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You can't
have everything. Where would you put it?
- Steven Wright
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So, what is it you want? This page is dedicated to helping you identify...
who you want to BE
what you want to DO
and what you want to HAVE.
TIP: One obstacle I've seen people experience in this identification
process is the concept of "should." Shoulds are a condition
place on us from the outside, perceived or real. What should I want?
What should I do? Who should I be? What should I have? What would impress
the Jones'? What would make my parents proud? What is the right thing
to want? It's all shoulds.
To get the most out of this exercise you're going to have to temporarily
set the shoulds aside. If you find yourself thinking "I don't know what I
want" I can almost guarantee the shoulds are stopping you from freely
stating your desires. If this is the case, pretend you were just dropped
into this world. You have no parents, no friends, no relatives, no responsibilities,
no commitments, no obligations, and no one is expecting anything from
you. What would you want then?
Who Do You Want To Be?
Get a pen and paper, and for the next few minutes write down every person
that you admire and respect. It can be anyone, a friend, family member,
co-worker, celebrity, politician, author, scientist, musician, philosopher,
teacher, anyone at all. There are no limitations. They don't even have
to be real, you can write down fictional characters. I've created a list
of famous people that might help spark your memory. For the next
2 minutes, list everyone you like or admire for some reason, it doesn't
matter why for now. Then return to this page.
Now, next to each name, write the characteristic(s) or quality you like
about that person. After you've done this for each person, got through
the list of qualities and compile them into a condensed list. Put the
qualities that repeat at the top of your list. Here's an example of the
process.
Example |
| Person |
Their Qualities |
List
of Qualities
- Honesty
- Courage
- Powerful
- Humorous
- Creative
- Intelligent
- Wisdom
- Inspiring
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| Madonna |
honesty, courage,
powerful |
| Oprah Windfrey |
powerful, inspiring,
honesty |
| Albert Einstien |
intelligent, wisdom,
creativity |
| Robin Williams |
incredibly funny,
creativity |
| Shirley MacLaine |
courage, honesty |
| Mark Twain |
humorous/witty,
intelligent |
Look at the list of qualities you're left with. Are those the qualities
that you yourself wish you had? Do you not already have some of them?
Which do you want to make stronger? Which do you want to develop more?
Are there any qualities on your list that you don't think you possess?
Do you want to be the person that has all those qualities? Many times
simply being aware of the qualities you want to possess brings them out
in you.
What Do You Want To Do?
Lets take the next 15 minutes and identify what it is you enjoy doing.
Brainstorming is a very useful technique for identifying your wants by
throwing all caution to the wind. Be wild and free. Forget being realistic
or practical. Pretend you've just been given a license that for the next
15 minutes, you don't have to take anyone else into consideration, you
don't have to worry about time, space or money, and you have total freedom
to be self indulgent. This isn't about finding you a career, although
it may eventually become one. It's about identifying what you enjoy doing.
I've created a list
of activities you might enjoy doing that might help you get started.
Write down every activity you enjoy doing.
What Do You Want To Have?
Take another 15 minutes and do the same for the things we would like
to have in your life. Try to be as specific as you can. What would you
like to have? Here's a list
of items you might want to have that might help you get started.
Removing Obstacles
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