What kind of person do you have to become to live the life of your dreams?

When we think about setting goals, most of us focus on the end results and activities that can get us there. It is a valid approach as you need to take action to accomplish your objectives however, we omit the kind of person we have to become in the process.?

Brian Tracy in his book “No excuses!” emphasizes that if you want to achieve anything new in life you need to start with becoming a different person.?

When you set a goal think in long-term categories: what are the results you want to achieve and what kind of person you need to become for that. Focus on the qualities of that person, identify in detail how that person behaves, what it has and what it does. You will start seeing clearly, based on where you are, what you should be doing more of or less of. Once you define it start walking backwards. Set short term goals that are aligned with your long-term vision. Commit to behaving the exact way as the person you need to become would. You might not get it right from the start, but the key is consistency. Show up every day and you will eventually get there. Remember the success does not come for free. The price needs to be paid in full and upfront. On a positive note: each step you take towards becoming a better person makes you feel more fulfilled, confident, and happier.

Every choice you make in life is a reflection of what is a priority for you. Whatever you decide upon has more importance than the other things. It’s good to be aware of it because on your way to success you will be tempted to stop. That will be a defining moment, a moment to show your true character. When you decide to choose the higher good (your goal), do the thing that isn’t convenient but right your self-esteem increases. You earn respect and admiration not only from yourself but also from others with a chance to become their role model.

To make better choices, look at your values. Your behaviour is in line with your current set of values which was developed by repetition. Basically speaking the way you behave is a habit. The good news is that since it is a habit you can change it by introducing new, desired values. For the new values to sink into your subconscious mind read about the stories reflecting the values you want to incorporate and reflect often on them so they can inscribe in your mind. Once they sink into your subconscious, they will override the old values and become automatic.

I do realise this might look like a lot of self-reflection work however to improve your life you need to take responsibility for yourself. A lot of people don’t achieve much because they have hopes or wishes rather than goals. On top of that, they blame others for their current circumstances. Take some time, sit down and choose what is important for you. Turn that into goals and develop an action plan. Some goals might feel unreachable now, but you don’t need to know exactly how to get where you want to go, you just need to start making small steps and the path will unfold.?

Brian Tracy shares a seven-step method to achieving your goals:

1. Decide exactly what you want.
2. Write it down.
3. Set a deadline for your goal.
4. Make a list of all that you could do to achieve your goal.
5. Organise your list by sequence and priority.
6. Take action immediately.
7. Do something every day that moves you closer to your major goal.

The steps aren’t complicated and most probably you know them by now. The secret lies in becoming the person who is self-disciplined and shows up every day to execute the plan. To ensure you are consistent it’s good to equip yourself with two types of courage:

• the courage to take action - to take a leap of faith without a guarantee of success and with the possibility to fail at least in the short term and
• the courage to be patient: the ability to hang on and keep working even though you don’t see tangible results yet.

You will need that because before you will be able to achieve any of your goals you will undergo a persistent test.

I am sure we’ve all been there. Working hard on a goal and out of the blue an unexpected major setback or a problem appears on the way that jeopardises everything. In those kinds of moments, it’s normal to feel discouraged. You might be even asking ”why me?”. Don't stay there for too long. Redirect your thoughts and focus on finding the solution: on what can be done rather than what happened and who to blame. Aim to bounce back as quickly as possible. This is nothing else than a testing time to see how much you really want to achieve your goal.

And don’t forget about the most important quality for success: optimism – the continuous confidence in yourself and the fact that you can succeed. In all honesty, the only person who can stop you from creating the life you want is yourself.