The first step to manifesting whatever you desire in your life is probably the simplest, and maybe even the most fun, however many people seem to overlook it. So, here it is. The first step to manifesting anything you desire in your life is:

• GET ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT

I told you it was simple, and fun. Who doesn't like dreaming about all the things they want to have in their life (I use things here meaning anything you could possible want, relationships, spiritual wealth, physical health, monitary wealth, etc.).

There are four common problems that I see people running into at this stage. First, some people simply refuse to think about what they want in their life. They are so focused on how things currently are that they leave no room for bringing anything new into their life. For example, they may be in debt. But instead of thinking about having more money and abundance in their life, they just think about how they are in debt. They worry about it. They get depressed. They turn to mind numbing activities to try to dull the pain they feel. You must recognize the infinite possibilities that exist in your life, and allow yourself to focus on what you actually want, instead of focusing on what you don't want.

The second problem people run into at this stage is that they don't get clear about EXACTLY what they want. It is great to dream. In fact, it is essential to dream. Dreams set you in the direction of the things that you want. However it is not enough just to dream. You must set your sites on a specific goal. Let's go back to the example of the person in debt. Instead of saying "I want to get out of debt" (which puts the focus on "debt") or saying "I want to be wealthy" (better, but not specific enough), they should say "I want to have $50,000 by June 1, 200X." Now that is specific. Not only is there a specific goal (to have $50,000) but there is a time limit for the goal (June 1, 200X). So, why is this necessary? Imagine that you wanted to drive from New York City, to Los Angeles, California. Woul you pick up a map (or type into mapquest, etc.) and say I want to go from New York City (current location) to California (destination)? No. While this would get you across the country, and certainly much closer to Los Angeles, if you end up in San Francisco, California, you are still hundreds of miles and 6 hours from your goal...in other words, you did not reach your goal. You must get specific about exactly what you want.

The third problem I have noticed, is that after people get specific about what they want, self-doubt kicks in and they immediately dismiss it. They say things like "I could never have that" or "I don't deserve that" or "I am not materialistic, I don't want that" (a topic for a later discussion) or "I will never make that much money" or "I am too ugly to have a relationship with that person"...it goes on and on...people are very hard on themselves. One thing is for certain, if you don't allow yourself to go after what you want, you will certainly never get it. Many people are hoping for the life of their dreams to simply fall into their lap, but they don't even allow themselves to dream. I once heard Dr. Phil say "at the very most, you get what you ask for" and I believe this to be true. Allow yourself to ask, allow yourself to dream, and make room in your life for the things that you want.

The forth problem I see people running into is that they get too specific about how they are going to reach their goal. This may sound contradictory, but it is not. You need to get specific about what you want, but leave your options open for exactly how you are going to get it. This doesn't mean that you stop looking for options. On the contrary, it means that you open yourself up to all of the infinite options instead of focusing so hard on one specific one that you miss the others. We are creatures of deletion...we are bombarded with so much stimulus throughout the day that we are always filtering information. We tend to filter out the stuff that we are not focusing on. Have you ever noticed that when you get a new car, all of the sudden you see that same car everywhere. Did this same model of car just begin to appear around you all of the sudden. Probably not. However your attention and focus shifted, so now instead of filtering out that information, you notice it. The same is true for your goals and looking at all the options. Allow yourself to be open to the infinite options the world has made available to you, and you will be able to manifest your desires much more quickly.

Alright, so there it is, the first step. What are your dreams? Write down your dream, then write down a specific goal (but not exactly how you plan to achieve that goal). Post it in a place where you will see it every morning when you wake up, and every night before bed. Read it every day, then just let it go, and the universe will start aligning with your thoughts, and working on bringing you what you desire.