How Many Lists Do You Need to Succeed?

Hint: You May Need More than Just One List to Succeed

Almost every success program encourages or even insists that you make a list of goals or desires that describe what you want.  But is that enough?  In this article we discuss what the different type of lists you can make and whether you need to make them.

Type of Lists

Everyone strives to make that first all-important list.  A list of what they truly want out of life, whether it be wealth, health, relationships, a career or anything else.  It is often suggested that you make this list to cover everything you could every possibly need or want.  So let's call this your everything list.

But some of the things you state that you want you may not REALLY want.  If you can find out which of the items on your everything list are those that you truly and deeply want then you have another list.  We shall call this your priority list.

If you are not sure what it is that you want then you may be more certain about what you don't want.  A list of what you don't want can be is used as a basis for creating your everything list or priority list.  This is another type of list and we shall call it your complaint list.

It's also suggested that you identify what beliefs you have so that you fully understand what it is you already consider possible or even impossible to have or achieve.  This will be called your belief list.

Some of beliefs that you list could be in conflict with what you desire so again we have one more list which we will call your conflict list.

Five possible lists.  That may seem like it's too much but it may be necessary for you.  Everyone is different and you will have to decide if you need to create all or some of them.  Now we direct our attention to each type.

Your Everything List

Your everything list should be include just that; everything you could possibly imagine that you want.  From the simplest thing to the most outrageous item possible.  You don't have to be concerned about whether or not it may be what you really want or even if it's possible.

Your everything list can contain hundreds and possibly thousands of items if you take the time to list everything you can think of.  You don't have to do this all at once and you can always add to it at any time.  Just pretend that you could have anything you want and keep writing.

Whenever you think of something that you would like to have, add it to your everything list.  If a need or desire enters your mind, write it down on a napkin or anything else so that you remember it.  If you don't then you may forget about what it was before have a chance to include it in your everything list.

This is your list and for your eyes only, so no matter how unbelievable you may think it to be, write it down anyways.  You can always remove it later if you decide to.

Your Priority List

A priority list is a smaller list of items from your everything list that you consider to be most important to you.  You need to be sure whether an item on your everything list belongs on your priority list.

To find out, review each item on your everything list and think about it for a few seconds.  If you feel excitement, a tingling, emotions or any other strong feeling then you should mark it to be included on your priority list.

There may be only a few that you find like this or there may be dozens.  Mark each one that you find.  After you do this, count how many you have.  If there are more than ten then repeat this exercise with that smaller list and reduce it.

You should end up with a short list of items that are most important to you.  The other items that you didn't select can be added later as you realize your goals.

Think of your everything list as a library of desires and your priority list of what is most important to you right now.  Once you achieve one of those items on the priority list, you can cross it off and add another one from your everything list.

The items on your priority list should be much more detailed than those on your everything list.  For each item, include several lines describing how it would actually appear if it was real.  Include pictures or anything else that allows you to visualize it in your mind as clearly as possible.

This list should also be transformed into a list of statements expressed in the present.  Instead of "I desire ...", rewrite each of them as "I have ..." or "I am ...".  Read the article How to Create Affirmations to learn about this.

Your Complaint List

Everyone has something to complain about and you can use your complaints as a step to finding out what you really want if you are not sure.  Create a list of what you don't like or what you even hate and write it down.  Read the article Know What You Don't Want or How to Discover What You Want to learn more.

It doesn't matter what upsets you or how, just make a list of everything that bothers you in any way.  The stronger the feeling you have related to your complaint the more important it is to write down.

Remember that these should represent what you don't like, not what you think anyone else doesn't like.  What you don't like could be perfectly acceptable to someone else.  And the reverse is true also.

Once you have built your complaint list, go through it again or even several times and look for any strong emotions that they trigger.  Mark any of those and reduce your list to a basic list of complaints.

Your Belief List

This is a list of all the strong beliefs you may have and you should try to list as many of your beliefs as possible.  What you believe in can have either help you or stop you from succeeding.

If you don't believe that beliefs are powerful, then stop for a moment and read Why Beliefs Are So Powerful.  Beliefs can be an obstacle to achieving your goals and to understand how they can affect you and see some examples, read Conflicts of Belief.

You have both strong beliefs and weak beliefs that are unique to you.  The ones that are strong will be easy for you to identify because they will have powerful feelings related to them.  Go through your belief list again and mark those that you believe in so strongly that you accept them almost as facts.

Your Conflict List

Out of all the beliefs that you list, especially the stronger ones, some of them may not agree with your desires or goals.  You have a choice here.  You can either make an attempt to change the belief or you can change your desire.

In most cases you will not want to change your desire, so you need to examine that belief and find a way to change it so that it is in harmony with your goal.  The article Identifying Belief Conflicts walks you through examples of how to identify, examine and resolve them.

Once you find a belief conflict, add a new item to your priority list that is the exact opposite of that belief.  In this way you are confirming that you don't want that belief anymore and have decided to change it.

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Why should you even bother to make all these lists?  There are rewards for doing so.  You have a chance to imagine anything and everything you desire possible and writing them down on your everything list makes it very clear to you.  It can also be fun to do it.

Finding out which items are more important to you lets you focus more energy on those desires you want fulfilled first.  The less important ones can be added later once you realize the ones on your priority list.

Discovering what it is that you don't want from life is just as important as finding out what you really desire.  Your complaint list can help you easily identify them.

Understanding what your strong beliefs are will give you more knowledge about yourself and why you have those beliefs.  Comparing your belief list to your goals will give you insight into what conflicts you may have.

Your conflict list will help you understand what has to be changed before you can realize the goals you have chosen.  Reversing a belief starts with identifying, examining it and resolving it by creating its opposite on your priority list.

It's to your benefit that you create these lists and what you receive in return will far outweigh the effort involved.  One last thing, when you make your list, be sure to ...

check it twice.

Related Articles

How to Create Affirmations

If You're Not Sure What You Want

Why Beliefs Are So Powerful

How to Identify Your Belief Conflicts

Enhance Your Affirmations

Should You Share Your Goals?

How To Get Results Without Struggle

Do You Have to Deserve Success?

Another Way to Ask Yourself Questions

About the Author

James Kudlak is an Internet consultant, systems programmer, writer and contributor of articles to this website.

You may distribute this article freely as long as you keep the content unchanged and include this byline.  For further information you may contact him by clicking here.