"Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blue prints of your ultimate achievements."
Napoleon Hill
What is your dream? You may want an entirely new job or a significant career change. Maybe you are seeking a promotion, or believe you deserve a raise! Perhaps you desire to start your own business.
Sometimes you ignore your own dreams because of self-doubt, fear, or external complications. You can think of many different excuses to brush those dreams aside. Your world will become more exciting and you will begin to live a more passionate and meaningful life, if you go after your dreams.
Our media is only too happy to supply us with stories of individuals who overcame tragedy, serious illness, and emotional upheaval to achieve success regardless of these obstacles. Though seemingly an inspiration, these stories also convey a paradoxical message: these miracles are indeed extraordinary and may seem out of the reach of ordinary people.
It is my experience, when I speak with leaders in any field or read biographies, that each finds he is doing what he does because he has a sense of values and purpose that drives him. What do you need in order to have an extraordinary life, miracles each day, and your dreams come true? The first step is to get a rough idea of where you are now, and then begin to develop the vision of where you want to go. Clarity, focus, strategy and then action are paramount in your life, career, or business. Most want to start with the action, first.
Let’s begin by looking at values. What are values? These are what matter most to you, that which is in your heart and soul. When you align yourself with your values they act like a guide. You have greater satisfaction and you use them to build your plans of the future. Values help you build better relationships whether in our personal, career or business lives. Allow yourself time to reflect on what you truly value. Here are a few examples: being creative, problem solving, flexibility, making a difference, structure, integrity, variety, respect, imaginative, stable, family, spirituality, leadership, influence, power, caring about others, freedom, adventure.
Now armed with your values, how might these contribute to your strategy of obtaining your dream? What will propel you into action? Your life’s purpose is embedded deeply within you. It is the reason that you believe you are here or why you have your dream. This purpose becomes the door that opens your passion and passion inspires you to get up in the morning and actually drives your daily life. To discover this purpose ask yourself what do you do naturally or with little effort. Is it making things, designing things, painting, music, writing, crafting, etc? Ask yourself what do you enjoy ding so much that you lose tract of time? Another question is what have you accomplished in life that made you feel terrific? Still don’t know? Ask ten people you know to tell you what they think you are good at or what talent do they see. Your purpose is your inspiration.
Why are you doing this? What is the most important thing about this purposeful dream? What will it do for you to fulfill your dream? And most importantly, what is your role? How do you make a difference? This process is referred to as your mission. A mission statement is usually meant to define internal motivation. Motivation leads to passion and passion with purpose leads to fulfillment.
Are you ready to create your vision? Knowing what you just discovered, answer this question. The extraordinary factor now comes into play. You are so far ahead of the game; congratulate yourself. Take your values, purpose, mission, and create that vision.
Ask yourself, if I had an all powerful genie appear to give you all the time, money, resources, and contacts—everything you needed and you wanted to design our life, career or business, what would it look like in ten years?
Make it as wild as you like. Most people play too small. Here is your chance to play a bigger game. If you and I had a conversation in three years, tell me what has happened and how your life has changed?
Rev it up! Let’s focus on how to strategize this vision into action. Here is where the ultra-ordinary happens. Take your newly, most powerful and highly leveraged knowledge, and set your goals to truly inspire and motivate you based upon your values, purpose, and vision. Contemplate your answer to the question of your vision in ten years and three years. Set out your plan of action with making your goals smart—specific, measurable, attainable, relevant (aligned) and time-based. It is also important to realize that if you have a bump in the road, just re-calibrate yourself or your goals. There are no mistakes, only learning. The ultra-ordinary know this secret and persevere.
Once this is in place, create a support team. This can be family, a buddy, a mentor, a coach, your business team, or your peers. Make sure this support team believes in you. Be specific in how you want to be supported.
You will be jazzed and electrified. The key to happiness is doing what you really value and love. This new criteria can help you make decisions as to what to do with your limited time more successfully. Look at any task in front of you and ask will this add to my dream or distract. When you are committed to your dream with this knowledge, the universe will get behind you to manifest it in your life. It is miraculous. Eastern philosophy describes this alignment process beautifully. It will bring things to you and support you in ways you could not have imagined. "Our truest life is when we are in our dreams awake." Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)
To you wildest dreams and joyful fulfillment!
Deborah Baker-Receniello is CEO of DBR Life Strategies & Business Coach, Inc. Deborah has advanced degrees in Counseling Psychology and Business Administration and is a Certified Life Strategies and Business Coach. She is a noted speaker, author, and facilitator. Deborah partners with you to design and grow yourself personally and your businesses, attracting more clients and making more money.
Deborah is the author of “Why It Works! The Science Behind Manifesting Everything You Desire”,
Play a Bigger Game! Proven Strategies to Design and grow Your Successful Small Business and
101 Great Ways to Live Your Life Volume 2, Co-authored with Brian Tracy & Zig Ziglar, et al
You may contact Deborah at:
www.dbrlifecoach.com deborah@dbrlifecoach.com
Deborah Baker-Receniello is CEO of DBR Life Strategies & Business Coach, Deborah has advanced degrees in Counseling Psychology and Business Administration and is a Certified Life Strategies and Business Coach. She is a noted speaker, author, and facilitator.
Deborah partners with you to design and grow yourself personally and your businesses, attracting more clients and making more money.
Deborah is the author of “Why It Works! The Science Behind Manifesting Everything You Desire”,
Play a Bigger Game! Proven Strategies to Design and grow Your Successful Small Business and
101 Great Ways to Live Your Life Volume 2, Co-authored with Brian Tracy & Zig Ziglar, et al
You may contact Deborah at:
www.dbrlifecoach.com deborah@dbrlifecoach.com