“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”
~ Henry David Thoreau

Do you feel helpless in the process of making your dreams a reality? Do you get confused with choosing the best route for your success? Would you rather just give up altogether on the whole dream-chasing process?

It can be so frustrating when you want to make your life better but you don’t really know how to get started. I want to share a few of the strategies that will give you the mindsets and the habits for your success. Achieving our dreams is a lot easier with these principles.

1. Figure Out What You Don’t Want. Don’t begin with the overwhelming process of mapping out your dream. This can really bog you down. Identify the things you don’t want in your life anymore. What would you like to see different? What are the things you are tired of? What is making you unhappy? This list can be quite long and may include things like:

“I don’t have time for my family.” “I’m fat and out of shape.” “I never have time for me anymore.” “I can’t remember the last time I took a vacation.” “I always have more bills at the end of the month than I do money.” “I am tired of having a boss that doesn’t appreciate me.”

Let your mind think of as many complaints as possible because this will motivate you and help you to figure out the next step.

2. What Do You Want? Look at your above list and come up with a clearly defined statement or statements of what you truly want. Define who you want to be and what you want to accomplish. Clarity will give you strength and will help you build a sense of momentum. Most people are wishy-washy and this double-minded thinking only creates an avoidance of ever getting started in the first place. Write down what you want with power and conviction.

“I am a great spouse and parent.” “I am in excellent shape.” “I am my own boss and I have an extremely successful business.”

Once you write down what you want, things start to change. I cannot fully explain this but a force of nature takes off and your dreams start to become a reality.

3. You Don’t Have To Be Perfect To Get Started.

Thomas Fuller said, “A good garden may have some weeds.” You have to start somewhere. If you wait until you’re perfect, you will never begin. Everything is a process. You tap the piano keys for the first time. Next, you’re playing chopsticks. After a while of persevering practice, you are playing for friends at a sing-a-long. Be patient with yourself, but get started…Today!

4. Spend More Time On Your Dream. “Every man is the architect of his own fortune.” ~ Roman censor Appius Claudius Caecus

If you want more, you need to be willing to do more. Most people are not willing to do more. They will complain and talk negatively about how life has treated them unfairly. If you want more, you have to do the things that most people will not do. This may include waking up earlier or going to bed later or this may mean less television and more reading. Your willingness to make a sacrifice for your self-improvement will catapult you to a higher level of fulfillment. What I like about the personal sacrifice is what I become through the process of self mastery and discipline.

“Nature gave men two ends – One to sit on, and one to think with. Ever since then, man’s success or failure has been dependent on the one he has used the most.”
~ Robert Albert Bloch

5. Stop Worrying About Everybody Else.

“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is – try to please everybody.”
~ Herbert Bayard Swope

I guarantee you that somebody is not going to like your dream, even if it is a wonderful goal that will improve the lives of mankind. Someone will have something negative to say about your dream. Often it may be our own family. The people who love us the most can be the hardest to get support from. It may be that they are just watching out for us, but if you are not careful, they will steal your dream. Before long, you will be right back where you started, unhappy and tired.

6. Make A Total Commitment. Commitment is the difference between success and failure. Your success lies not in the stars or with good luck but with your commitment. How bad do you want your dreams? You must have a will to succeed.

Andrew Carnegie said, “The wise man puts all his eggs in one basket and watches the basket.”

You will accelerate your progress once you gain the power of a concentrated focus.

7. Expect To Succeed.

“Someone’s always saying, it’s not whether you win or lose, but if you feel that way, you’re as good as dead.”
~ James Caan

Get excited about your dreams. Think about the outcome. See the achievement as if it has already occurred. Go ahead and feel the smile that comes from knowing you did it! Emerson tells us that “Nothing was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

You are the designer of your future. You have two choices; either a negative path or a positive path. Neither path is harder than the other, but one brings consequences while the other gives benefits.

So, make a decision right now to make your dreams come true!

Best of Wishes,
Mark Webb

Mark Webb is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice at South Georgia Psychiatric and Counseling Center in Valdosta. Mark Webb is also the author of How To Be A Great Partner and founder of Partner Focused Relationships™.  Sign up for Mark Webb’s “Relationship Strategies”  Ezine ($100 Value).  Just visit his website at http://www.powerfulrelationshipadvice.com or http://www.therelationshipspecialist.com

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