I’m sometimes amazed at how many people tell me that they want to earn $10,000 a month. That’s the figure that I often get in response to my question about how much it would take to make them comfortable.

For a person making $4,000 or $5,000 a month, $10,000 is a big leap. And it’s not only the amount that matters, but what it takes in terms of attitude, effort, and ability in order to net $10,000 a month.

Theoretically, anyone can earn whatever they set their mind to. However, not everyone has the ability and ambition to make it happen.

I have been watching the CBS program Undercover Boss where the CEO of a large company goes undercover and joins a team of workers at the company. It’s not unusual for the CEO to fail at assigned tasks. Last week the CEO of GSI Commerce got fired for his lack of ability.

It becomes clear that the CEO is really good at the job he knows and his ability to manage many people and projects simultaneously serves him well. That ability is part of his persona.

The workers who handle everyday tasks are also usually good at what they do. Some are so good that the CEO promotes them to another level. And some clearly have the ability to move up the corporate ladder. But many are perfectly happy where they are, doing the best they can at their jobs, which are most often congruent with who they are. What works for them is to be appreciated for what they do.

Eliminate Frustration

It is not unusual for people to be frustrated because they feel stuck where they are. Their dreams and goals go far beyond their current abilities. That’s all well and good if those dreams and goals are combined with both real-world actions and the internal shifts that will develop a persona congruent with the dreams and goals.

Developing a new persona takes concentrated focus and attention over an extended period of time. Retraining has to go on both internally and externally.

So my first question to you today is, are your dreams and goals congruent with your persona? If they are not then you are bound to experience ongoing frustration unless you make specific internal and external changes.

The next question is, how much time and effort are you willing to invest in order to develop a new persona? And it’s okay if you don’t want to make those changes.

I’m sure that I have the mental ability to run a large company. But I don’t have the management skills in order to do it well, and have no desire to learn those skills. I also don’t want to work as many hours as most successful CEOs seem to spend focused on their work.

So building a multimillion-dollar company is not congruent with my persona. And I’m perfectly happy running a business that allows me to live a comfortable, stress-free life.

Because we are living in somewhat chaotic times and everything is being stirred up, this is a great time to look deeply into your heart and get to know who you really are and what is congruent with your nature. Then and only then will you find your authentic path to prosperity.