Magse

How to Live Your DREAMS

Ever wonder why when we were younger our dreams and capability to imagine things are so vivid as compared to when became older?

Children imagine things as if they were true, they play roles of superheroes and villains that appear so real to them they don’t care what grown-ups might think or say. They live in this world of theirs that is built on their imagination. We all once understood what it was like to live in this world of make believe because once in our life we became children. But as we grow older and start to understand how things and the world work, we started to part ways to what we consider childish thinking. Little do we know or try hard not to let others know that deep inside we are longing to become young again so that we can be free to imagine and live in this kind of world again.

What’s stopping us? It’s the system that we are all part of. As our knowledge increases as we grow older, it was imparted in our minds that these things are “childish.” This very system is the one that limits us without us ever realizing it because we are so busy conforming to it. Little by little we change our dreams into more “realistic” ones. Have you ever noticed how you have your BIG dreams were when you were younger? But as when you aged a little more, little by little also, you adjust these dreams of yours to the more “achievable” ones. Until you’re left with the littlest of dreams which they and you consider “attainable.” If you’re one of these people, believe me, the system has already stolen your DREAMS. I won’t go deeper into this “conspiracy theory,” for this is not what this writing is about.

What I want to position here is the power of our DREAMS. A famous author by the name of Napoleon Hill once said, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and bring itself to believe, it can achieve.” It was written in his book “Think and Grow Rich.” A book he wrote after carefully observing and studying the habits of the most successful people in his time, and compiled it into a book.

You should not underestimate the power of dreams. If the dream is so clear to you then it is compelling to do. You see humans think and imagine with pictures and images and not the actual words itself. What does this means? Let me site and example – when I say the word “hamburger” you instantly think or picture the actual image of the burger (the sandwich with the burger patty) and not the actual letters H-A-M-B-U-R-G-E-R. The clearer the picture/dream in your mind the more you are compelled to do/achieve it. The body only follows what the mind tells it to do. A wise man by the name of Henry Ford also told, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you’re right.”

So why do most people quit on their dreams instead of living their dreams?

Well, for most, it’s not the lack of dreams, because I believe all of us are full of dreams. People quit or “adjust” their dreams because most of them don’t act on it. Dreams are good motivators but people don’t realize what true “motivation” is. True motivation = motive + action. Others go through life full of motives but they don’t put it to action. So what happens to their motives is that they remain that – motives. – Just “wishful thinking.” Others tries to do so many things but don’t have true motives. They engage in too many activities but don’t gain true results, because they don’t know what they really want to achieve. This may be considered – waste of time.

To start living your dreams you must have a clear picture of your dream in your mind and what you want to achieve. Picture that life you want to achieve and start living it. Start with the end results where you want your life to be and work yourself back to achieve that goal. As earlier stated, “If the dream is so clear to you, then it is compelling to do.”

I’ll give you a guide on how to live your dreams. To start living your dreams, you just have to D.R.E.A.M.

D – Dare the Impossible Dream

R – Respond Well to Dream Stealers

E – Encourage the Team to Live Their Dreams

A – Aspire for the Best Dreams

M – Mindset of a Winner is Key to Living a Dream

and

S – Stay Motivated

Dare the Impossible Dream

(Stretch yourself out of your comfort zone but not out of your gift zone)

- The problem with most of us is not that we are afraid to dream BIG but we, more often than not, are afraid that these BIG dreams would push us out of our “comfort zone.” If we value our “comfort and security” more than our desire to achieve our dreams, we tend to adjust our dreams to what we call “more achievable” ones. But who are we kidding really? We are just frightened to go astray from the things and routines that we are accustomed and used to. If we continue to think this way and still believe we can attain our set goals, then it is next to insanity. Expecting different results from doing the same things over and over is really next to insane.

“If you’re satisfied with the results you’re getting, why change? But if you’re not satisfied, why not experiment?”

If you want to achieve great things in life you must be willing to face obstacles along the way. Don’t be afraid of the obstacles that would seem to be insurmountable, very too often, people are overtaken by FEAR (False Expectations Appearing Real). They let their fear win over their desire and excitement of achieving their goals. If you overcome your fear and test the obstacles, you might be surprised on what you might discover. Like a famous commercial tag line states, “Impossible is nothing, it is only a pigment of your imagination.” Even the word itself says, “I’m possible.”

