It’s human nature to get used to seeing things a certain way, which means it’s easy to overlook two of the easiest ways to get the things you want:

1. Asking for it
2. Taking action

Sounds simple, right? And it often is.

You see, most of us sit there and think things like “Ugh, I wish I didn’t have to do ____.” without actually considering that maybe we don’t have to do whatever it is. Or we think, “Oh I wish I could do that too!” when we hear about something someone else has succeed at or bought, without considering that we probably could.

What we need to do is follow those thoughts up with action, which in a surprising number of cases may be as simple as asking for what we want. Just because no one else is doing it doesn’t mean you can’t. Maybe no one else has bothered to ask. So if there’s something you want, give it a shot. You may be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to get.

Of course, it’s not always going to be easy, especially if what you want is a pretty big thing or a very unusual thing. That’s when that thing called work comes in. (Otherwise knowing as taking continued action.) Things like switching jobs, getting out of debt, or getting a big raise might fall into that category. In cases like that, taking action means turning your complaints or wishes into SMART goals, and then taking the steps necessary to reach them.