Whatever it is you want—whatever your ambition—this is your “it,” the thing you desire most. It might be the perfect job, a great company, or a lifestyle where you regularly enjoy doing the things you love. Every few decades, there’s a revival of the concept that if you simply name your idea, write it down, or put it on a vision board, it will somehow come true. I’ve never subscribed to this belief. However, what I do believe is that if you truly want something to happen, you must first start living the way you want your life to be. This might seem abstract, so let me illustrate it with an example.
Suppose your dream is owning a bed-and-breakfast in an exotic location, where you surf regularly, enjoy a beautiful property, and generate enough revenue to support your near-vacation lifestyle. You could spend your entire life saving money, hoping eventually to quit your job, purchase property on some remote island, and set up shop. If you’re lucky, plan carefully, and start early, you might achieve this after 25–30 years of disciplined saving and hard work. But realistically, life often gets in the way, and there’s a significant chance this goal will remain just a dream.
But there’s another approach: You could start living the life you envision right now, thereby gradually creating that reality around you. You might not yet have the exotic $25 million property, but you could start smaller, building incrementally. You could begin embodying the lifestyle you desire, slowly but steadily shaping your surroundings. Sure, you may not have the means to make a massive purchase at age 72 after cashing in your pension, but instead, you could steadily accumulate the life you genuinely want through consistent action over time.
Think about it—this is exactly what you’re doing right now. Look around you. The life you see is the one you are actively building. Do you like your circumstances? If not, recognize this important truth: Every moment spent reinforcing your current lifestyle makes it increasingly entrenched and difficult to dismantle. Over time, your existing lifestyle becomes denser, gaining gravity and momentum, consuming your resources and limiting your freedom to change direction. This is simply the nature of human life and the miniature societies we build around ourselves. Live in a single scenario long enough, and it will grow deep roots, becoming exceedingly difficult to alter.
Instead of hoping for “one day” to come, make that day happen now. It will likely be painful at first—disruption always is. Yet gradually, just as you are doing right now, you will start constructing a fortress around the lifestyle you consciously choose. Eventually, the reality you once dreamed about will become your actual life. This is an incredibly powerful and deceptively simple concept. Older generations often reflect on their lives and talk about what they wish they’d done differently, recognizing the inevitable forward progression of any pursuit. This progression may happen deliberately, or it may occur unconsciously, without your active participation.
If you truly want this elusive “it,” the best path is clear: start living as if you already have it.