Firstly, ask yourself the following questions:

What do you want out of life?

What do you value most? What does your life say to
you? Which means to say: What has been the purpose
of it so far? Ever thought about it? Funny question
for all of us when one day just seems to drift into
another. What ideals do you aspire to? What is your
core value (or values). In other words, ask yourself
this: what is the single most important value I stand
for in my life, my core reason for being?

Write your answers down on a blank sheet of paper.
Then ask the person nearest and dearest to you to
do the same. Make a quiet time when you won't be
disturbed. Kick the kids out, don't kick the kid's be-
hinds. Spend this uninterrupted time while you talk
about your lives together: your values, goals and
dreams - for yourself and for the family (if you're get-
ting on like me). If single, no worries! Lucky bugger!

This is a great opportunity for you to spend quality
time sharing your innermost fears, goals and dreams
with someone you love. If you are
single, just love yourself (my motto is: 'fall in love with
yourself and
be sure of a life-long romance'). You can also find out
what those nearest and dearest to you really want out of
life and from you. What are their expectations of you?
Usually very different from what you think they are!

Ask yourself: Are you living out your values? Do you
have a dream? If so, do you value your dream? Is it
that important to you? How important? What steps
do you need to take in order to achieve it? You may
have to ask for help from others, because not all goals
can be achieved by you alone.


The Bible said that man must have a vision ("Without
a vision the people perish"). The famous painter Jean
Monet said that there are two kinds of people:
those who want to be someone,
or
those who do something.

Do you want to be one of them or not? Nothing wrong
with that at all, if that's what you truly want out of life.
Just to be an inconspicuous ordinary person. Those
people are generally far happier than the achievers
who are continually striving towards success with
great hopes and dreams. Great! Except don't repeat
the word 'great', dumbo. I teach that in my creative
writing course.

To end off this piece, a few final thoughts on taking
risks in life...

RISK:

Seeing that I've taken one or two...or three or four in
my time. And achieving any type of success always
involves taking some form of calculated riskI love the
quotation, 'Be bold and unseen forces come to your
aid'. It certainly worked for us when we came to New
Zealand with virtually nothing. Remember the past is
unimportant. Only the present and the future matter.
And the future belongs to the calculated risk takers. I
have to think so with my life the way it is, don't I? And
more importantly, I need a great deal of FAITH...to
keep me going day after day.

"The greatest risk in life is to risk NOTHING...
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has
nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing..."

- Norman Vincent Peale.

"Only the person who risks is truly free. A man's con-
quest of himself dwarfs the conquest of Mount
Everest".
- N.V.Peale (again).

"Whatever you do, or dream you can do, begin
it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it".
- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

To end off this chapter, a final thought from plain old
"Joe Bloggs"... Whatever you want or desire in life,
remember Hamlet's words written by the great English
playwright, William Shakespeare:

"To thine own self be true".

Then you will be happy. Be happy.



About the Author
Craig Lock has written extensively on
the subject of personal success, as well as having
studied for many years in the field of self help.
Books available from
http://www.elkpublications.com/godzone.htm
and
http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/books.html