My high-school football coach, Coach "Pic" would tell us this every day in his motivational speech as we prepared for the upcoming game. His goal was to get each of us to create a mental picture of what we wanted to do - individually and as a team.
So, here are three strategies that I have used successfully and that you can utilize to achieve your dreams...
Number 1 - Write your dreams down on paper.
There are numerous studies that prove the value of writing down and keeping track of your thoughts and goals. A study sponsored by the Ford Foundation found that:
- 23% of the population has no idea what they want from life, and as a result, they do not have much.
- 67% of the population has a general idea of what they want; they just do not have any plans for how to achieve it.
- Only 10% of the population has specific, well-defined goals, but even then, seven out of the ten of those people reach their goals only half the time.
- The top 3%, however, achieved their goals 89% of the time.
What accounted for the spectacular difference between the top 3% and the others (i.e., the 97% who do NOT)? The top 3% wrote down their goals, their dreams, their THOUGHTS. Quite simply, dreams are NOT goals until they are written down on paper. They become a road map for you to follow.
Number 2 - "Pre-set" your mental state for the next day before you turn in for the night.
Here's my secret. Before resting my head on the pillow, I spend about five to ten minutes in quiet reflection, analysis and thought as to what I want my next day to be. I think about the things that I want to achieve, such as a financial goal, spiritual strength, courage or other goals, and let my subconscious "dream-mind" work on these while I sleep. I have learned from experience that this strategy not only works in the short term to solve an immediate problem, but also helps me to come up with solutions to achieve a longer-term goal.
Number 3 - Review your list of dreams and do not be discouraged when you are "off course".
When you focus your mind on your dreams, desires and goals, you centralize and focus your attention, just like you focus a camera lens on the subject of your photograph. Be sure to monitor and check yourself from time to time. People who do not follow the practice of honest, self evaluation can never identify when they are getting off course.
For example, before an airplane takes off and flies from one location to another, the crew plots out a flight plan. Along the way, they must account for headwinds, tailwinds, turbulence, weather issues and more that cause the plane to drift off course. Now, do the pilots panic? No! They read and analyze the plane's telemetry and systematically make the adjustments needed to get the passengers to the destination. Systematic and ongoing self evaluation will allow you to do the same by reading your "telemetry" and keeping you on your "flight plan" so that you successfully reach your destination.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams".
Design the future of your dreams. And be careful, they may come true!
