Decide What You Want:nLiving Your Vision in Eight Simple StepsnnAll of us are born with the potential to experience any degree of joy, happiness, prosperity and passion we choose.
Seventeen years ago, I was driving home from a Leadership Conference with one of my downline leaders, Sandra.
“Is everything alright,” I asked ?
“Yes, but can you explain something to me? You always seem to hit your goals. How do you do that?”nn “You decide what you want,” I answered.
“Ok,” Sandra said, “and then what?”
“You decide what you want,” I repeated.
“OK, got it…then what?”
“You decide what you want.” I repeated again.
Sandra sat there in silence for a couple of minutes and then suddenly her face lit up with a huge smile, “Oh, I get it,” she said!
Of course there’s more to it than just deciding what you want but what I really wanted Sandra to get is that first step is crucial! The rest of the way home I shared with her Eight Action Steps for turning her goals and her ultimate Vision into reality.
Step 1:
Decide what you want and WHY you want it. There will be challenges along the way that will tempt you to give up. By clearly establishing the driving force behind your vision, your WHY, you’ll develop the inner strength to overcome any obstacle.
If you think your Vision is all about making a lot of money, chances are you won’t ever get there. Think not about the money but what the money will do for you and for others. Let that become your driving force.
Step 2:
Ink it don’t think it. It’s not good enough to just think about your Vision. You need to commit it to paper. It needs to be clearly stated in as much detail as possible and reviewed weekly if not daily.
Remember the dreams you had as a child? Maybe you wanted to be a rock star, an astronaut, a famous scientist or the President.
Erase all limitations and think like a child again. Dream BIG. And then Dream bigger!
Write freely at least three pages describing your Vision in detail. What will your life look, feel, smell, taste and sound like? Envision a day in your perfect life. What will people be saying about you? What will you be doing for yourself and others?
Step 3:
Vision Board it - Get some magazines, scissors, glue and a poster board or photo album and create a visual representation of your Vision. Be sure to put yourself in the picture. Keep your Vision Board or album where you can see it daily.
This works! I now live in the house I Vision Boarded many years ago on six acres, across from a river, near the ocean, surrounded by pines and redwoods with a creek and horses (donkeys and a goat too), working with my husband from home on our thriving Internet business with the freedom to travel often. It worked for me and many other people I know. Why not make it work for you?
Step 4:
Share your Vision with others – Let supportive people know about your Vision. The more people you tell, the more you’ll take ownership of your Vision.
Every year my network marketing company provided an incentive trip. The qualifications were stringent. The first thing I did was tell everyone I was going. The more people I told, the more I believed it and I knew I had to make it because I’d be so embarrassed if I didn’t! Speaking my goal to others made me accountable to myself. It worked! I never missed a trip in over eight years!
Step 5:
Go on a Negativity Fast –
Unfortunately there are a lot of “dream stealers” out there. You’ll have to make a conscious effort to steer clear of them. When confronted by the nay sayer’s, ask yourself two questions:
“Is this person living the life I aspire to?” n“Are they going to pay my mortgage, put my kids through college, etc?”
This is YOUR life and YOUR Vision. Don’t let anyone steal that from you. Choose your associations wisely! You are the sum total of the five people you associate with most often. Take a look at your current relationships? Are they serving you and your Vision?nIf not, it’s time to start surrounding yourself with like-minded people.
Be careful what you allow into your brain. Limit what you watch on television and listen to on the radio or read, to positive, motivating programming. Eliminate T.V. completely for 30-days. You’ll discover more time for creating your Vision as well as experiencing a more positive, peaceful state of mind. Instead listen to motivational CD’s and read books about successful people. After 30 days if you go back to TV, you’ll automatically be much more discerning about what you watch.
Step 6:
Break your Vision into bite sized targets and track your results –Take at least 2 enthusiastic actions every single day! Be sure to track your results. For example, if one of your targets is to sponsor 2 new people a week and you’re currently sponsoring 2 a month, you’ll need to increase the number of contacts you make by four.
Step 7 :
Celebrate Success - Celebrate each success in some small way to imprint your success in your neurology. This will reinforce that you CAN reach your goals. When you believe it, you will achieve it.
When I’ve hit a target I play an inspiring song and dance around my office for a minute or two. It makes me feel good and eager to tackle the next task. One success breeds another!
Step 8:
Never Give Up – The only way to fail is to quit. Make a pact with yourself right now that failure is not an option. A goal or a vision is simply a dream with a deadline.nIf you need to adjust the deadline, that’s fine. Most people who are living their Vision did just that. Read the personal history of any successful person you admire and you’ll find this is true. The other thing that they all have in common is that they never, ever, ever gave up on their Vision!