Over the last couple of weeks, I have been encouraging you to figure out
what you can do to take charge of your life, your decisions and your plans
for the future. I'd like to revisit these themes a little more today, and
ask you this question:  Do you know what you want for yourself?

Some people have trouble with this question.  They know what they're
supposed to want - what their parents or bosses or friends or the media tell
them they should want ?- but something is wrong.

While they seem happy and successful, inside they feel unfulfilled, in a
rut, as if they have lost something but they are not sure what it could be.
Some may even feel hopeless or terribly depressed. They can't get what they
want because they don't know what it is.

You see, if you don't believe you can have something, often you won't let
yourself want it. If you grew up as an abused child, or in a family where
you were discouraged from expressing your wishes, or in a family where
survival took precedence over everything else, you may have trouble
identifying what you want.

I believe that knowing what we want is very important information, so here's
an idea to get you started. How about starting a want list? Keep a small
notebook with you. When you find yourself wanting something - anything at
all, from new shoes to a new relationship - write it down.

Let yourself dream. Don't worry about practicality or what anyone else will
think, and don't leave anything out.

Once your list is quite substantial, you can highlight or number the items
you want most and set goals to achieve them. Can you have what you want?
Probably. But first, you must find out what it is.

Lou Tice
The Pacific Institute
www.thepacificinstitute.com