There is a line from a song in ‘South Pacific’ that goes: “You got to have a dream. If you don’t have a dream; how you gonna’ have a dream come true?”
But how BIG is your dream?
Dreams and Goals are much the same thing. The goal is what you are working towards and the dream is the vision of that accomplishment. This is the area where the majority of people make what to me is their biggest mistake: their dreams are too small. They only dream about what they feel is achievable, and you never get more than you believe you can have. From the time I was six years old, I knew that I was going to be an artist. I didn’t just ‘hope’ it; I knew it! So it came as no surprise to me when I started to make my living as an artist that I would be successful. It seemed like the natural progression to me.
How many people are working towards a goal, but don’t know WHY they want it? For me, becoming a well-known artist encompassed my entire lifestyle: I wanted to work from home, have a lot of free time to spend with my dog, do something that I loved and live my dream. How many people have a dream of making a million dollars, but don’t really know why they want it? What is that million dollars for? What would you do with it? First decide what you really want and then add up how much money you would need to accomplish your goal. You might need more or less. Sadly, few people dream of their perfect house and the place that they want to live and the exact car that they want to have? Most people have a much smaller amount in mind because they can’t see how they would get a million dollars and therefore, the house and car that they envision are very ordinary. And that means that the million dollars is just a dream; not a goal.
When you set your dreams in your mind, you don’t necessarily need to know how this will happen, but you do need to decide exactly what you want. Just saying, ‘a lot of money’ or a ‘beautiful home’ is vague. Our minds do not work in vagueness. Our minds work in intricate detail, so decide what you really want. Exactly how much money do you want to make this year? What does your new home look like, how is it furnished and where is it? Everything must make sense. Don’t say that you expect to make a million dollars and then have a dream house that costs five million. Know your new net worth. As Tony Robbins puts it, “know your ‘why’. Know why you want that exact amount or the sport car.” Is it about how you will feel when you achieve it? Or is it something more?
Once you have your dream fully detailed in your mind, you have to commit it to paper, so that the visual image of your dream will keep your mind focused. Make a ‘Vision Board’. Your vision board can be a framed cork board or just a piece of cardboard with pictures pasted onto it. Make it large enough to see the details of the life of your dreams, but keep it simple and uncluttered. And there is nothing wrong with having more than one vision board. You can devote one to just the wealth aspect of your life and another to a relationship or your health. These are specific to you. In novelty stores you can buy fake million dollar bills and you can find thousands of images of all most anything on the Internet. Magazines are still a good source for pictures to cut out and pin onto your vision board.
Now start living your dream life in your mind. Be congruent. Don’t schlep around like a slob, while picturing yourself a millionaire. Get up, clean up and dress up. Live the part and imagine that you are already there. What does your body language say about you? Everyone can describe a depressed person; they bend forward slightly, walk slowly with their eyes cast down. So, don’t be that person! Stand up straight, walk with purpose as if you are going somewhere (both literally and figuratively). Greet people with your eyes and smile. When you wake up; get up. Stretch. Do some breathing exercises and get moving. Amazingly you will start to turn both your body and your mind around for the better.
Carpe diem,
Kathryn
www.kathrynsmith.com