This is making you miserable.

The problem is, there are way too many options out there. And you’re a creative guy. So take that combination: too many options + creative guy. And what do you come up with? Misery.

Sometimes you start feelin’ so lost and lonely…

This is the opening line to Joe Jackson’s song: (You Can’t Get What You Want (’til you know what you want).

Feeling it?

Song writers, of course, are poets. And poets are often the ones who help us see what is right in front of us. They help us to see something as absolutely familiar and yet completely fresh and new. And the amazing thing about poetry is that in many ways, it’s timeless. Why? Because the human condition hasn’t changed all that much over the past 2000 years. Which means that the epic poetry found in Homer’s Odyssey is as relevant today as it was when it was written in the 8th century somewhere near Ionia. And which also means that a more recent poet and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau could write these words in his work, Walden, in New England in 1846:

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.

And it still makes sense today.

And then, Joe Jackson can write these words back in 1984 and we still get what he means:

Sometimes you keep busy reaching out for something
You don’t care, there’s always something there
Sometimes you can’t see that all you need is one thing
If it’s right, you could sleep at night

One thing.

And if it’s right, you could sleep at night.

Imagine that.

So please do this.

Please pause for a moment and listen to this song (or at least part of it). And then come right back for today’s takeaway.

What do you want?

If you know what it is, and you’re not doing, for god’s sake, quit the shit you’re wasting your time with — and get over to that thing you actually want. It’s not like you’re getting any younger. And if you don’t know what you want, take a small step today.

Take a small step today.

Please take out a sheet of wafer-sliced tree (AKA a sheet of paper) or open a fresh document on your computer, and set the timer for 30 minutes and free write. Which means that you don’t pause to edit, you just write as much and as fast as you can. And your prompt for this brief writing exercise is: “What do I want?”

More like this?

You have several options for your next step. You could read more about this topic. Or you could contact me and describe what you're going through. And I'll be in touch with suggestions. Or you can book a free session to make a time to get together and talk it over by phone. Either way, I'm here to help you focus, overcome resistance, and get moving again.

Contact me today.

Do you even know what you want?