Jewels, I'm happy to help you bring these things to the fore once again.
I like your methodology. It's simple and, as you have proven, it works. The first step is a key that everyone should take a moment to consider, and it is very important when realizing your goals: What is it you want out of life?
It sounds simple...too simple, even. But what's the inverse? The things you have that you don't want. It's also simple, but these two forces are quite powerful. The first is a positive force, while the latter is a negative one. If our thoughts are consumed by thinking of the things we have or the situations we're in that we
don't want, that we're unsatisfied with, we use up the energy we need to think about the things we
do want and the steps we need to take to get there.
We should avoid getting caught up in negative thinking...ruminating over our current unsatisfactory states. We should think about what we want, where we want to be, and how to get there. Thinking about our current situation is limiting. Thinking about what we want motives us to do something about it.
Without this shift, we will have a difficult time realizing our goals.