If you knew that it is possible to do or to have anything you want, what would be your hearts desire?
When I asked this question to my sister, she told me that she did not need anything, and she achieved everything she wanted. She was married, had a nice husband, 2 lovely kids, and a decent job. Not to mention, she was just 34 years old. We both knew that my question was deeper than having a good life.
Like my sister, some of use do not like pushing ourselves, taking actions, setting goals and trying new things. We do not believe or feel capable of creating a better life. We live our life below our standards. In other words, we do not have the motivation to chase our dreams, or some of us do not even dream. We do not show a real effort to achieve more than what we already have. Nothing is wrong with that as long as we are happy the way our life is. But most of the time, living our life below our standards may create long term depression, unhappiness, jealousy and a lackadaisical life style. We can change this situation with small and smart actions, which may create a huge improvement in our life.
First, we need to believe that we can achieve our dreams, of course, the realistic ones. As long as we believe in ourselves and work hard, we can do anything. We can learn new skills, find a new job, lose weight, go back to school, or find the love we want! Believing is the first step.
Second, we need to take the right actions toward our goals. Without taking actions dreaming about our perfect life will not bring us anything, other than more unhappiness.
Now, where should we start? I have 7 steps that help me to achieve my goals.
Without limiting yourself, write your goals in a new journal. At this stage, do not think about possibilities, your capabilities, or the actions you need to take. You are only focusing on where you want to be, and who you want to become.
Find similar pictures of your dreams and goals from magazines, the internet or even draw a beautiful home, a nice vacation, a beautiful corner office, or happy family vision. These pictures need to be aligned with your goals. Your vision board shows you what will you achieve in the end, ultimately.
We cannot achieve everything we want at the same time. So, we need to prioritize from the list we created. The easiest way to prioritize is to select the items that have the most impact on your life. Then, prioritize your 3 goals and start working on them. Move forward step by Step. Consistency will be your answer to accomplishing your goals.
Albert Einstein said, “You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it”. So, you need to learn to improve yourself and change your mindset. Get help. Meet new people. Read books about your goals. For examples, if you want to learn a new language, take lessons, get a library membership, join a language course and practice daily. Take all the actions that help you to achieve your goals.
Once you start working on your goals and start seeing the positive results you will be more motivated. You will feel happier. In Turkey, we have a saying, “When you start doing the things you are capable of, you will get surprising results.” Write from the start to the end in your journal to see your progress. It is a learning path.
Do not give up on your dreams. Your busy schedule, or lack of discipline may impact your progress. Even if it does, once you are aware of it, start over again from where you left of or stopped. Look at your vision board and read your goals daily. You will be surprised when you see so many little coincidences that remind you of your goals and guide you towards achieving them.
Celebrate your small wins and big wins. Step by step, you will be where you want to be.
As a summary, draw a picture of your current status and your future status and then write down what is missing and work on them. You can follow these steps I provided. It is not impossible for you to live your dream life. It is simple but not easy.
Jim Rohn said, “You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.”
Make a decision to have your dream life. It is your life and live it well.
If you like this post, you may want to check Jim Rohn’s books and YouTube videos. He has funny way to explain how to set goals and achieve them.
I’m a Project Manager with a deep passion for both professional and personal growth. Designing and building the next generation of vehicles is incredibly rewarding, but it comes with its challenges—especially for someone as emotionally invested as I am!