I do not care what they say. I want this.

The most important thing I learned today came from a class this morning that seemed almost casual. It lasted only a few minutes, yet it may be one of the most important lessons I have had.

It was about reaching a goal. After explaining his method, my teacher used his own life as an example: how he had learned Japanese to a near-native level, and how a notebook had helped him pursue a financial goal. I studied what he showed me and could not help giving him a thumbs-up.

After class I told him my goal. “Then do it that way,” he said. What other people say does not matter nearly as much as what you want. Their saying you cannot do it only shows that they cannot. My task is to keep moving toward my own goal and to treat it sincerely. The essential words are: “I want this.” Claims that it is impossible, that I cannot do it, or that the economy is bad do not change what I want.

Later I asked God whether I could do it. He smiled, nodded at my resolve, and blessed me. So I dared to begin.

That afternoon I spent a full 210 minutes setting my fat-loss goal and working out the specific steps that would follow. I told my teacher what I had decided and what I had done. I wanted him to know that I would act on my words.