Firstly, ask yourself the following questions:

What do you want out of life?

What do you value most? What does your life say to you? Which means to say: What has been the purpose of it so far? Ever thought about it? Funny question for all of us when one day just seems to drift into another. What ideals do you aspire to? What is your core value (or values). In other words, ask yourself this: what is the single most important value I stand for in my life, my core reason for being?

Write your answers down on a blank sheet of paper. Then ask the person nearest and dearest to you to do the same. Make a quiet time when you won't be disturbed. Kick the kids out, don't kick the kid's be- hinds. Spend this uninterrupted time while you talk about your lives together: your values, goals and dreams - for yourself and for the family (if you're get- ting on like me). If single, no worries! Lucky bugger!

This is a great opportunity for you to spend quality time sharing your innermost fears, goals and dreams with someone you love. If you are single, just love yourself (my motto is: 'fall in love with yourself and
be sure of a life-long romance'). You can also find out what those nearest and dearest to you really want out of life and from you. What are their expectations of you? Usually very different from what you think they are!

Ask yourself: Are you living out your values? Do you have a dream? If so, do you value your dream? Is it that important to you? How important? What steps do you need to take in order to achieve it? You may have to ask for help from others, because not all goals can be achieved by you alone.

The Bible said that man must have a vision ("Without a vision the people perish"). The famous painter Jean Monet said that there are two kinds of people: those who want to be someone, or
those who do something.

Do you want to be one of them or not? Nothing wrong with that at all, if that's what you truly want out of life. Just to be an inconspicuous ordinary person. Those people are generally far happier than the achievers who are continually striving towards success with great hopes and dreams. Great! Except don't repeat the word 'great', dumbo. I teach that in my creative writing course.

To end off this piece, a few final thoughts on taking risks in life...

RISK:

Seeing that I've taken one or two...or three or four in my time. And achieving any type of success always involves taking some form of calculated riskI love the quotation, 'Be bold and unseen forces come to your aid'. It certainly worked for us when we came to New Zealand with virtually nothing. Remember the past is unimportant. Only the present and the future matter. And the future belongs to the calculated risk takers. I have to think so with my life the way it is, don't I? And more importantly, I need a great deal of FAITH...to keep me going day after day.

"The greatest risk in life is to risk NOTHING... The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing..."

- Norman Vincent Peale.

"Only the person who risks is truly free. A man's con- quest of himself dwarfs the conquest of Mount Everest".
- N.V.Peale (again).

"Whatever you do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it". - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

To end off this chapter, a final thought from plain old "Joe Bloggs"... Whatever you want or desire in life, remember Hamlet's words written by the great English playwright, William Shakespeare:

"To thine own self be true".

Then you will be happy. Be happy.

Craig Lock has written extensively on the subject of personal success, as well as having studied for many years in the field of self help. Books available from
http://www.elkpublications.com/godzone.htm and
http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/books.html