If the 90s British pop sensation 'the Spice Girls' ever get remembered for anything, I hope it's for bringing the question 'now tell me what you want, what you really, really want?' to the mass consciousness

Now you may laugh at this, but when you really, really think about it, is there a more important question you could ask yourself?

What is a want?

A want is a desire. Whether or not we get what we want is often based upon the strength of our desires.

I know many will probably argue with this statement, but in some strange way, there is a part of me that truly believes that we all get what we want. If you really had a burning desire to change your reality, you would do it, right? Well, I'd like to think so.

Now if you're convinced that it's time you actually started wanting more, then allow me to share three simple but powerful secrets.

1. Know what you want.

If ever there was a personal development concept that was worth grasping it's this one: know what you want. If you don't know what you want, do you really believe that you have any chance whatsoever of getting it?

The sad reality of life is the fact that the majority of people in this world don't know what they want. Even sadder is the fact that this is the way most people prefer it.

If you aren't actively pursuing your own wants and desires, chances are that you will become a statistic of un-fulfilment. Always remember that your employer, government, financial institutions, family and peer groups will all be trying to shape your life according to their wants, not yours.

2. Ask for what you want.

Once you are clear about what it is you want, you've got to ask for it!

Can you imagine sitting in a restaurant, reading the menu, making your selection, but not telling the waiter? What are your chances of getting a meal? Pretty slim!

If you are clear about what you want, you need to start telling other people about your aspirations. When you do this, you will find that others will conspire to help make your dream a reality.

I've personally had countless experiences of people going out of their way to help me once I had let them know what I wanted.

3. Expect to receive what you want.

It is also very important that you start to develop the mindset where you just expect to get everything you ask for. When you set your brain a task or embed an expectation, it will naturally seek a favourable resolution.

To extend our restaurant example, once you've placed your order you create the expectation within your mind that you will get exactly what you want. If the waiter didn't bring the meal you ordered, you'd naturally send it back and wait till they brought you what you asked for. Why not put this concept into practice in the other areas of your life? You'll be pleasantly surprised by the results!

Success always has a price!

Once you have decided upon what you want, asked for it and established the expectation of receiving it, the only thing left for you to do is pay the price. Despite what many self-help gurus might have you believe, success will not come to you without sacrifice. Be very aware of what you are prepared to 'pay' in order to get what you want.

After all that, if your life still isn't serving you the banquet that you want and deserve, just keep sending it back to the kitchen until it does!

Copyright Damien Senn 2005. All rights reserved.