Know What You Want
The Power of Clarity—How Knowing What You Want Creates Confidence and Momentum
Hi, I'm Manuel Saez, 2x Founder, Award-Winning Designer, and Emotional Intelligence Coach 🌻 Here I Share the advice I wish I had while building my businesses ➜ I love fixing old motorcycles 🛵🏍️
Reading time: 6 min.
Contents:
Knowing Eliminates Fear
Getting to Clarity
The Test: Feeling It Out Before Committing
How to Make a Plan of Action
Know What You Want—Then Go Get It
When I was 21, I had a conversation that changed the trajectory of my life.
Someone asked me, What do you want?
I thought I wanted to be an architect and travel the world. That’s what I had told myself. That’s what sounded good. but as I answered, the words felt hollow.
The truth is that I didn’t really know.
The things I thought I wanted weren’t my wants—they came from my parents, my friends, society. I had never stopped to ask myself if they were truly mine.
That realization hit me hard. I felt like a loser for not having a clear answer.
Like I was just drifting, letting my life be shaped by external expectations rather than my own desires.
Maybe I was even a little angry with myself—for not taking the time to stop, think, and define what I truly wanted.
Looking back, I can see that at 21, I was timid. Fearful at times. Definitely not bold. But when I finally gained clarity—when I knew what I wanted—I became a different person.
It was like metal being tempered, going from something soft and malleable to something sharp and unbreakable; and I liked that version of me.
A few years ago, I got a tattoo on my arm that says Know What You Want.
It’s not decorative.
It's not a random phrase I thought looked cool.
It’s a reminder. A simple, permanent instruction to myself.
Because when I know exactly what I want, I am unstoppable.
But knowing what you want isn’t always straightforward.
Sometimes, we hesitate. We second-guess. We wait for more clarity before committing.
Not out of fear—but because we want to make sure we’re aligned with what truly matters before going all in.
Knowing Eliminates Fear
My dad used to say, “Cuando sabes quién sos, nadie te puede parar.”
When you know who you are, no one can stop you.
He meant it as a deep, unshakable sense of self—confidence rooted in self-alignment, in being at peace with yourself.
But I’ve realized the same is true for knowing what you want.
Fear creeps in when we’re uncertain. When we don’t have a clear view of what we want, where we’re going, or why we’re doing it.
We hesitate because we don’t fully trust our decision. We second-guess, overthink, stall. But the moment we reach clarity—the moment we know what we want—fear loses its grip.
I’ve made some of the biggest moves in my life without hesitation. Moving to a new country. Selling my company. Making tough career transitions. I wasn’t scared in those moments. Because I knew.
But the times when fear did show up? Those were the moments of uncertainty.
When I wasn’t sure if I was forcing something if I was convincing myself I wanted something when deep down, I didn’t.
It was never the leap itself that was scary. It was not knowing if I was leaping in the right direction.
So if you find yourself afraid to make a move, ask yourself: Is this fear coming from the leap, or from a lack of clarity?
The solution isn’t to push through fear. It’s to get clarity.
Getting to Clarity
One of the best ways to gain clarity is by asking better questions.
Our minds work like search engines. If you ask the wrong question, you’ll get useless answers. If you ask the right one, you’ll get clarity.
Here are some of the questions I ask myself when I’m figuring out what I truly want:
Why do I want this?
If no one else’s opinion mattered, what would I choose?
If I knew this decision would succeed, would I still want it?
Am I chasing this because I want it, or because I think I should want it?
How does this decision feel when I imagine it fully realized? Does it make me feel expansive or restricted?
And then, I listen to your gut.
Clarity isn’t about having the perfect plan laid out. It’s about feeling aligned, grounded, and certain about where you’re heading.
The answer is in the feeling.
The Test: Feeling It Out Before Committing
Once I have all the information I need to make a big decision, I don’t just analyze it—I feel it.
It’s like dipping a finger into the water before diving in.
I close my eyes and picture it—being there, doing the thing, living the life. I let the feeling sink in. Does it make me lighter? More alive? Or does something feel off?
This practice isn’t about hesitation. It’s about alignment.
Some people rush into things without testing if they actually fit. They chase goals that sound impressive, that look good on paper, only to realize they never really wanted them in the first place.
I’ve done that too—pursued things because they seemed like the “right” next step, not because they truly mattered to me.
Now, before I commit, I listen. Not just to my mind, but to my body. If every part of me is pointing in the same direction, I move forward with confidence.
And once I know?
Then it’s time to plan.
How to Make a Plan of Action
Once I know what I want and feel aligned with it, I make a plan.
Not just any plan—a structured one that turns vision into execution. Without structure, even the clearest vision can stay stuck in the realm of daydreams.
This is the framework I use to make sure my goals don’t just stay ideas but turn into something real.
1. Start With the Big Picture (Long-Term Vision – 12 to 24 months)
The long-term goal isn’t about having every detail figured out—it’s about having a clear enough vision that I can picture myself there. More importantly, I need to feel it. The vibe of achieving it has to resonate.
The first step is defining success in a way that goes beyond just the external markers. I ask myself:
What kind of work fulfills me?
How do I want my daily life to look?
What kind of people do I want around me?
How does financial security feel?
What kind of environment makes me thrive?
Writing this out in full detail—down to how it feels to wake up in the morning—creates a strong mental blueprint. If a goal is only a vague idea, hesitation follows. But when it’s clear, it becomes real.
2. Break It Down (Mid-Term Focus – 6 to 12 months)
For the long-term vision to take shape, certain milestones need to happen first. That’s where the mid-term plan comes in.
I ask myself: If I could only focus on one thing this year to get closer to my vision, what would it be?
This step forces prioritization. It eliminates distractions. It turns broad ideas into something that can actually be tackled.
Having a clear mid-term focus makes it easier to say yes to the right opportunities and no to things that don’t move me forward.
3. Short-Term Objectives (1 to 3 months)
This is the execution phase—turning focus into action.
Instead of overwhelming myself by trying to do everything at once, I break things down into practical, short-term objectives:
What’s the most urgent thing I need to accomplish right now?
What foundational steps need to be in place before I move forward?
What milestones will build momentum?
A lot of people struggle because they try to skip this step. They focus on the end result without setting up the foundation.
But a clear short-term plan makes big goals feel manageable and keeps progress steady.
4. Daily Action Steps (Every Day)
Big goals don’t happen in a single, massive leap. They happen through small, consistent actions.
Every day, I commit to a few key actions that push things forward. This could be reaching out to people, refining my skills, executing on projects, or simply showing up and doing the work.
The key is momentum. Progress isn’t about waiting for the perfect moment—it’s about taking steps forward, even on the days when motivation is low.
When I have a clear system in place, I don’t have to overthink every move. I just show up and execute.
Know What You Want—Then Go Get It
There’s nothing more powerful than clarity.
When you truly know what you want, everything shifts. Fear loses its grip. Decision-making becomes effortless. Actions carry more weight.
You don’t have to know every step. You just have to know the direction.
So, what do you want?
Not what you think you should want. Not what others expect of you. What do you actually want?
If the answer isn’t clear yet, start asking better questions. Test it. Feel it out. And when you know—when it clicks into place—go all in.
What’s one thing you’re getting clearer on right now?
Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your story.
Sending you good vibes 🌻
Manuel
much to think about. thanks.
Manuel, I had a similar event in my life but much later on. I wish it had happened sooner.
I think I'll write about it!
Thanks for the inspiration. I love reading your stuff. If there's any way I can help get it in front of more eyes let me know.
I'll restack this now.