We also create structures and systems in our lives to provide what we need to survive. These systems are the fabric of our lives: when to eat and work and when to sleep, how and when to express our spirituality, etc. How about creating structures that aren't just about survival?

What systems can you create to support your wildest dreams? How about making a weekly appointment with yourself to review your progress toward that big goal? Again, Date Book and/or your To Do List are the perfect tool to use to make sure you don't forget.

Scheduling life-planning appointments with yourself is a great way to keep focused on what really matters to you.

Loosen your grip
I think our imaginations get burned up when we spend too much time trying too hard. How can you loosen your grip? Controlling everything--or trying to--just doesn't seem to work. Can you practice trusting other people and the future for answers? Say, "I don't know, and that's OK" several times each day. When you know you need to take a break, take one! When you notice you're uptight and feel that things are impossible, let go! Driving faster, drinking more, and sleeping less are not the answer. Take a walk. Meditate or pray. You could even play a game on your Palm device if it helps you take your mind off things and you don't take it so seriously that it causes you to feel more stressed.

Start asking for what you want, instead of trying to make it all happen. Take a moment in between tasks and appreciate what you've accomplished and the progress you've made.

Single daily action
You can have a fully satisfying life. Why not make that your new goal or standard? Commit to taking at least one single daily action that moves you closer. For example, I use a simple exercise to prioritize my workday. I just take a moment, really slow down, and take a few deep breaths to get my focus. Then I ask myself what needs to get done in order for me to feel satisfied by the end of the day. Usually one or two things, often rather minor tasks, come up. I note them in my To Do List and give them a Priority 1. Then I take care of them, and the rest of my day falls into place. Miraculously, I feel satisfied and energized at the end of the day.

So what do you really want?
How much of the life you are living is your own? Start noticing your preferences: colors, textures, priorities, values, timing. What are your natural rhythms and cycles? Where does your money go and with whom do you like to spend time? When do you feel fully alive and your biggest self?

Figure out what you really want and like, and then do more of that. This can be really hard if you've been running on empty for a while. Once we become aware of a gap between where we are and where we want to be, we can usually see the next steps to take.

We create our own standards and our own structures, sometimes by choice and sometimes because we haven't chosen anything. But remember, "Not to decide is to decide" and, "If you don't know where you are going, you're going to end up someplace else." Create a vacuum, eliminate tolerations, raise your standards, celebrate choices, create systems that support you, honor what you really want, and relax. The universe is unfolding just as it should.