When Does Your Future Start?

Are you sick of your current situation? Do you feel like you're wasting your time not doing what you love? Or do you otherwise feel lost and don't know where to even begin?

Believe me, I've been there! A job that I not only hated but one that didn't even come close to paying the bills. A financial situation where I couldn't even put myself into credit card debt if I wanted too. And I was also stuck with the daunting question of how to get out of this mess?

It was like trying to trudge along in waist high mud with the rest of the world riding on by me in luxury vehicles. The muddy terrain didn't even affect them, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out how they were doing it!

You Have to Know What You Want

That sounds easy, right? You probably think you know what you want right now, but let me challenge that a moment. If I asked you here what you wanted, would you know in detail? I don't mean the vague 'oh, I want a better job.'

Do you know exactly what that job title is, or what life with that job looks like? If you want a nicer home, do you know down to the details on what kind of home you want from layout, dimensions, and decorating?

When caught up in the big rush of our days taking the time out to fully visualize these details can seem pretty insignificant, but they are in fact quite critical.

"What does it matter how many rooms my dream home has? I'll figure that out when I get there." Or, "I'm not even ready to start looking yet."

Whether you are in the market to buy your dream home yet or not, these details help build the big picture of your goal. When you have a clear image in your mind it is easier to recognize the opportunities that will lead you to reach those goals.

Consider if you know the particulars of what you want in these main areas:

• Career- What is the job that you want? What is the culture & environment, and how do you feel getting up in the morning to leave to go to work? Do you see yourself feeling valued?

• Home- What kind of home do you want from the layout, the yard, neighbors, and how many rooms would you have for what purposes? Do you want a study, a basement, a game room, what?

• Relationships- What kind of relationships do you want and of what quality? Are you able to see yourself surrounded by a good support system with those whom you can relate to and be accepted by?

• Personal Advancement- Who are you? What kind of person do you want to be and with what qualities? What are your drives, passions, and hobbies? Where in life do you want to go?

• Spirituality- What kind of spiritual depths do you want to reach? Do you want enlightenment, a spiritual community to join, or some other kind of deeper development?

Don't Wait, Start Asking Questions Now

Okay, so let's say you know what you want or have come to put some thought into it. Now that you've figured it out in detail, what comes next? What can you do to achieve those goals? How can those shiny new images become your living reality?

Well, the first thing to do is to ask questions, which is also more challenging than it sounds. Once upon a time, I had no idea where I wanted to go. I barely had a grasp of what it was I wanted, and I had to figure out how to do what seemed at the time to be impossible.

So where did I start? Well, the simple answer is Google. It all started with a bunch of questions. I wanted to know more about writing jobs available out there so I went to search on Google.

Over a little bit of time, and some well-targeted questions, I found a lot of answers. Then Google did what it does best: took it over from there.

Once I started asking specific questions Google started redirecting a bunch of things my way that I didn't even know existed.

Through a combination of both Google and Facebook, I discovered webinars, online certificate programs, learning programs, and a bunch of services that would prove to make my professional life so much easier! And it all started with just a few questions circulating around my head.

Keep in mind that just starting this journey is so much scarier than when you actually get out there doing it. When you are faced with a mountain of things you don't know compared to the wheel barrel you have of the things you feel confident in knowing, the enormity alone could stop you.

Don't let it! If you push through the first wave of uncertainty, confusion, and frustration, not only will you get to feel like you are getting better at this question thing, but Google will also be improving how it answers you.

Here are a few of the kinds of questions I would ask whenever I was starting to piece together my own puzzles:

• How to get started doing ____?

• Beginners guide to ____?

• How do I ____?

• ____ for dummies

• Top blogs/articles/resources for ____?

• List of ____?

• How to think like a ____?

Don't Wait! Take Action Now!

The world isn't getting any slower. If you want to get on a different train then you need to make the jump to get off the wrong train as soon as possible. There are a lot of different smaller steps that you can take to achieve the larger goals.

Break down your image into small, more obtainable pieces and just start chugging down the list. Before you know it you're going to be looking back at that list surprised at just how much you've accomplished.

So I recommend that you actually sit down, and once you figure out the details of your image, write out a list of all the steps you think you could take to achieve that goal. Whether the steps are big or small, write it all down.

Then when it is all in front of you, it will be a lot easier to figure out what steps you can take right now. What is important is just getting started! The rest will become an inevitability, so long as you keep moving.