What You R.E.A.L.L.Y. Want

Are you doing what you REALLY want to do?

It's a simple question, but the answer doesn't always come right out.  Whether it be a job, business, or career, many of us aren't doing what we would ideally love to do on a daily basis.

So many things outside of ourselves determine what we spend most of our time on.  From financial obligations and responsibilities to fears and doubts about our ability to do "more".

 In my personal development course, Mind Rehab,  I developed an assessment that includes an acronym for helping determine if you are doing what you really want to do, and how to identify what "it" is.

Are you doing what you R.E.A.L.L.Y. want?

Right- Is your goal, career, or business right for you?  Do you have the gifts, talents, and abilities to do "it" well?
 

Enjoy- Do you enjoy what you are doing?  Are you constantly watching the clock waiting for the day to be over, or do you wake up in the morning in eager expectation of the day ahead?

Always-  We are what we think about all day long.  A good indicator of what you really want is what you always are thinking about or think about the most.

Love- It's hard to do something day in and day out well and with excellence without love.  You have to have a passion and a drive to endure the pain, sacrifice, and perseverance that comes along with what you really want.

Leave- This is simply asking yourself, is it worth it?  Is it worth the sacrifices you have made and the things you may have to leave behind or stop doing?

You- What's the motivation for what you are doing?  Is it the "responsible" thing to do or what the opinions of others have persuaded you to do?  What you R.E.A.L.L.Y. want to do should come from YOU.  

Here's a Mind Rehab tip:  You can't do what you REALLY want to do without first being who you REALLY are!

Needs, Haves, And Wants

What is the driving force that makes people do things in life?  In every area of our lives we have different things that motivate and inspire us to make the decisions that we make.

I was sitting down thinking about all the things I do on a daily basis.  I came to the conclusion that there are 3 basic reasons that motivate us to do what we do.

1. Have to's-  A majority of our daily tasks consist of things that we feel that we "have to" do.  We have to go to work, have to take care of our kids, and so on and so on....
2.  Need to's- This is where is starts to get more oppressive.  Things we simply do out of need, but we don't necessarily want to.  "Need to" pay a bill, "need to" make ends meet, "need to" buy some time, etc....
3. Want to's- This I mean in the most positive light.  These are things that we have a strong desire to do that comes from within, without the influence or pressure from things outside yourself.

It is my opinion that we need to strive to do more things because we want to.  So many of our choices are made due to oppressive needs and things that we feel we have to do.  Most of these decisions are made out of fear.

When I thought about these main driving forces, I was thinking about my relationship with my wife.  I don't need my wife, I want my wife.  I am not still married because a piece of paper says I "have to".   After 4 years of ups and downs, successes and failures, I am still married today because I "want to".

But how many of us are in relationships because we feel that we "need" a man or a woman?  How many women tough it out because they feel they "have to" for the kids?

How many of us wake up in the morning and go to a job because we "need" to make a certain amount of money?

Can you count the hours out of the day that you don't do things because you "have to"?

By no means am I saying to neglect our responsibilities in life.  But there has to be a time where we step back and look at the quality of our every day lives and strive for improvement.

Let us take steps to do things that we really, really, really, want to do.  From relationships, to careers, down to just how the hours of your day is spent;  It feels good when the driving force behind it is because you really want to!