When the goal is spiritual enlightenment, it is a little different but the same rule still applies. First, you must be convinced that the goal is achievable and worth achieving (I can't imagine that anyone would feel that achieving eternal life as a spiritual being is not worth while, but apparently such people exist). Second, you must have a plan of steps for achieving that goal just like any other goal. It is not going to happen just by wanting it. You have to work for it and you have to be following a plan that has been proven to accomplish the goal of spiritual enlightenment.

    Coming up with such a plan on your own is next to impossible because you can't just ask your neighbors how they did it since they haven't. Less than one person in a million is truly enlightened to any significant degree so the odds that you know one are very slim. The solution is to work with a reputable spiritual school, one with the goal of helping it's students achieve enlightenment and not just to make the schools founder a lot of money. Such schools do exist so choose wisely. And we also have to rely on God and the Beings of Light to help.