading to long-term disappointment. Get the buzz.

You need to find the wants that make it worth the effort to get to the other side. Sit in a cozy chair, quiet room, cool drink and “feel” each of your biggie wants, one at a time. Imagine each individual fabulous want fulfilled in your life and notice how it feels. On target, and you will feel it — “butterflies” of excitement or the desire to smile or laugh out loud. Off target and it will feel flat or unexciting, in which case throw that would-be want out of the window or reframe it till it feels great!

Focus
What is particularly funny about focus, is that as I write this newsletter, I keep getting distracted. Each morning, my big goal is to complete and send out my newsletter. Suddenly, another item or two finds its way in front of me, seeming to be more important or a have to do, and voila, newsletter postponed.

Familiar?

What’s crazy is that I really want to write. In fact, writing is one of my greatest desires at the moment; however, at times, I have difficulty focusing on what I really want. Ironic.

Imagine you discover your dream job and it is not the career that you are in. You begin thinking about this dream job when you learn you’re up for a promotion at your current job. Though it is not what you really want, you decide you can use the extra income and benefits so why not. You do the research, prepare for the interview, get the promotion and go through training for your new position. Six months later you return to thinking about your dream job and realize you still really want it. You have merely delayed your own progress.

Get Started
The next step is exciting, scary, bold and completely possible! Is there a part of you that fears getting what you want, having the life you’ve dreamed of? If you combine what you want with motivation and focus, you can tap into a source of power greater than fear. Fear and love cannot exist in the same space at the same time. If you fill yourself with the love, desire and motivation for what you want, fear cannot remain. When in doubt, focus on that feeling of excitement and what it will be like to have what you want, to love your life!

Homework: Take out your calendar right now and schedule in three half-hour blocks of time.

1st hour: dream and make your list of desires, wants

2nd hour: Select 2-5 biggies that you wish to focus on and “sit” with each to be sure you get the excited feeling in your belly for each.

3rd hour: Compare your current life to your biggies and notice if it supports them. Create 2 or 3 steps you can take in the next 2 weeks to move toward your wants.

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