Many of us complain that our lives aren’t where we want them to be, yet we don’t take any action to change things. Everyone has goals, and a solid plan of action is the only thing between you and your goals.

If you’re thinking or feeling that you’d like to get more of what you want out of life, consider these five steps…

Step 1: Find Your “Why”

The first step to getting what you want in life is really looking inside yourself and finding out why you want what you want.

What really matters to you?

You might think you want to earn more money, but earning money in itself isn’t what will make you happy. Earning money so that you can provide a solid education for your children, however, is a BIG reason why. And that reason will motivate you to achieve more.

Step 2: Evaluate Where You Already Are

Next, it’s important to take stock of where you already are in relation to your big goal. Make a list on paper and write out all the circumstances of your life that aren’t quite where you expect them to be.

Step 3: Break Down the Obstacles in Your Way

Now it’s time to take the list you made in step two, and understand what exactly is standing in your way.

For example, one thing on your list might be that you don’t have enough money to travel the world like you’ve always dreamed of. So take this further and ask yourself why you don’t have enough money. Is it because you’re in debt? If so, break down some steps to get out of debt.

As you can see, this is all about recognizing how one situation leads to another. Not being smart about money leads to debt, not making a debt payoff plan leads to having no money, and having no money holds you back from traveling the world.

Step 4: Make a Plan of Action

Now that you know the exact obstacles that stand in your way, it’s time to find solutions.

Things like being in debt might seem too difficult to get out of, but there’s always a way. You could start by making a budget, then by figuring out which luxuries you can cut out. Then you could brainstorm extra ways of making money. To speed things along, you could even downsize, sell your car, or move in with your parents!

Step 5: Believe in Yourself and Take Action 

Lastly, it’s important to change your mindset. You have to start believing that you can truly achieve whatever you want in life. Yes, everyone has certain limitations that can make things more difficult. But there are countless success stories out there when people overcame huge limitations to achieve everything they ever wanted.

The thing is, it does take work. However, once you start thinking more positively and truly believe in yourself, a lot of your work is already done.

And remember, if you encounter any setbacks along the way, it’s all a lesson that you can learn and improve from.