If you look for anything positive at all, whether it be reading material or something to listen to, it means a part of you desires change. It is often said that we should find someone who has what we want and learn from them. Depending on how they got it, that could be great advice. If they inherited a fortune or won a large prize though, the odds are not in your favor for getting it that way. That doesn’t mean you should give up on your dream. But you might have to find another way.

For starters, take a look at where you are presently at. After making all your observations comes the difficult part, which is learning to accept where you are. This doesn’t mean you have to stay there. But it means it may get uncomfortable to come to terms with where you truly are, especially if you thought that you’d be further. The truth is sometimes hard to swallow but one must face it, nonetheless. Try as we may to hide it or mask it; the truth will not go away.

Acknowledging where you are identifies a new starting point. It is like the pin on the map that states, “YOU ARE HERE”. Once you’ve identified where you are, now you must decide where you want to be. If you can find and follow someone else who successfully is where you want to be, then follow the map they’ve laid out for you. Then use what you do have to get there.

Will it be easy, no. Will you want to quit along the way, maybe. But now you are at least honest with yourself about where you are starting. You will feel better knowing you are not lying to yourself anymore. Any of the fake, showy success will disappear. But don’t worry, when you taste of the real stuff, you’ll see it is what dreams are made of.