Recently, a lady came to see me and she had successfully stopped smoking with me and as she had enjoyed the success after 30 years of trying and failing to stop smoking, she was so happy that she felt capable of doing anything. She brought in what looked like a shopping list of things in her life that she wanted to change!
Just last week, I also got an email from someone that receives this ezine of mine, and they wanted all sorts of different things to happen in their life, and couldn't decide what to focus on. So, this month, I thought I'd give you some pointers on helping yourself to know how to know what you want. Sounds a bit confusing, let me put that more simply; "How to know what you want."
In the late 1990s, and during most of the time I have ever been emloyed, I was doing jobs that I found to be unsatisfactory or that I simply did not enjoy. WHen I did my first self-hypnosis course and learned some of the main aspects of NLP, I was amazed by the resources that already existed within me and as I learned more about modern ideas of personal development, two questions became more and more insightful to me. Those two questions were (and still are..)
"What do you want?" and "How will you know you've got it?"
As the questions came up more and more, I realised I had not applied them to my self as I should have done. What did I want? The more I asked myself that question, the less I knew the answer. However, I was sure of the fact that I didn't want to keep doing what I was doing, and that the personal development fields I was discovering were to be involved with my future somehow.
So, as you stop and think with regards to your own situation in life, in whatever aspect of it, or of your life as a whole (not a hole!) have a good think and identify anything that is currently part of your life that you want to let go of in the future. Really think about that.
Almost everyone has examples of one sort or another. What about these ideas;
- A current job you don't enjoy.
- Unwanted habits that cause you problems.
- Unable to spend time doing things that make you happy.
- A dissatisfying relationship.
- A belief about yourself that doesn't serve you well.
Take a few moments and figure out what you no longer wish to have in your life. As per all my previous rantings, remember not to ficus on them too heavily, just know what they are for now.
FOllowing that first discovery of self-hypnosis and the things I learned within it, I progressed to studying hypnotherapy, NLP, Emotional Intelligence, I went on courses all over the world, read hundreds of books, listened to audio programmes on hundreds of topics, I trained in all sorts of other therapies too. Even after all that, I still was unsure about what I really wanted, but I did know what I didn't want and I also knew what sort of direction I wanted to go in, and so I handed in my notice at work!
I knew that I wanted to have lots of time to spend furthering my studies, I knew that I wanted to have financial freedom and that I wanted to be doing work that fulfilled me and helped others, that I wanted to continue having lots of fun, excitement and adventure and of course that I wanted to be happy and wonderfully peaceful in myself. You have the benefit of someone else telling you how that happened to them so you do not have to embark on the same lengthy process, instead, you can follow the same steps in a far, far shorter period of time.
So, once you have identified the things that you would love to let go of or move away from in your life, the next step to take is to identify anything that is part of your life that you definitely want to continue in the future.
We all have good things in our lives; all of us. Some of us may not think so, but we do. Identify those aspects of your life you definitely choose to continue to have. They can include things like good health, intimate friendships, your home, feelings of happiness, a loving family, excitement and discovery or your income.
Then, once you have made sure of some (or all) of the wonderful things in your life you wish to continue, you can identify anything you would like to become part of your life in the future. Think about what you want in the future.
If you have sometimes had difficulty knowing what you wanted in the past, it can be good to choose big-scale things rather than small specifics. Think about what it is that you definitely want in your life in the future, no matter what? This may include a loving relationship, a better income, fulfilling work, intimate friendships, personal development, good quality health and fitness, a sense of real happiness and other wonderful feelings.
These are examples of the big scale things, next you can begin to become more specific about them however, be careful not to overspecify, by that I mean if you want to have fulfilling work, but you don't know what you want to do, get specific about what has to happen for your work to be fulfilling, for example working with people, being outdoors, making a difference, able to learn something new everyday and so on ? whatever 'fulfilling' means to you. Remember to think about what fulfilling really means to you and not just think about the examples that I have given here; that may not really be what you truly find to be fulfilling.
It is not necessary to be specific about what that work would necessarily be. Just set your target as 'fulfilling work', go through how you'll know you've got it, then let your unconscious mind do it's magic.
So, you can see and begin to get a handle on what it is that you really want and once you know that, you can begin to work towards how to get that. You can go through other articles of mine to find out how to do that more easily.
