To have clarity of intent both logically and emotionally is essential to the successful completion of any task. It is very easy to be in two minds over things. Life is, after all, our own subjective experience and every circumstance we are faced with becomes another learning curve. In most situations we do not have a practice run to see how things turn out; all that we can do is to try and work out what might happen if we act in this way or that.

There is no exact science to living one's life, although there's many a time when one might wish there were. It can seem that it would be easier of you were just told what you should do. But this is not really the case; this is your life that you are living and it is up to you to take control and direct yourself to where you want to be.

Often you may feel that you only have two choices, but if you were to look a little further you would realize that there are probably an infinite number of choices which you could make. One thing is for sure is that if you keep sitting on the fence...you will remain exactly where you are, sitting on the fence, and many an opportunity can be bypassed in this way. But you will only make your move, and decide on a direction in life once you are clear about what you want.

To have clarity of thought is what gives you the power to make changes. You cannot commit fully to a new direction if you are turning your head and looking over your shoulder for a glimpse of what you might be missing. To move on you need to do so with tunnel vision. This is really important because whatever you imagine you create and whatever you focus upon you attract into your reality.

If you are looking forwards one moment and imagining, for instance, yourself in a nice new job and then the next moment you are looking back and allowing yourself to think about the things you enjoy in your present job your focus is not at all clear. Be aware also that every thought you have has energy, and in this type of hesitant attempt at change you are creating some energy which moves you forward and then some more which tugs you backwards. You will feel like a log floating on the tide as the tide is turning and you will not know which way you are facing from one moment to the next.

But unlike the tide, which you know will eventually turn in its own time and take you with it, your life will only move and change when you make the decision to move and change. And that decision has to be clear and heart-felt. Once you have made your mind up, and have decided for example to leave your present job and move to another one, you have to be aware that to look back over your shoulder will only pull you backwards, with a wave of negative energy surrounding you and pulling at your emotions.

Instead, every time you feel a tiny urge to look back, it is important to be resolute and keep your focus firmly in front of you. It is very helpful at such a time to imagine your life as you want it to be, to really picture your new job and your new co-workers and the fun that you will have. And if you start to think of things which feel at all uncomfortable, intentionally find a way in which to change them in your mind's eye. The key is to picture what you want to happen, and feel as you want to feel. This provides you with clarity and positive energy which will power your resolve.

This principle is true whether you are thinking about moving on in work, or in leaving home, going abroad or leaving your relationship. You have to be single minded and clear in your focus. You have to be strong and not allow yourself to look back over your shoulder as this will only create a negative energy force which will sweep you right back to whence you came.

You can use hypnosis for additional help. Hypnosis will help you relax and remain calm through times of change. It will also provide you with easy access to your creative and subconscious mind and so your visualizations will have greater clarity. If you really know what you want, the only way in which to make a change is to don a set of blinkers and step resolutely forwards.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis for change.

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy, NLP and sports psychology, Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading practitioners of self-improvement. You can get a free hypnosis download from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and peruse her extensive library of hypnosis for change.