I thought you would enjoy this metaphor about achieving what you desire....
A certain man gets up every morning, takes his shower, shaves, eats breakfast, climbs down the stairs, and boards the bus for a 45 minute ride. He steps off the bus and feels the beach under his feet.
Every day, all day long, he walks the beach up and down, looking for the Statue of Liberty. But, lo and behold: there is no Statue of Liberty.
As night falls, he stretches and looks out over the water to see the Santa Monica Pier. Then, he turns and spins around to see the Hollywood Sign. He boards the bus disappointed, again, because he did not find the Statue of Liberty. He has been doing this for years; every day he does the same thing.
Once again, he goes to the Santa Monica Pier—much more disappointed than the day before—and sits in his chair crying tears of sadness, dismay, and frustration. Finally, a woman walks up to him and asks him why he is so distraught. The man tells her that every day he comes to the Santa Monica pier to see the Statue of Liberty, but he can never find it. The woman says to him, "No wonder you cannot find it. You are in the wrong state."
The lesson here is: even if you are a well-meaning person, if you are in the wrong state of mind, you will not find what you are looking for. You must be in the right state to achieve anything in life (Philippians 2:5).