To read the details of Stormy's Question, see the Blog HERE.  

To start at lesson 1 go HERE

So, what did we learn from Lesson 1? We found out that both Ned and Ted thought they wanted the apple. We also found out that Ned only thought he wanted the apple, because he wasn't willing to do the work for it. He WISHED he had the apple.

  Ted on the other hand, WANTED the apple, as he was willing to expend effort to get it. He turned his wish for the apple into a want.  In the tale of Ned and Ted is the basic course for getting what you want.  We will refer back to this parable for the entire course. Ted got what he wanted, Ned did not. We will examine why.

Lesson 2

If you WANT it, you have to know HOW to get it.

A quick study of our guys  might give you the idea that to get what you want you just need to expend effort to get it. This is true in a way, but the promise was to get what you want EVERY TIME. That is much more complicated than just the careless allocation of resources. It is true that to get what you want, you must expend effort. But expending effort is not enough if you want to get it to work Every Time. That effort must be focused and studied, and if needed, changed and corrected. That's the key to it working Every Time. If Stormy had asked merely how to get what she wanted, the lessons would all ready be over. But she asked me how to get what she wants EVERY TIME. All of my students know that proper planning leads to proper execution, which gives the proper results. Once you have defined your want, you have to generate a plan to acquire that want. Once so defined, a want becomes a goal. We have discussed the steps taken to achieve a goal. Achieving a want is no different.

Let's go back to the beginning with Ned and Ted  again. As you remember, they were both under the tree. both looking up at that apple, and both wishing they had it. At this point they both have the same chance of getting that apple, and Ned is just as likely as Ted to get that apple. At this point, Ned has just as much a chance as Ted to enjoying that apple.

Let's see what it is that Ned does, that resulted in Ted getting the apple. He lays under the tree, looking at that apple, and looking at the options of him getting that apple. He knows he can get that apple if he would make use of the resources he had. In this case, the resources needed are Time and Labor. He looks up the tree, and sees how high up in the tree he would have to climb, and then how far out on the branch he would have to go. He also thought  that once he got the apple he would have to climb back down the tree to enjoy it. Though the apple looked sweet, Ned doubted it was worth so much physical exertion. The amount of resources required was not worth the reward. It was too much work for just one apple. And if you included the risk of climbing so far out on the long branch swaying in the wind, the possibility of falling, the reward was not worth the risk.  But Ned was still looking at that apple, and still wishing he had it. He remembered the tall ladder in the barn. It was tall enough to reach the apple, and much easier to climb. Getting the ladder would significantly reduce the physical resources required to get the apple. However, getting the ladder also required an allocation of Time and Labor. He would have to walk to the barn, get the ladder and bring it back. All before he could even try to go up the ladder to reach his prize.

Now, Ted was lying there right next to Ned, and thinking the same thoughts.

 He too thought that the climb up the tree was too much effort for just that one apple. Too far up the tree, too far out the branch, too risky a climb. 

He, too, thought the reward was not worth the risk of acquiring the apple that way.

Then Ted also thought of the ladder in the barn, and how much easier it would make the climb. 

He thought about how far away the barn was, how heavy the ladder was, and how hot the day was.

He also knew if he went to get the ladder, he would have to put the ladder back.

So if Ted and Ned both had the same thoughts and came up with the same idea of the ladder, how did Ted end up with the apple. Both men decided the climb up the tree was too much for just one apple. The climb out on the branch too risky for the reward. Both men had the idea of how much easier the ladder would make the job, but using the ladder required resources to get. So if both men are equal here, what did Ted do differently so that he ended up with the apple?

Ned thought about the long walk back to the barn, and how hard carrying the ladder back to the tree would be. He thought about how hot the day was, and how much sweating he would do.  He decided, whether he meant to or not, that the effort required to get the ladder was not worth the reward.

Ted also thought about the long walk back to the barn, how heavy the ladder is, how hot the day was, and how much sweating he would do. But, Ted decided the apple was worth it. Ted thought the apple was worth the effort of going to get the ladder.

Ted now had a plan.

By coming up with a plan, Ted had now turned his wish into a want.

The act of creating a plan, a course of action to get the apple, Ted was no longer wishing he had the apple. Ted had defined his want, by being able to formulate a plan to get it. The apple was no longer a dream, it was within his reach. He had a plan. He would walk down to the barn, get the ladder, bring it back, and use that ladder to get the apple.

To sum up the lesson; by weighing all options of acquiring your wish, you will usually come up with a plan to get it. A plan is merely balancing the expending of efforts to the reward, (weighing the risk to the reward). When the reward outweighs the cost of getting that reward, a plan can be put in place. And without a plan, a wish can never become a want. Without a plan, a want will never become a goal.

It sounds simple, but this is actually a very important step in getting what you want every time. You must have a plan, or you'll never get what you want.

I will now take your questions;

Yes, every time. You need a plan every time. If you want it everytime, you need a plan everytime.

No, it's not always that easy. ( I wish it was).  Keep in mind that in our example we are only using Time and Labor as resources. For example; if there wasn't a ladder in the barn, but Ted would have to purchase the ladder. That introduces another needed  resource, and would significantly increase the cost of getting the apple. As with any skill, to master the skill you start at the beginning. Being able to recognize and develop a plan is also a skill. It's touched on lightly in the next lesson.  But you will see, the needed resources required rises linearly to the size of the want  you're working for.

No, that's not what you asked me for.  We'll discuss planning at another time.

Yes. It does become easier. The formulation of plans is a skill. Like any skill, with practice it becomes easier. Think of it this way, when you were little, and you wanted a glass of milk, you asked your mother for it. One day you decided you were going to get that glass of milk by yourself. You thought of the steps you had to take to get that glass of milk. You had to get a glass from the cupboard, the milk from the fridge, put the milk in the glass. Because it was the first time you were doing this for yourself, you thought out each step, and carefully executed these steps. Did you notice how much  better that first glass tasted? How much effort do you put into planning to get yourself that glass of milk today? You are still executing the plan you made the very first time, only you can now do it as second nature. The plan is ingrained enough, it does not usually even require cognizant thought. But the plan is still there.

No, not really. You're thinking too hard about it. Think back to your first glass of milk. How long did it take you to apply similar plans to getting other things for yourself. It is essentially the same plan, only the resources change. For Example; a cup instead of a glass, juice instead of milk. As we have discussed before, the best thing about achieving a goal is setting the next one. As you know, success builds upon itself, it becomes a habit. As you learn to put these lessons in action, one day it will become as automatic as getting that glass of milk is today.

No. That's not correct, you are making a false assumption. It's true some wishes can come true with little effort. And sometimes you do get lucky. But to count on luck to get your wants has a very low success rate. You asked me how to get what you want every time.

To Recap;

To get what you WANT, you must know WHAT you want

Once you KNOW what you want, you must know HOW to get it

This now concludes Lesson 2

I will tell you when the test is over.

When you have mastered this lesson, Click HERE

To read the details of Stormy's Question, see the Blog HERE.