When you think of business development you probably think of the millions of things you think you “have” to do. The things everybody tells you that are the right things to do. But… What do YOU want? Yes, it is possible to consider what you want. Jack Canfield author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, has been talking about the possibility of “getting what you want” for years. And I have to tell you… it can happen! I have seen it happen for client after client and I have seen results in my own life as well. Getting what YOU want is possible. But it doesn’t happen just because you WANT it to. You have to do your part and thanks to Jack, here are his… 7 Steps for Creating the Life YOU Want.

1. Take No Less than 100% Responsibility for Your Life. One of the greatest myths that is pervasive in our culture today is that you are entitled to a great life and that somehow, somewhere, someone is responsible for filling our lives with continual happiness, exciting career options, nurturing family time and blissful personal relationships simply because we exist. But the real truth is that there is only one person responsible for the quality of the life you live. That person is you.

When we take 100% responsibility… the buck stops here! Yes, you have to stop blaming the economy, your partners, your practice area and the list goes on. If you don’t like what you’re doing, where you are or the money you are making… change it!

2. Be Clear Why You’re Here. I believe each of us is born with a life purpose. Identifying, acknowledging and honoring this purpose is perhaps the most important action successful people take. They take the time to understand what they’re here to do, and then they pursue that with passion and enthusiasm.

Why did you go to law school? What drove you to go into the practice area that you chose? Maybe you found them or they found you, but whatever it is you must find your purpose. You may not be in a position today to experience it. But when you experience it… YOU will know it. You’ll feel it in your gut.

3. Decide What You Want. It sounds so simple, but here’s the problem: I see plenty of people who are overly-busy yet who feel unsatisfied and unfulfilled. They are physically tired, spiritually drained, and far from where they’d like to be—as if they’ve been running on a treadmill going nowhere fast. Why? Because they haven’t clearly mapped out what they want and then taken the steps to get there. Rather than identifying specific goals, milestones, and dreams (and I’m talking BIG dreams and goals here), they go through the motions day in and day out tackling unimportant tasks. They end up…you guessed it…going in circles and wasting lots of energy. In the meanwhile, they grow increasingly uninspired and out of touch with their authentic selves. This, of course, sets anyone up to living a life out of balance.

Many lawyers that I talk to are on that treadmill, going through the motions with no particular direction. They are just processing files. What do you want? Grow your practice, build a book of business, become a judge, write a book, teach… If you know what you want, you can figure out how to get there.

4. Believe It Is Possible. Scientists used to believe that humans responded to information flowing into the brain from the outside world. But today, they’re learning that instead we respond to what the brain, based on previous experience, expects to happen next. In fact, the mind is such a powerful instrument; it can deliver literally everything you want. But you have to believe that what you want is possible.

This is a huge obstacle for lawyers. You seldom do anything that hasn’t been done before. That is your training. Few lawyers will go out on a limb and try something new. But those that do… do it because they have faith that it is possible to succeed. What do you believe is possible?

5. Believe in Yourself. If you are going to be successful in creating the life of your dreams, you have to believe that you are capable of making it happen. Whether you call it self-esteem, self-confidence or self-assurance, it is a deep-seated belief that you have what it takes; the abilities, inner resources, talents and skills to create your desired results.

Listen up! Take a deep breath and OWN your expertise, your experience and your power! Find your self-confidence and if need be… fake it until you make it!

6. Become an Inverse Paranoid. This one is straightforward: Imagine how much easier it would be to succeed in life if you were constantly expecting the world to support you and bring you opportunity. Successful people do just that.

I think Jack wrote this one with lawyers in mind. You are trained to be paranoid. Instead, believe that the world will conspire to support you.

7. Unleash the Power of Goal Setting. Experts on the science of success know the brain is a goal-seeking organism. Whatever goal you give to your subconscious mind, it will work day and night to achieve. To engage you subconscious mind, a goal has to be measurable. When there aren’t any criteria for measurement, it is simply something you want, a wish, a preference, or a good idea.

It’s no secret that I believe in the power of goal setting… in fact it’s a bit magical when you see it in action as I have with my clients.

If you know that you are not happy…  what are you going to do about it?

(Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com)