Even further, you've faced those times when you actually got what you wanted, only to discover it wasn't as great as you expected.

You end up just accepting and tolerating whatever life throws you, whether in form of your career, your mate, your income, your living environment, etc.

Then, of course, in our state of "tolerating life," more we focus upon what we don't want, more of it we experience.

In words of fitness guru Susan Powter...

"Stop insanity!"

"What do I want?" Begin using these 4 words each day. As Stephen Covey says, "write it down, asterisk it, underline it." If you ask it, answers will come. Keep asking until answers do come.

See, you will always get something, even if it's only more of same. My good friend and fellow Coach, Bryden Manning talks about "Christmas morning relationships."

As a child, when you awoke Christmas morning, you knew you'd have stuff under tree. But if you didn't make a list of what you wanted, there's no telling what you'd get.

It works same with every area of your life. Every day is Christmas morning. You'll always get something. Have you made your list yet?

"What do I want?" Just say it outloud with me.

"What...do...I...want?"

If you have a hard time with this question, consider taking a class or work with a coach. It's too important a question to ignore any longer. It's your life, after all.

Start today. Say it..."what do I want?"

To extent you get clear on answer to this question, to that same extent can you focus your attention on it and make it your intention to create it.

I'll leave you with simple and direct words of Walt Whitman, who said "claim your own at any hazard."

It's your life! Make it great.

3. Ask for what you want, even if this belief comes up and says it's not okay to have it. When you first start out, it's difficult to ask for what you want. Ask anyway. It's just a belief.

4. Consider distinction: "taking a stand vs. being positional." Taking a stand for what you want is simply stating your want without feeling a need to prove you deserve it. It's what you want. It's your choice. Period. "I'm taking a day just for me next Monday."

Being positional is stating what you want with an underlying need to prove to yourself and/or others it's okay to have it. "I've worked 6 days straight, and I deserve a day to myself!"

5. This one is from "The Portable Coach," but I love it. Say "no" just because you feel like it. How great would that feel? How many times have you wanted to say "no" to something, but couldn't bring yourself to do it?

6. Set aside "me time." This is time just for you to do whatever you want. Why? Say it with me . . . because you want to.

7. Whenever you see belief "it's not okay to get what I want," name it. Name it for what it is - an old, tired, limiting collection of thoughts from your past. Again, it's not Truth.

8. Look at how you can get what you want in a way that's oriented around your core values. In other words, instead of allowing coulds, shoulds and woulds determine what you have and how you get it, find out what your core values are, and let that be your guide.

9. Consider a Coach. If you read any of these and they sound out of realm of possibility for you, that's a sure sign you've got this belief very deeply embedded in your personal operating system. You probably would benefit from some personal attention.

10. Sleep well. In end, it's you who has to release yourself from this inner bondage. Whether you control your own life or allow expectations and needs of others to do it, make it a conscious choice, and BE HAPPY with it.

It's your life! Make it great.