Before we get into addressing how to achieve what you want to do be or have, I think some further discussion is needed re: the subject of balance.

In the past, people have commented on the singular drive exhibited by people who have been wildly successful in ONE area of endeavor, and have held that up as some sort of gold standard. While it may well be true for some of the commenter's that they seek a high-level of performance in one single area of life, say career for example, this discussion centers on doing, being or having anything we want and for some of us, myself included, that goes well beyond a one-dimensional or fanatical pursuit of a single element of life.

Going back over the previous paragraph you may notice a theme; singular, one dimensional. It is my belief that folks who pursue a single goal to the exclusion of all others have failed as human beings. They may well achieve massive success in that one area of focus, but a review of most high achievers shows that those who focus only on their art or their business may be wildly successful in that single area, they fail at relationships, they fail at family. The notable exceptions are people like Tiger Woods who has managed to be successful as an athlete, as a product endorser, as a husband and a son. Tiger has been able to balance the competing interests (businessman, family man, athlete) and I doubt anyone would call that mediocre or describe Tiger Woods as an average man.

In addition to his play, he has also been tremendously generous with both his time and his resources for the Tiger Woods Foundation, his Tiger Woods Learning Center, and his series of junior golf clinics. He counts working out, boating, water sports, fishing, cooking and car racing as hobbies.

In short, Tiger Woods has found balance. His commitment to down-time has actually had people question his dedication to the sport and to his position as a sports figure when he turned down invitations to events held in his honor or in honor of other sports figures including Jackie Robinson. I believe this balance comes from the development of Tiger's sport from a focus initially from his father to a focus of his own choosing. But enough about that.

So, how then do we achieve what we want (the best we know how right now)?

Chief among the methods is to first commit to doing the best we know how right now, that is, do not focus on the development of a perfect plan or require a set of perfect conditions to begin. This more than anything will set the foundation for being, having, or doing what we want.

More often than not, we know enough about something we are interested in to set an initial course and begin working toward its achievement. The key is to recognize that knowing enough to begin is adequate, that we do not have to have a mastery of all potential issues and complete control over all circumstances to start on a path towards our dreams.

This is important because the human tendency is to try and be in control of all things but as in the previous installment, we MUST recognize there are things we can influence and control and there are things we cannot. In the same way that we should only focus on the things we can actually influence and control, we must have confidence that it is enough to pick a direction and begin with the best plan we can create at that time, recognizing the plan can and will change as time goes on, the plan not being important, the goal being all that matters.

We can and in fact should stack the deck in our favor by getting familiar with the requirements of what we want to have, be or do, and by learning about what it will take, but in order to avoid the threat of analysis paralysis, where we get stuck in the endless loop of learn, plan, evaluate, learn, plan evaluate, etc., we must decide up front that once we have enough information to begin, we must begin. The opportunity will always exist to make course corrections, to gain new information and to act on it, again, the end result is the important item, NOT specifically how we get there.

Once we have roughed out a plan we are ready for the subject of our next installment, take MASSIVE action.