Try and understand what you want and why you want it. Knowing what you want is one of the most important steps in actually achieving it. Many people are not successful because they don't really know what they want or don't take the time to thoroughly define it to put it in perspective. Many people don't ever get to where they are going because they don't know what the destination is and so there is no logical course that will get them there. Whatever the field is you need to know where or what you want to be. If you want to be an astronaut, there are certain things that you will need to accomplish along the way to achieve this goal. If you want to live in a cold prison, there are certain steps you would take to make that happen. Whether your goals are "good" or not, there are many paths to choose and there is one that will get you there better than any others.

One of the most important steps to understanding what you want to accomplish is to take a personal inventory and decide what things are most important to you in your life. There are many methods to doing this. Some people say that you should try and clear your mind of all thoughts and try and focus on what is most important to you and what motivates you to be better. When you have finally found something that makes you cry or get very emotional, then you have moved on past the superficial desires that society imposes on us through culturalisation and you have found your core desire and motivation. There are other less dramatic ways to achieve the same results. Some important factors to having this work well is a quiet and comfortable environment free from distractions. You are probably not really focused on your true motives if you are watching CSI or a football game on TV while trying to do this. It is also a good idea to have something to write on and with so that you can try and express how you feel and what made you have that response. You would be surprised how quickly people forget what motivates them when life takes over again. You will also need some time away from other obligations. 15 minutes will probably not be long enough time to clear you mind and make it do what it really can. You will need to have some time away for this. It may also be a good idea to do this in a secluded place. The dining room table is probably not a good place to do it a half hour before dinner starts. Many people like to have their personal inventory or interview outside in nature where they feel a certain sense of peace and can escape the cell phones and office memos flying around them.

There are many questions that you can ask yourself to understand what motives lay at your core and experimentation is the best method for you to find what will work best for you. You may need to do it more than once to refine and streamline your ideas, but it is time and effort very well spent.