Combat with your Dreams
Identifying your dreams and being specific is the first step. Don’t be vague by saying you want to be the best or the smartest or the most successful. Be specific: say what you want, visualize it, describe it, and write it down.
You should make a strong personal connection to the dreams you’ve identified. Why? So you know they are truly yours, and not the dreams of other people. It’s much easier to go after your own dreams. Write down in detail why they’re important to you and what you want to achieve in your life.
It’s like making a personal promise to yourself. Once you’ve nailed down what your dreams are and why they’re important, don’t forget all about them just because your life is busy. Stay true to your dreams. Keep them close to you. Think about them every day.
It’s not all just pretty words on a sheet of paper, or ideas of what you want and why you want them. It’s about making the next step so that they can become a reality. Being proactive means you start taking action today, even if it means making a tiny step in the right direction. Do something today for 5 minutes that takes you just a little closer to your dream.
Once you start making progress, stick with it. You need to put some skin in the game. What does that mean? It means you should dedicate your time and your energy to doing what is necessary. That means ignoring distractions, focusing on what’s in front of you, managing your time, and not wasting energy on irrelevant things and people who may be distracting you from getting to the finish line.
No matter what you do, make the effort to do it well. Don’t just start something, plan it well so it goes smoothly. Don’t just make it halfway there, get to the finish line. Polish up your skills so that your work is as good as it can be. Don’t be sloppy. Take care of the details. Make your work shine. Make it something you can be proud of.
Knowing that you can rely on yourself and know that you’ve got what it takes to succeed is more than half of the battle. Often it is MOST of the battle. What can you do to believe in yourself more? Trust your gut. Hold yourself accountable for your actions, and don’t do things unless you’re sure they’re the correct thing to do. Don’t lie to yourself - be honest. Understand your motives and your feelings. Work on being your best friend. Be true in everything that you say, think, and do.
Hands down, if you master this, you’re going to have an excellent chance at doing whatever you set out to do in your life. Without it, even the best plans and dreams can go to waste. A positive attitude means brushing aside thoughts of, “I can’t do this because it’s too hard!” and “This will take too much of my time, so I have to give up”; and replacing these thoughts with, “Why not?” and “It’s better that I try today so that I don’t regret not trying later.”
Why? Because it makes everything much more real. Because you stop thinking of dreams as something far away in the distant future and start treating them as real and tangible. Because building a habit starts today, by doing something small that doesn’t seem all that difficult. Because every small step adds up to a big change in your future. Because with this positive habit you can become the best version of yourself. And because you CAN chase dreams, make dreams, and create your own future.