People use all kinds of excuses for not making a change, and most people list fear and lack of money as their biggest obstacles–but it’s a lack of information that usually turns out to be the culprit. Ignorance isn’t bliss, it’s scary. Since it takes no money to research your options, why not spend a little time coming up with a list of choices that will help bring you closer to solving your problem?

Take a piece of paper and describe your problem in a single sentence at the top of the page. Then list as many solutions as possible, even if some of them seem far-fetched or out of reach. Don’t let yourself reject any solutions at this point. It’s impossible to know which one will be right for you until you weigh the pros and cons of each and every opportunity. Here’s an example:

PROBLEM: I need to get into better physical condition.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

Join a gym.

Buy a treadmill.

Attend an excercise class.

Sign up for a dance class.

Walk every day.

Jog every day.

Swim every day.

Ride my bicycle every day.

Go on a diet.

Join a sports team.

Eat more healthful food.

Consider all of your options and be as open-minded as possible. In order to successfully solve any problem, you’ve got to get a handle on the various solutions before moving forward.

We’ve certainly found this to be true when it comes to changing your course. There are always difficulties to face when you’re trying to make a change of any kind—these are the inevitable bumps in the road. But we’ve found that focusing on your goal is the only way to get from here to there, from where you are now to where you want to be.

It’s like when you first learned to drive a car. You had to learn to keep your eyes focused on the road ahead, rather than stare at what was right in front of the car. If you fix your eyes on what’s three feet ahead, you end up swerving all over the road—very scary! Of course, you have to pay attention if there’s a big pothole coming up but when you stay focused on where you want to go, you keep moving ahead in a straight line.

Long walks are a great way to talk about what part of your life might need some adjustment.

An essential step in figuring out how to live what you love is to do lots of research. But by this, we don’t mean getting information from the Web or from books or mentors. It’s about you. Before you can act on your dream, you need to closely examine yourself.

Research starts on the inside before branching out into external sources. It’s a process that helps you transform your dreams into a practical list of things to do. And it begins with asking yourself a million and one questions. Ask yourself all the probing questions you can until you know what it is you want to do. What would you like to accomplish? Try to be as specific as possible. Would you like to change your career? Spend more time doing something you love? Change or improve a relationship? Change where you live?

Take as much time as you need to think of everything you’d like to do and remember not to hold anything back. This is an exploratory exercise. You don’t need to worry about how you’re going to achieve any of your goals; right now your only job is to create an honest, accurate list of what you’d like to do. Remember to be as specific as possible. Put your list aside for a few days, and then return to it with fresh eyes. What do you see?