Respond Well to Dream Stealers

(People may kill/steal the dream but they will never kill/steal the dreamer)

- Don’t let someone who gave up on their dreams talk you out of yours. Misery loves company so as they say. The world is full of negative people that would drag you down and talk you into believing that your dreams/goals can’t be achieved or can’t be done. Don’t succumb to the discouraging words that negative people might throw at you. If you have a clear picture of your goals, reinforce your drive by steering clear of these dream stealers. Just because their dreams were stolen, it doesn’t mean you’ll let them steal yours.

Remember, words are powerful. Listen to those that would encourage you and stay away from those that would discourage you.

You can’t go back to your past and create a new beginning but you can start today and create a new ending.

Encourage the Team to Live Their Dreams

(It takes teamwork to make the dream works)

- There is a saying that goes, “You can get whatever you want in life as long as you help others enough to achieve what they want in life.”

It is proven that the most successful people achieved their status by solving or providing solutions to other people’s problems; may it be in their products or services. Others got their wealth from teaching and holding speaking engagement that empowers and encourages people.

You’ll be surprised on what a little encouragement can do for an individual. Because courage is the strength to overcome fear, and to encourage is to put that strength to a person but to discourage is to take away or remove that strength.

If you’re working with an organization, infuse encouragement and strengthen others to believe that they can achieve and you’ll be surprised how it might turn out.

Once a week, do something GOOD that scares you, something GOOD you’re friends, relatives or even you might not think you’re capable of and in a year’s time, you’ll be surprise who you can become.

Aspire for the Best of Dreams

(Learn to perspire as you aspire)

- If you really want to live your dreams, mediocrity should never be in your vocabulary. “Good enough” should never be enough.

As you aspire for bigger and better dreams, you must be willing to match it with hard work and smart work also. Whether you believe it or not, work is not a curse. God design us to work when he created us. He entrusted the entire world for us to manage. Do you think civilization as we know it would reach this point if great men did not toil the soil?

There’s nothing wrong for wanting for the best in life. It is better to go through life with a plan than having no plan at all. If you have a plan, you will learn how to say no to certain opportunities that would not bring you closer to your purposes or dreams even if how good the opportunity might be.

Also be careful in working too hard not to overlook yourself. Because in working, we tend to do most of the things for our family and left little or nothing to ourselves. This is good to some extent but too much of everything is bad. Don’t forget yourself. Learn to work to achieve also what you want for yourself. If you keep doing things for other people too long, you might end up burning yourself out. Balance is the key to most things especially in life.

Mindset of a Winner is Key to Living a Dream

(Improve your output by changing your input)

- To keep on winning you must keep on thinking with a winner’s mindset. What you think most of the time would happen in your life most of the time. Our mind, the greatest computer in the world, works much like our personal computers. GIGO (garbage in = garbage out). The quality of the output would be based on the quality of the input. The computer only makes the process faster. And much can be said for our minds also. Remember that our body only responds to the command of our mind. It follows what the mind tells it to do. So be careful what you input in your mind, for you’re in full control on what goes on in that head of yours.

You should practice to stretch the capabilities of your mind in believing that you can do things. If in the past, all you do is thought negatively and believed you can’t, well have you seen the results? Remember, whether you think you can or you think you can’t, either way you’re right. You make the choice.

Stay Motivated

(Always fix your eyes on the finish line)

- Always have motives and action. Motivation! The key is motivation. But sometimes it’s hard to be kept motivated at all times especially when hard times, fear, doubts and uncertainties are really tiring us in the process. As a phrase in the poem goes “rest if you must but don’t quit.” Take some time off. But when you really feel down and almost out of steam, go back to the power of DREAMS. You should set your eyes to the “finish line” or goal you want to achieve. You should have a clear dream that you can almost see, hear, feel/touch and taste it. Remember if ‘tis clear to you, ‘tis more compelling to do…

I hope this have reignited your passion to dream and believe again. We only pass thru this lifetime but once, better make the most out of it. Dream and dream big. The only time limit you have in achieve your dreams is your entire lifespan. Time will pass us anyway; better use it to pursue the things that matter most to you. Live your dreams by simply D.R.E.A.M.ing...

til the next post,

Joel Magsisi