We live in a class system. There I said it.
We may be born with equal potential, but, if you live in the Western world, you probably know exactly where you fall on the sometimes-rated-but-mostly-unstated way of determining success in life: money.
Every day I see the divide of has beens and is nots from the fortunate few prominently displayed through online marketing.
"Get the secrets of my 6-figure launch."
"Earn consistent $10k months like me."
Income is used to draw you in, prove validity, and get you to buy.
And it works.
Now before you read further, note this is not an article about bashing people who use those marketing tactics. I believe success in any form should be celebrated, plus it's a strategy that's proven itself time and time again, and one I'd consider myself.
Instead I want to talk about the bigger issue -- why, as a whole, we're so desperate for the vision but so completely obsessed with the tools to get there.
From a planning perspective, that just doesn't work. From a feeling perspective, it's just miserable.
It's like wanting to feel loved and then clinging to the first potential partner you see. That may work, but most likely you still won't feel loved PLUS you'll be upset that your all-in focus didn't work, convincing you that it's hopeless, pointless, and possibly that you're broken.
Oh boy.
We do the same thing with money all the time.
You want more of it, so you do one thing here and one thing there. Maybe you sign up to sell Tupperware. Maybe you buy lottery tickets or get a part-time job.
But when those lines of effort don't equal the riches you seek, you're stuck in the same position and now even more convinced that you don't have whatever secret ingredient successful people seem to be born with.
Ouch.
Let's be clear: Money is a tool.
Money is one of many resources you can use to achieve much bigger aims. But you have other resources too, including your skills, network, talents, support system, and experience.
When money becomes the goal, you lose the ability to take inspired action. Plus you narrow your focus so much that you fail to see all the other tools that can help you achieve what you really want - freedom, flexibility, choice.
Which is why every day I hammer home the same message over and over:
Focus on your vision.
Be drawn forward by the power of how good it feels in your imagination. Open yourself to all the possible ways of getting there, not just the ones that you can see and cling to now. Then feel how you want to feel now.
You can feel free now. You can recognize how much choice you already have now. You can be thankful for your options now.
And you can let go of your attachment to how those feelings have to show up in the future.
Because it's not your job to know the best way to do anything. It's your job to dream big and then throw yourself into its pursuit with full faith and confidence.
So do it.
Be free. Be brave. Be YOU.