What do we want? What are we looking for?

What do we aspire to? These questions are common to a lot of people.

And if there are really only a couple of "good reasons" to why one wants to be successful, most people are probably making a mistake by declaring that they have found their "reason to be" or the "why" for being successful.

If you are spending a significant amount of time thinking about your "why," then you have two obvious questions to ask: "What am I trying to accomplish?" and "Am I doing it?"

For a great example, watch the Academy Award-winning documentary "Unstoppable," which has been named the #1 documentary of the 21st century and the #2 documentary of all time (Gunn 2015, 2).

"Unstoppable" focuses on the journey and the intention of Emilio Urbina, who had seen a vision of his own brother killed by a drunk driver and decided to channel his anger and frustration into his life and use it to save his family.

Urbina lost all motivation to work out, after hitting rock bottom. Then a mysterious voice spoke to him through his injured hand and gave him a simple command: "Run."

Most people have some idea what they want, but they do not know why. It would seem that it is imperative to know why you want to be successful and where you see yourself going in life.

But there are some very obvious reasons why we feel this way:

Good job opportunities

• The position or job you are in now is not making you happy
• You want a change of scenery, or you hate the weather or your neighbor
• Your family and friends need you to live by example
• You want to get out of debt or to have a certain amount of savings
• You don't want your parents to worry about you
• You don't like your job or coworkers
• You want your friends to like you
• You want to have the same job or to have a higher paying job than your coworkers
• You want a house or apartment of your own, or you want to move to a different city

If you are able to say "I want a house of my own and I don't want to have to worry about how I am going to pay for it," then you have probably figured out some of the biggest motivators to wanting to be successful.

But do you know what is behind all of these "wants"?

The vision for your life

Why do we want to be successful? There are a couple of major reasons why a person wants to be successful:

You need to know what you are trying to accomplish.

To make a great first impression at your new job, it is helpful to know what you are going to say and what you are going to do so that people like you.

You need to know what you are doing so that you have a clearer sense of your life.

To live a fulfilling life.

For most people, living a satisfying life means having good friends, living in a beautiful environment, and doing good things for other people.

This is why it is beneficial to have a vision for your life. If you know what you want and what you are trying to accomplish, you can set your mind on the right path.

Learning, growing, and preparing

How can you know what you are doing? How can you know what is going to work best for you?

See yourself clearly

You need to know what you are capable of, as well as what you are able to accomplish in your current life.

It is useful to be able to visualize the life you want to live. You can get a vision of what you want and where you are going to go.

Get a clear idea of your work and life schedule

Life is unpredictable, but you need to know when you need to be at work, when you have to leave, and when you need to go home.

Being prepared with your work and life schedule is important because if you are very clear about what you have to do, you are much less likely to get in trouble.

Talk about the future

"Mental planning is everything. The more of it you can do, the better off you will be," says the head of JPMorgan Chase.

This statement by the head of one of the biggest banks in the world shows that to be successful in life, you need to think about your goals and what you are trying to accomplish.

It's like having a to-do list to help you get everything done.

Work with others to improve your life

The happier you are, the more likely you are to make progress in your life.

The more of your work is done by other people, the more likely you are to succeed in your goals.

Being able to work with others to reach your goals is a key factor in improving your life.

Find your motivation

Most people have many different motivations for being successful. For example, if you are a parent, you might want your kids to be successful.

You might also want to help your parents and help your friends in the long run.

Think about what your goals are, what you are trying to accomplish, what other people expect from you, and what you think is important.

Write it down, and then create your vision for your life by telling yourself what you need to be successful.