Category Archives: Vision

7 Steps to Fulfill Your Dreams in Midlife

March 25, 2012 10:13 am ⋅ 1 Comment ⋅

Many people during their midlife become utterly discouraged and downright depressed because they haven’t fulfilled their dreams. What is a dream? It’s a desire to create something, build something or do something that results in fulfillment of accomplishment or providing solutions. The accomplishment or solution can be personal or it can help others. Once a dream is realized, an internal strength demands dreaming some more. Dreams never go away but may change over time.

Are you discovering that there should be more to life than what you are experiencing now? Do you have a dream to go somewhere or create a lifestyle or develop solutions for life’s problems? What is holding you back?

Most people simply wish their lives were different. They can’t really put their finger on it, but they are restless, bored, frustrated with life and allow life to happen to them. Others want to make a change but aren’t sure how. This article is for those people. If you don’t know you have a dream, you probably wouldn’t read this article. Or maybe it’s not a priority to you right now.

The main reason people don’t pursue their dreams is because they really believe they can’t or don’t have what it takes to realize their vision. They will usually blame lack of time or money or both. Midlife is the perfect time to hunker down and pursue unfulfilled dreams relentlessly. Time may be of the essence, and if you’re anything like me, you don’t want to die having never pursued your dreams.

Consider Rob who for most of his adult life was an attorney. Rob decided that he wanted instead to be a high school teacher. Because his wife is also working, he was able to go back to school, get his certification to teach history in high school and is now gainfully employed by a school district to teach history. He could very well have left that option on the table and never realize his vision, but he chose to go for it.

JoAnn was a successful yet burned out broadcast journalist who became ill from reporting too many negative and depressing stories. She is now a yoga teacher and owner of Inspiring Productions. She produces positive video stories for corporations and non-profits while using her skills in television.

If starting a business, building a non-profit, going back to school, developing a ministry or any other dream is in your head and you haven’t yet taken the first step, let’s do that together right now.

Step 1: Write Down Your Main Dream or Vision.

Be specific. Is it a vacation you want to take? Do you want to ride your dirt bike again? Would you like to create a passive income through investments or business opportunities? Write down what that would feel like once you accomplish that goal. I also recommend writing a vision statement for your entire life. Begin with the end in mind. Looking back, what would you have wanted to achieve? How would you have wanted to serve?

Step 2: Read Two Books to Gain Confidence

I recommend The War of Art by Steven Pressfield and The Think Big Manifesto by Michael Port. The War of Art will identify the big ‘resistance’ factor in moving forward with your ambitions. Once you recognize it, you can have your armor ready for battle. Your battle is usually in the mind but can be instigated by your loving family and friends. ‘Think Big’ encourages you to move forward by allowing you to broaden your thinking into massive action once you realize you are not alone in your desires.

You will be your biggest enemy to realizing your dreams. The truth is, once you’ve set your mind right and begin taking action toward your dreams, you will have tons of support which will catalyze your success.

Step 3: Create an Action Plan

Read it, review it and change it if necessary. This could be developing a strategy for earning enough money to make that trip or start your business. Maybe it includes your research plans to determine what elements you will need to realize your dream.

Step 4: Meditate or Pray and Ask for Support

Ask for the perfect ideas, situations and contacts to make your dreams a reality. Begin writing down every idea that pops into your head. Write on your phone - whatever you have handy - and refer back to it.

Step 5: Take Action

Every action will lead you to the next. Stay focused and be patient. Some dreams take months to accomplish, some take years. Just keep plugging away.

Step 6: Write an Article Entitled, “How I began my journey to …”

Your article will begin with “I have always had a dream to … What held me back was … Since then, I have taken the following actions toward realizing my dreams.” Then list your action plans. Summarize with, “I am currently working on … and my next plans include …” This article can be around 200 - 400 words, which I believe is very doable for someone who may not be used to writing articles.The point of writing it is to get used to the fact that you can articulate what you want and learn the skill of writing about your passion. This is a powerful exercise and you should not skip this step. It can later be used for publication if you decide to use writing in your new venture.

Step 7: Reward yourself for Taking Action

Do something fun to celebrate your new venture. But don’t get too carried away. You’ll need to stay focused like a laser beam to accomplish your goals. You will have many obstacles - again - mostly in your mind and some will be real, but you can do it.

The satisfaction and overall blissful feeling of accomplishing your vision will be well worth your trouble to follow through on the hard work ahead. (Nothing of great value is free, right?) Seeing your dreams come to fruition not only benefits you, it benefits others. Surely you offer the world something more and that will have a ripple effect through generations - no matter what you do.

Article by Lisa Kneller

For more information and solutions to midlife issues, visit http://www.midlifelivingwell.com

Lisa Kneller is the publisher of Midlife Living Well Magazine, yoga teacher, blogger, internet marketer, wife, mother, spirit driven.

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Posted in: Goals, Guest Posts, Success, Vision ⋅ Tagged: ,

Your Dream: Developing the Right Habits

March 21, 2012 9:43 pm ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

Charles C. Noble had a very interesting quote on habit. He said, “First we make our habits, then our habits make us.” The path a human life takes is not determined by a single decision or a single action.

Every single day you are given an opportunity to reaffirm a decision you made yesterday, or to change your mind and head in another direction. Successful people make it a habit to make the right choices and they make these choices every day. Develop positive habits in your life and make your dreams come true. Here are some habits you can work on acquiring immediately.

