“Mike, wake up! You’re daydreaming again!” My best friend in childhood used to accuse me of daydreaming. I’d just laugh each time he would lead me back from my fantasy land to reality.

Everyone daydreams. But while others are preoccupied with the miseries of current realities, some dream about what could become, about the magical tomorrow. By visualizing success through daydreaming, some gradually reach their desired destination without knowing it.

What are the two necessary components in achieving your dreams?

Believe

Always believe in yourself even if the road ahead is tough. Expect resistance to happen each time you think of advancing. All worthy endeavors and causes in the past had met ridicule, negativism, and envy. Yours will not be spared.

Many well-known people — Walt Disney, Mark Victor Hansen, Oprah Winfrey, and Larry King — faced setbacks in their quest for phenomenal success.

Despite countless roadblocks, don’t be discouraged. Focus on taking the first step . . . and the next. The more difficult the process is, the more you have to love yourself. Feed your brain with optimistic thoughts and nurture your dream regardless of the early outcomes.

If you’re serious about success, remove the word “I can’t” in your vocabulary. In fact, you have to practice a can-do attitude all the time. Always say “I can” regardless of the difficulty and result.

For every dream, there’s a matching negativism that will cloud it. For every good intention and deed, there’s an associated struggle and conflict. Be prepared and never give up.

A negative result only means a temporary setback rather than a failure. Learn from the mistakes that led to disappointments.

Embrace change

What are you willing to change to chase success? What behaviors and attitudes do you want to eliminate so you can achieve your dreams? What are you willing to give up so you can attain intense focus?

If you want success, change is unavoidable. A worthy cause can’t be achieved without change. No change, no progress!

Stop all forms of negative energy. Who are some of your friends and family members that shower you with harmful comments and wrong advice? What thoughts make you feel hopeless and pessimistic? What endeavors and actions give you misery? What decisions have caused more troubles and heartaches than joy and fulfillment? What types of relationships hamper you from achieving success?

Identify unhelpful, problematic parts of your life and embrace change.

Change negative to positive force without delay. Discover the promise of a transformed life. Strengthen your self-image so others will respect you. Have a success mind-set even if the situation looks dim. Be willing to chase a productive lifestyle and your daily habits should lead to lifelong desires.

Since there are many wonderful ideas around, be open to possibilities. Let your mind absorb at least one profound idea daily and explore its potential. Don’t discount an idea simply because it sounds impossible. Test it. Think about it. Give impossibility a chance to travel the road of possibility.

Believe in yourself and embrace change to improve your chance of reaching your dreams. But above all, believe that you have a divine assignment to accomplish. Our purpose is not simply existence but living life to the fullest.

Author's Bio: 

Copyright © 2009. Dr. Michael G. Rayel - author (A 31-Day Series and First Aid to Mental Illness) psychiatrist, and inventor of emotional and social skills games -- The Oikos Game Series. Check oikosglobal.com to learn about these games. Since 2005, he has published Oikos Insights! A Family and Self-Improvement Journal oikosglobal.com and has offered psychiatry board review for ABPN II psychedu.com.