Happiness. Satisfaction. Those are the ultimate products of following our dreams. Yet, all too often, people languish, stuck in monotony and depression because they have no idea how to manifest what they want. You don’t need to be one of these people. Taking heed of just a few pieces of advice can break you free.
1) Be Clear About What’s Motivating You
Without clear motivators, your passion likely will fizzle quickly and you’ll go back to old habits. Make a list of “I want to…because…” statements to identify what’s really driving you. For example, you might write “I want to lose 50 pounds because I want to be healthier than I am” or “I want to save $1,000,000 because I want to be comfortable and to avoid being a burden on my kids when I’m a senior.” Although there’s nothing wrong with goals that include others, try to identify how you benefit, too, as it’s usually not healthy to work entirely for someone else.
Put your list in a place where you can see it often.
2) Commit
Setting goals or coming up with a series of actions to take is not enough to guarantee that what you want will manifest. Simply saying you’re going to exercise three times a week and eat 1,200 calories a day, for example, doesn’t mean you actually will sweat it up and say no to the donuts. To really see change and get what you want, you must commit fully to your objectives and plans and make the conscious choice to do what you said you were going to do. Embracing your intent like this probably won’t be easy, as you’ll likely have both psychological and logistical hurdles that make you hesitate. Meditate, talk to others and research to determine what the sources of those hurdles are. Then do everything you can to tear them down, whether that means counseling, changing jobs or finding some supportive friends.
3) Open Yourself To New Ideas And Get Inspired
Sometimes, our goal is clear but the path for getting there isn’t. For example, if you want to remodel your kitchen, one step might be to come up with the the amount of money it’s going to cost you. But are you going to take out a loan? Will you save up or sell some stuff?
There is more than one way to make something happen, so explore what’s available to you, keeping an open mind.
Scan websites, attend conferences or listen to podcasts and webinars, find a mentor – let the work you see or the concepts others discuss reveal new possibilities. The more possibilities you realize, the more choices you have and the better your odds are at finding something that works.
4) Get Feedback
Feedback is critical to manifesting desires. It tells you how you are progressing, giving you clues not only about what’s working and what isn’t, but why. Software program reports, conversation or general observations are all legitimate ways to get the information you need. Once you analyze this data, you can make a much more educated decision about what to change, if anything. If you don’t think you can stay entirely objective during this process, find a buddy or colleague qualified to look at your information for you.
5) Be Forgiving To Yourself
On the road to your goal, you’re inevitably going to make mistakes. That’s just part of being human. If you take the blame for all those mistakes, internalizing them as evidence of many nots (e.g., not smart, not talented, not worthy), you’ll only chip away at your self-confidence and find it harder to keep going with your plan. Instead of beating yourself up, just accept that what you tried didn’t work and use your feedback to hone what you try next.
6) Ask For Help
The majority of people simply do not have the knowledge, experience or time to handle every aspect of reaching a dream on their own. For example, you might want to adopt a child but be clueless when it comes to current adoption law. Similarly, you might have only 5 hours a week to offer a project when you know the project’s tasks will take double that to finish. Put up fliers, place ads online or in newspapers, get referrals and make announcements at work, or social gatherings to get the help you need. Delegation is a beautiful thing!
And finally…
Making what you want a reality is not necessarily easy. In fact, it might require you to face quite a few demons and overcome a ridiculous number of real – world problems. Even so, the right attitude and process can give you success. Don’t be afraid to make positive change happen!
