I countered by asking what the highest income he ever earned in a single year was. His reply: “$20,000.” I then asked him if he thought he was worth $100,000 a year. He hesitantly responded, “I don’t know, I think so.”

My last question, and the most important one was, “What do you plan to change about yourself to go from $20,000 a year, to $100,000 a year?”

His answer, “I don’t know.”

what are you worth?

You see, if a person considers himself a $20,000 a year person, he will never be worth $100,000 a year unless he makes some sort of change. There is always something that we can change. Any change we make will produce a different outcome in our lives.

Our income will rarely exceed our own personal beliefs or personal development. If it does, on some rare occasion, it will quickly return to where it was in a short period of time, that is, if we don’t make a change.

That’s why it is critical to have a plan for your own development, otherwise you’ll continue to produce the same results.

what’s so different?

In order to get something different in our lives, we must do something different. In order to do something different we must know what to do. And in order to know something different, we must at least suspect that our current methods need improvement, and we must be open to finding a better way.

We always do the best we can with what we know. On the other hand, some of us continue with our old ways knowing that there is a better way. Why? Because we’re comfortable with our old ways. After all, it’s what we know best. Changing would mean having to take a risk, to break out of our comfort zone.

The risk of breaking out of our comfort zone brings about our deepest fears. What if it doesn’t work? What if the opportunity I’m becoming involved in isn’t real? What if I can’t do it? What will others think of me being in this type of business?

It brings up the fear of failure. I’ve failed before, what if I do it again? It can even bring up the fear of success! If I’m successful, I may have to leave some of my friends behind.

where do you want to be?

In order to become and remain a success in any endeavor, there are two things that are required. First is knowing what’s got you “turned on” and second, is knowing what gets you “turned off.”

I refer to it as “vision” and “reality.” Knowing where you want to go and why is known as “vision,” and knowing what’s holding you back and why is “reality.” Your vision may be that you want to earn a million dollars, but the reality is that you don’t believe you can.

Having complete clarity is the place to start. Clarity is knowing where you’re going and being on target. The speed at which you accomplish your objective will always be based upon your own degree of clarity.

are we clear?

If you just can’t seem to get going, that means that you aren’t clear — something is holding you back. Your fear blocks your clarity, therefore, slowing you down, or in many cases, even immobilizing you.

Without being clear about what you want, it becomes impossible to take full advantage of any opportunity. The slightest element of doubt creates uncertainty, and uncertainty always creates lack of clarity. Lack of clarity produces tension, tension produces fear, and fear immobilizes.

Think of a time when you felt unclear, or when doubt was creeping in on you. Think of a time when you felt non-productive or stuck. That’s called being non-resourceful. Now think of a time when you really felt clear, when nothing could stop you. Everything seemed to work with ease; every answer was right there when you needed it. That’s being resourceful.

find the answers

The question should always remain, “Is what I’m thinking, feeling, or the action I’m taking moving me closer to, or further away from what I want in my life? Is it supportive or non-supportive? Is it resourceful or non-resourceful?” Every thought or feeling you have and every action you take either attracts the elements you need, or pushes them away.

It’s always a question of “honor.” Which do you “honor” the most; your vision of what you want to accomplish, or the “stuff” you find yourself wrapped up in? If you choose not to make the call because you are afraid of being rejected or afraid of what someone might think of you, it simply means you have chosen to “honor” your fear instead of your vision.

How resourceful are you?

How much time do you spend in a resourceful state each day? How much of your time is spent doing business and not worrying about tomorrow, or getting caught up in the past, or feeling fearful about some situation? Most people think that in order to be resourceful, all they need to do is just “think positive.” Positive thinking is like taking an aspirin for a headache. It may be a temporary fix to kill the pain, but it doesn’t get to the real cause of your headache.

What you really want to do is learn to deal with and move past your fears by getting to the real cause of the problem. What most are trying so hard to do is change their beliefs about what they can and cannot accomplish.

Here’s the way it works:

experiences = belief = feelings = behavior = results = thoughts = belief system

We continually attempt to change our beliefs with little or no success at all. After a while, in order to avoid the pain, we sink back to our old ways, back into that dreaded comfort zone.

snap out of it

Letting go is the answer, not pushing against. You can do all the “positive thinking” you want, but if you feel non-resourceful, you will produce a corresponding result. You need to learn to “let go” of what’s holding you back, so you can then remove the blocks.

Think for a moment about what’s holding you back. Doubt, worry, uncertainty, and lack of confidence are all fears that hold you back. Is there anything stopping you, or impairing your ability to be the best you can be?

You have to “intend” to let it go, you have to be “willing” to let it go, and you have to “commit” to let it go. On the other hand, to hang on to a non-resourceful feeling requires three things: Intention Willingness Commitment

Hanging on requires a tremendous amount of your energy, while “letting go” requires none at all.

Think about a past experience you’ve had; a failure or a bad experience you’ve endured. No matter how long you’ve been hanging on to it — whether it be 10 minutes or 40 years — the question should always be: “Does hanging on to it make me more or less productive?”

Positive thinking is not what you need; it’s self-observation, it’s waking up, it’s seeing the truth! Your thoughts choose your direction in life, but without self-knowledge through self-observation there is no foundation for correct thinking.

Without correct thinking, you have doubt, which creates uncertainty. Uncertainty produces a lack of clarity, and when you lack clarity, you have no intention. Without intention you don’t know what to focus your attention on. Self-observation creates reality.

the curtain is just opening

A clear vision and a clear reality are the keys to having the success you want and deserve. When you have a clear vision of what inspires you, and you have observed what holds you back, you then become one with your goal. With complete clarity, you can now focus your complete attention on what’s needed to create the results you desire.

Jim Britt, author of Unleashing Your Authentic Power, Rings of Truth, and his upcoming books, Messengers of Truth and How to Be Rich, has been a business consultant and seminar leader for some of the most prestigious companies in the United States. For more information, visit www.jimbritt.com.