In order to live authentically, we first have to know what we want. Knowing what we want is what keeps us from bobbing through life like a leaf on water, floating one way for a while, only to be turned in another direction by the first gust of wind.

Unfortunately, when it comes to pinpointing our heartfelt desires, most of us haven't got a clue how to even start. That's because from a very young age the majority of us are programmed to either believe we don't deserve to have our desires met or that life is supposed to be unfair and to ask for anything at all is just setting ourselves up for disappointment. More often than not, when asked what it is we want, our answers will be focused on what we don't want rather than what we do:

"I don't want to be stuck in this dead-end job any longer."

"I don't want to keep getting overdraft notices from the bank."

"I don't want to feel as bad as I feel right now."

For others, however, the problem is just the opposite. There are simply so many possibilities open before us we can't make up our minds. Like kids in a candy store, we can't decide which sweet treat would suit us best and either stay stuck trying to decide, or leapfrog from one selection to the next, never staying with any one desire long enough for it to manifest.

When we believe our options are limited or we can't make up our minds because they aren't limited enough, we begin operating in survival and chaos mode. We lose our potential for moving forward because we're too busy just trying to cope. Eventually we become so frustrated with the entire process, it seems easier to give up altogether, even if it means we're condemning ourselves to lives of unfulfillment.

Unfortunately, if we spend our lives denying those needs and desires buried deep within us, our zest for life begins to fade and we start feeling more like impotent, helpless victims than the powerful creators we actually are.

To keep this from happening, it is imperative that we know what it is we truly want.

So the question becomes: Do you know what you want? If not, here's a simple but very effective way to find out.

1. Start brainstorming. Get yourself a notebook and write down the question "What do I want?" Then write down the first 20 answers that pop into your head. I know, this is the same quesiton you've been asking yourself for ages and can't seem to find an answer for. But that's only because you've been trying to force the answer to not only come, but to conform precisely to any preconceived notions you might have of what it should be. . By writing down the first 20 answers that rise to the mind's surface, you'll be tuning in to that part of you that really, truly knows you, from the inside out.

Don't refuse to write down an answer because you think it's wrong, or ridiculous or you're certain it would never work anyway. That starts the forcing process up all over again. There are no right or wrong answers to the question, and the only limits placed on them will be the ones you put there. So ignore all the "can'ts" and "won'ts", "couldn'ts" and "shouldn'ts" that attach themselves and just write down the first thing that comes to mind, no matter how impossible or silly you might believe it to be.

2. When you've got 20 answers written down — not 12 or 19, but 20 — then ask yourself a new question: "What would make me really happy?" Again, write down the first 20 answers that come to mind. There doesn't need to be any rhyme or reason, and you don't need to try to figure out how these answers tie into the first. As with the previous queston, just write down whatever pops into your head.

3. By the end of this exercise you're going to have a list of 40 items that you desire or that make you happy. From these two lists, pick the one or two things that blend well and that you feel most passionate about. For instance, perhaps one of your desires is for a chance to travel around the world, and one of the things that makes you happy is teaching others. Neither one conflicts with the other, and it is possible to see how both could work together in your favor. You might want to choose both, but only if you are passionate about both.

Passion is important. In order to bring them into your life, you're going to have to want them passionately enough to sustain your focus, so choose only those things that really excite you and make your heart sing.

Don't worry about the time factor, or how any of it is going to come about. Just try to stay as focused as possible by committing your mental energy to the matter consistently. You will be shown a way far more quickly than you might now imagine.

As an example, several months ago I sold a business so I could devote time to doing what I wanted to do. I thought I knew what that was and so pursued it, even to the point of hiring a personal coach at considerablel expense to get me going. But it seemed that no matter how hard I pushed myself I couldn't seem to make much progress toward my goal. I found myself procrastinating and at one point, even became ill in a subconscious effort to delay the goal I'd set for myself. I even stopped calling the coach who's guidance I'd already paid for. Finally, I realized something was wrong and took the time to ask myself the same two questions I've just recommended to you.

When the answers came, I realized that the goal I'd set for myself was not one I actually desired nor one that would make me happy but, instead, one I assumed was right for me because it had the potential of providing the fastest route to monetary gain and would eventually give me the time to do those things I really liked to do. In short, instead of just doing what I wanted, I'd been inventing something to do hoping it would allow me to do what I wanted. Rather silly when you stop and think about it, isn't it?

One of the answers to my "What do I want?" question was "to touch people's lives and make a difference in the world." As I read over that answer I recalled an inspirational flash movie I'd found while surfing the net a couple of years before. I'd sent it to my father and could remember how touched he'd been by it. "I'd like to be able to do something like that" I said aloud and then added "make an inspirational movie" to my list of things that would make me happy.

A couple of weeks went by and nothing much happened, other than me making the decision to completely shelve the original goal. Then one day while visiting a particular forum I infrequently post to, I came across a message regarding the steps necessary to creating an inspirational flash movie.

Not long afterward, I awoke one morning with the words "May you be blessed," running through my head, and within 15 or 20 minutes had jotted down the entire script for what eventually became the "May You Be Blessed" movie I just recently launched and with which most of you are familiar.

Every day since the launch of the movie I have received thank you notes from people all over the world telling me how the movie has touched and inspired them. I now find myself having and doing exactly what I want and what makes me happy. And all because I stopped and asked those two little questions of myself and then focused on the answers.

The point I am trying to make is that when we listen to our hearts and we begin focusing on those things we really desire instead of what we think we should want, amazing coincidences begin taking place drawing those things to us.

I could have stayed with my original goal, putting nose to grindstone and making myself complete the project I'd started. But from the onset, I inwardly knew it was not the path for me and as long as I remained attached to it, I was only denying myself my heart's desire.

The universe is ready, willing and able to give you whatever you want. But first you have to know what it is. If you're not now certain, then by all means, ask yourself these two important questions and listen to the answers coming from your heart. Then place you entire focus on what you want and trust that it will come.

And it will, quite often in the most amazing way. You have my word on it.

Copyright 2006 by LMA Productions. All rights reserved.
Kate Nowak is the CEO of Live More Abundantly Productions
and creator of the inspiring movie "May You Be Blessed" www.mayyoubeblessedmovie.com

Questions or comments? Please take the time to send any questions or comments regarding this article to me at kate@livemoreabundantly.com. I would love to hear from you.

"If you think about it, you'll understand that everything we do has only one objective — bringing us closer to our real self, to our spiritual realization." — words spoken by the millionaire in The Millionaire's Secrets by Mark Fisher.

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Quantum Abundance Coach
Publisher, Live More Abundantly Productions
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