Copyright 2005 Adam Eason. All Rights Reserved.
Adam Eason is an author, consultant, trainer and motivational speaker in the fields of hypnosis, NLP, personal development and human potential. His website is filled with information, stimulating articles, resources and uniques products.
Adam's bi-monthly free ezine is packed with modern, innovative psychological tips, techniques and strategies; all those who sign up receive an instantly downloadable, unique hypnosis session to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
There are only two emotions we can experience; love or... Read More
Contrary to the popular saying "attitude is everything" attittude is... Read More
Part 1Recently, in a women's therapy group that I run,... Read More
Cheri decided that she wanted to grow an apple tree... Read More
Are you aware of your inner dialogue? If not, you... Read More
If you think you are a loser, you train or... Read More
An Attitude of Gratitude. How important is this to you... Read More
Do you feel that your negative thoughts are holding you... Read More
Thank you is such a beautiful phrase. When you say,... Read More
If you suffer with or have in the past suffered... Read More
While trying to ignore my teen daughters rap music a... Read More
Kasia is a talented landscape designer who speaks several languages,... Read More
Did you know that the 911 equivalent in the UK... Read More
"Who am I fooling?" "I'm a loser," "I'm too old,"... Read More
Everyone of us has the potential to successfully more through... Read More
As if choreographed and rehearsed the night before, one lays... Read More
We hear a lot these days about accepting responsibility for... Read More
One of our most active senses is sight. What we... Read More
The way we use language can have a huge impact... Read More
Not Amen, just so we're clear on that.AND.The little connector... Read More
The other day one of my "challenging clients" and I... Read More
"At birth, a baby's brain contains 100 billion neurons, roughly... Read More
There is an old joke about a man who is... Read More
I woke up this morning feeling sour.No. That's an understatement.... Read More
One often hears people say they can't sketch because they... Read More
This may sound quite aberrant to most of the younger... Read More
Hey gang; Ok it's time to create some good habits.... Read More
The quality of your life is directly related to your... Read More
I'm lucky.When I was fifteen, I was the sole survivor... Read More
Do you wish you had high self-confidence? Some of us... Read More
"Someone was hurt before you; wronged before you, hungry before... Read More
It really doesn't matter what your objectives are in this... Read More
Recently, a dear friend who has been both a coach... Read More
A more positive future, a happier life, a body that's... Read More
When I was a young man, even a teenager for... Read More
I woke up this morning feeling sour.No. That's an understatement.... Read More
If we are the products of our attitudes then it... Read More
Maureen worked in an office with twenty other people, processing... Read More
From experience, one of the biggest stumbling blocks for people... Read More
Our lives are busy. We rush here only to remember... Read More
Visualization is the art of using ones imagination to influence... Read More
Do you feel that your negative thoughts are holding you... Read More
Emotions have the tendency to take over our actions and... Read More
Empty, Hollow, Nothing?.those words shout the sound of disappointment and... Read More
Your response (reaction?) to change is conditioned by your entire... Read More
I was always somebody who felt quite sorry for myself,... Read More
THOUGHTS are powerful. The power of THOUGHTS cannot be underestimated.... Read More
I'm often asked how it is that I stay so... Read More
"Those people who think they can do something and those... Read More
There is a wonderful story about the famous escape artist,... Read More
Being a mom can take a toll on your body,... Read More
No, not that kind.Power and potential are synonymous. Your ultimate... Read More
Problems, disappointments and trouble; the three skunks that sometimes think... Read More
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is... Read More
In speaking of comparison we need to be aware that... Read More
If I say the word "CHANGE" how do you feel?... Read More
The surge of emotions.During the middle ages, the court jester... Read More
Unhappy moods can be like comfortable sweaters, those old ones:... Read More
Ever had a problem with doubts? Ever felt that nagging... Read More
HOW YOUR OUTLOOK INFLUENCES HEALTH AND ABILITY TO CONTROL ANGERJane... Read More
Normally I race around multitasking. I am always thinking about... Read More
There is an old joke about a man who is... Read More
At first glance, it would seem that positive thinking and... Read More
There are only two emotions we can experience; love or... Read More
Ever witnessed an incident that needed to be reported to... Read More
Why do we really need the experiences that we have... Read More
Positive Attitude Tips |