Have you every told yourself, “I Have a Dream”? Let’s Talk About the 4 Things that are Holding you Back from YOUR DREAM!

Have you every told yourself, “I Have a Dream”? Let’s Talk About the 4 Things that are Holding you Back from YOUR DREAM!

January 16th, 2012 // 2:41 pm @ Janine Elias

Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day, King memorialized the phrase “I have a DREAM!”  I believe one of the reason this statement has been so powerful over the years is because of how much we have a personal association to his words, “I have a dream,” because YOU DO have a dream! I know I have a dream! In fact I have quite a few dreams and have had both success and failure in my attempts to make my dreams a reality!

Today is also January 16, 2012. We are now officially halfway through the fist month of the year. I sat down in the beginning of the this year and wrote down some of the steps I need to take to turn a few of my dreams into a reality. It’s only been two weeks and I’m already off my targeted goals. To give you an example I needed to write 3 chapters a week for this entire month to hit my goal of completing my book by a specific date for the editing and graphic design to be completed and ready for publishing. So far I have written 4 chapters in two weeks and I’m going into this week two chapters behind my goal!

I know you are in the same boat I am but with a different target, of course. Maybe you told yourself you were going to eat “healthy” or you would exercise 3-6 days a week and you haven’t followed through. The first two months of the year are key to whether or not you keep on target, stray from your target, or give up entirely. So far I’ve strayed from my target and I the way I see it I have 3 choices:

1. I can get back on target. I can look at where in my week I can create the time to write two additional chapters putting me back on my initial target of 3 chapters a week.
2. I can adjust my target in one of two ways. I could aim for 3 chapters this week and the following weeks simply adding one additional week at the back end of my schedule. Or I could reevaluate my initial target and decide 3 chapters a week is simply not realistic but I am easily able to complete 2 chapters per week and will adjust my completion date accordingly.
3. Or I could simply give up and call myself a failure. Remind myself this is just one of the many other things I can add to my list that I said I was going to do but simply haven’t done. I could give up.

Which one of these choices are you going to chose for the area where you missed your target and have strayed from accomplishing your Dream? I’m going to go for #2 myself. I’m going to aim for 3 chapters this week and continue at that rate and if I find it difficult to complete 3 I already know I can do 2 so I will simply readjust my target and ending date.

The most important thing to keep in mind when you decide you want to make changes in your behaviors that are going to result in long term results is the fact that we are changing habits. And sometimes we have had these habits for decades and it takes more then 2 weeks to change a habit and to establish new habits. It actually takes 25 days to create a new habit so give yourself a break and learn from the past two weeks instead of beating yourself up for not sticking to something you initially said you would do.

Remember sometimes we shoot too high and have unrealistic expectations of ourselves. Cut yourself some slack but not TOO MUCH SLACK! Don’t give up!

Here are 4 things that might be keeping you from your dream or hitting your target:

1. You are so focused on the how your forgot about the why. Sometime when you have a big target or dream like publishing a book, losing 50+ lbs, or starting your own business you can get so caught up on how your going to do these things you aren’t focusing on the why and it’s the why that will give you the drive to keep going when the going gets tough and it will get tough! Redirect your attention on what writing every day, working out every day, or putting together your business plan will bring to your life once you’ve complete these things. This way your not looking at exercise as a tedious task you must preform but more as a way for good health and happy relationships because you feel good about yourself!
2. Procrastinating! Stop putting off for tomorrow that which you need to do today! Let’s use my writing for an example the only reason I got two chapters written each week is because I got up first thing in the morning for the first three days of both weeks and wrote and the off thing was as the week went on I thought to myself, “I’ve already done more than half I can sleep in and do it later in the day. Well as you can see I didn’t do it later in the day and here I am two chapter short! It takes more time and energy avoiding doing what needs to be done then it does actually doing the task. The fix is to just do it! Schedule the time and commit to it! Once you’ve done it it feels so much better! To do this it’s easier when you remember why your doing it in the first place… just a little hint!
3. Stop thinking so much! It’s not rocket science it’s simply changing a few behaviors don’t over think it! Over thinking it is just another way of avoid doing what needs to be done to get what you want. Again one of the best ways to stop the over thinking is to focus on why you want to do this in the first place. When u think about how doing the task is going to change your life and all the benefit that will come form the end result you stop over thinking the why and the how and your began to just do it! And before you know it you’ve done it!
4. Don’t look at it as a resolution! Even the word resolution is a buz kill! It’s like saying, “OK I don’t really want to do this but I resolve to do it anyway because I think I should but I really don’t want to! “This is why I use the work “target”. I’m aiming for a target and that target is a, b, or c. My underlying motivation is to get what I want and I call what I want a target because the words resolution and goal have been so over used and have such a negative association it’s like nails on a chalkboard so instead I’m Hitting My Target! 

You are at the beginning of what has the possibility to be an amazing year… BUT this year can only give you what you ask of it! You have the power to make this year THE YEAR! It’s completely up to you. It’s my intention to guide, direct, and challenge you through this year supporting you in turning your wishes into dreams and your dreams into realities! BUT FOR ME TO HELP YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT YOU MUST TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED!  Take a moment and share with me your thoughts and struggles so far this year or even past struggles that might causing you to hesitate moving forward this year and together we will make this year the year you make your dream real!

What is your dream?

For more reading on how to move yourself forward check out Bea Fields post Make Your Dreams Come True-in-2012

 

Category : Articles &Blog &How To Tips