One Foot in Front - Achieve Your Wish

by Russ Kamis

The last few issues we have explored how to get fear under control (Cage the Monkey) and how to find passion and purpose (Free Your Mojo). But what do you do with that wish; how do you manifest your desire? As the Winter Warlock sings in the movie Santa Clause is Coming to Town, "Just put one foot in front of the other."

Everyone is somewhere in the continuum of finding their wish and achieving it. To go from wanting something to achieving it requires that you believe your wish is attainable. Young children know this intuitively.

Yet as we get older, the vast majority of people spend their lives stuck right here. If you ask them why they aren't pursuing their dream they will tell you something along the following line: "They would pursue it if they only knew how it could be accomplished." Since they can't figure out exactly how they will accomplish their goal, they don't try. They can't see how to do it, so they conclude it must not be possible. People often equate not knowing how they will accomplish something to believing they can't achieve it. They let their lives fill with busyness and distraction instead. The lack of action causes their dreams to wither.

The truth is that every path forward is unclear after only a bend or two in the metaphorical road. No one knows "how" they will ultimately succeed when they set out to achieve great things. Yet "How" is often the very thing that stops us from starting. To achieve any goal, the process is simple: focus on "what" you want, not "how" you will get it. There are four practical steps you can take to achieve your desire:

1. See It, Feel It:

Make your wish crystal clear. Spend time with it. Know your desire spectacularly well. Take time to paint the perfect image in your mind. Know what it feels like to have it accomplished. Visualize an outcome that emotionally moves you and feel it fully. Use all your senses. The more emotion you place on a wish the faster it happens. This way you will know it when you see it. Desire and motivation speed the process.

2. The "What" Filter:

Use your wish as the filter for all decision making. At each point in your journey, look at the current options and possible next steps. Make each decision and take the best action(s) that best propel you toward your goal. Each journey is simply the culmination of thousands of steps. At age 20, I set a goal to become President & CEO of a business. I did not know how to achieve it. I simply kept making the best decisions and choices I could to get me there – the grades I got, the schools I attended, the jobs I took, the companies I worked for, the relocations I accepted, the hours I worked. I used the vision of what I wanted as the criteria to decide the next best step to take. Over 15 years, I made thousands of near-term "how" decisions and took action using my wish as my guide. As a result, I became CEO at age 35 – some 10 years ahead of plan.

3. Believe in You:

Have faith and confidence in yourself. You can accomplish your wish. The place to start is in your thinking. Your thoughts are the only thing in your life that you have absolute control over. Many people see themselves as limited. Know that every limitation you have, you decided on. You heard it somewhere, or thought it yourself. Then you accepted it as true. Every limitation is self-imposed. "I can't," "I never," "I'm not good at" – are all the result of habitual negative thinking. The good news is that since you created your limitations, you get to choose every day whether to keep them or not. They are trash. Throw them out. You control your destiny.

4. Failure is Impossible:

There is no way to fail by pursuing your wish. That is not to say you can't fail on the world's terms – lose money, have the venture go under, etc. – this can happen. However, by following your purpose and passion, you've given yourself the most meaningful opportunity at full expression, creative endeavor and self actualization. There is no higher calling than listening to your heart. You can't come up short. You will learn, grow and mature – all while being true to yourself and your life's journey. Real failure is living your life without pursuing your dream and wondering "what if." Soon after leaving my CEO position the economy turned and I lost all the money I saved during those seven years. I felt terrible. Had I pursued my real interests instead, I would have ended those seven years at peace with my choice, even broke, because I would have honored my spirit and progressed down my path. This is real success.

To achieve your wish, decide "what" you want. Hold the image clearly in your mind's eye. Make decisions and take action that will best get you there. Be open to every path, insight, intuition, circumstance and serendipity. Don't worry about how it will happen. Know that your journey's details can only be known after the fact. These details are more generally known in aggregate as "life." Don't let the fact that you don't know how your life will play out keep you from living it to the fullest and pursuing your dreams. Head out. Start your journey. Simply take the next step or two by putting one foot in front of the other.

Russ Kamis is the Founder and Principal of the Kamis Group, LLC. Russ specializes in helping Presidents, CEOs and their leadership teams create a winning atmosphere ideal for success. To learn more about Russ visit:

www.thekamisgroup.com or contact him at russ@thekamisgroup.com

© 2010 by Russ Kamis. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction allowed only with permission

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of articles written by Russ Kamis being offered to our readers. Future articles will deal with achieving success both professionally and personally. We are interested in your feedback.