1. Manage Your Time

One of the best positive habits you can develop is time management. Every minute you spend managing and organizing your time saves you an hour. The more time you can save, the more time you can spend on searching for opportunities to make your dreams come true. Successful people value time. They don’t procrastinate, but they don’t rush. The use time wisely. If you want to be successful, you have to improve your attitude with time.

2. Exercise

Exercise is among the positive habits that every person should engage in. It’s going to be difficult to make your dreams come true if you’re always sick. Most successful people are dynamic. They have a boundless energy. The reason why they have so much energy is because they try their best to stay healthy. A single day has 24 hours. Spending 2%, or 30 minutes, of your day on exercise can drastically boost your health. If you have time to watch a single show on television, you definitely have time for exercise.

3. Eat Healthy

A lot of health problems come from weight issues. An obese person has a high risk of getting diabetes, heart disease and sleep apnea. In order to avoid such risks, you have to eat healthy. Many of these problems can be avoided if people pay more attention to what they eat, when they eat, and how much they eat. Don’t let weight problems hold you back from making your dreams come true. You can begin your personal evolution by simply developing positive habits at the dinner table.

4. Keep Clean

A clean environment can help you focus and be more productive. A clean body can not only keep you healthy, but create a respectable image as well. Cleanliness really is next to godliness. It is one of the best positive habits you can develop in your life. A wide range of problems and diseases can be solved just by making cleanliness a daily habit. Make your dreams come true by creating a clean and healthy environment that is ready for success.

5. Persist

In life, the only things you should be quitting are your vices. Persistence is one of the positive habits that you should develop. It’s hard to make your dreams come true if you quit and break down at the most crucial moments. In order to be successful, you must bring a “do-or-die” attitude. Winners are not quitters. Take it one step at a time and you’ll soon get to the finish line.

The obstacles that hold you back from making your dreams come true are your own bad habits. Shed these bad habits and replace them with positive habits. If you want to be successful in life, you have to live a daily existence that moves towards that success. If every single one of your thoughts, habits and actions are directed towards a single goal, success is inevitable. Successful people seem to be on an endless winning streak simply because their daily lives are headed towards success. Live like successful people do and success will find you too.

Article by Kristen D Howe

Kristen Howe knows what it takes to make your dreams come true. Visit her site to learn more about the power of habits and how they can make or break your life.

Posted in: Vision ⋅ Tagged: ,

The Cost of Not Following Your Dreams

March 21, 2012 9:37 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

People dream for a reason. We are endowed with the natural sense to aim for greater things. If dreams weren’t meant to be chased, if they’re not meant to come true for those who try, then I’m sure nature wouldn’t entice us with dreams in the first place.

Yet, achieving your dream takes a lot of work. It’s risky too, especially if your dream requires you to ditch your day job! I know that it’s a lot easier to just follow your normal routine of working and paying the bills. But how long could you last doing this without getting fed up? What would happen to you if you eventually get tired and lose passion for the things you do?

If you’re not going to try achieving your dream, you will eventually get tired of what you’re doing. Sure, you’ll find a new job or switch careers, but the cycle will just repeat over and over again. You might even stop dreaming or aspiring for the good things in life. Not following your dreams may secure you a stable life, but for how long? And at what cost to your heart?

Living without Actually Living

It may sound confusing, but I’m sure you know what I mean with the statement above. Too many people walk the Earth without actually living their life. They go through their routine every day without even noticing the beautiful things in life.

If achieving your dream is important, then why do so many people insist on living sad and mediocre lives? Is it because achieving their dreams requires a lot of work? Is it because their dream is not realistic? I’m not even sure what the term realistic means for most people. How can people even say a dream is unrealistic when they haven’t even tried working on it?

If you’re still not scared about the costs of not trying to achieve your dreams, then here are reasons why you should follow your dream in the first place:

  • Regret. When you’re about to die, there’s a big chance that you’ll regret the things you didn’t do rather than the things you failed in doing.
  • You owe it to yourself, your family and everyone around you to try. Achieving your dream will inspire other people around you.
  • In the end, what matters most is who you are and what you did with your life. Not the size of your house, your car or even your pay check! What matters is if you lived life doing what you want to do.
  • Achieving your dreams will lead you to even bigger dreams. Hence, it will improve your character and your wisdom.
  • You may be happy but you will never be truly contented. They’re only getting the second-best of what life could give them. Some of them found happiness but none of them found contentment in their lives. They’re still filled with thoughts of “what-ifs” and “what-could-have-been”.

Regardless of your age, financial status and responsibilities in life, it’s never too late to achieve your dream. I won’t deny the fact that the process of achieving your dream is full of risks. It’s scary, I know. In spite the risks, people who followed their dreams never regretted what they did.

Article by Paul G Bailey

Paul is a highly experienced Business Coach, Mentor and Personal Development Specialist. He works with people to enhance business and personal performance through a process of supported self-awareness and self- development. Paul delivers his coaching expertise through face-to-face individual or group sessions, or remotely by telephone and online conferencing. Paul’s clients come from diverse backgrounds, including from the worlds of art, business, and academia on both sides of the Atlantic.

Paul’s unique and upbeat approach to coaching enables each individual to verbalise ideas, goals, and dreams; to explore options; to develop effective directions and plans; and to move forward at a comfortable-yet-productive pace-and all without ever feeling judged or criticised. The result is that Paul’s clients are empowered to focus on possibilities and to achieve maximum fulfilment and success in all aspects of their lives.

http://www.impactcm.co.uk

Posted in: Guest Posts, Success, Vision ⋅ Tagged: , ,