Imagine opening this fortune cookie: This is all there is to life.

Wow. After all the hard work you’ve put in to improving your career, to building relationships, to dreaming about a better life... this is it? If that’s true, what’s the point in trying anymore? Too many people work hard, get frustrated, and quit. You’ve seen it before. A friend gets a new job, can’t make it work, and gives up. Maybe that “friend” is you.

Frustration is a direct result of you not getting what you want. You’ve got big dreams, but they never happen. You work harder. No luck. I’ve got a secret cure: change the order of your life.

Most people live this way: Have, Do, Be. “If I have a lot of money, I can do the things rich people do, and I’ll be rich, too.” So they work to get the money. And work. And work. All the while, they live with the stress of not achieving their ultimate goal: to be rich.

So, reverse it. Be, Do, Have.

In his book, The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss explains how it works. “People don’t want to be millionaires — they want to experience what they believe only millions can buy.” Tim shares how he traveled the world, winning dance competitions, acting in a Chinese television series, kickboxing, and more. Without a million bucks. He reversed the common path.

Be, Do, Have empowers you to achieve. If you already “are” something, you eliminate the stress of failure and concentrate on doing things so you have the life you want.

It’s not easy to shift this pattern. After all, you‘ve been living with the opposite for years. Pick something small, then plug in Be, Do, Have. Maybe all fortune cookies should say that, instead.