Tag Archives: goals

How to Make Your Dreams Come True in 5 Easy Steps

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How to Make Your Dreams Come True in 5 Easy Steps

In Blood To Blood, Angel Brown vows to follow her dream of being a singer despite incredible challenges. This is in line with the book’s theme: pursuing your dreams and conquering the blockages along the way.

Besides music and writing, one of my passions is talking to young people about following their dreams, and giving them concrete details about how to go about making those dreams into reality.

I recently spoke to the young folks at Fenway High School and Boston Arts Academy about my books, writing and manifesting dreams. I believe teenage life represents the perfect storm of opportunity. Like kids, teens usually have big dreams, but unlike kids, teens usually have people telling them what they can’t and can’t accomplish.

Post by Fenway High School.

Like my mom used to say “There’s no such thing as can’t.” I love nothing more than showing people how to prove the naysayers wrong. Here are 5 easy steps to take to make your dreams, whatever they may be, come true.

  1. Identify – Target exactly what it is you want to do. Be specific.
  2. Educate – Whether it’s taking classes, reading books or picking the brains of someone doing what you want to do, you can never stop learning. Learn all you can about your chosen craft.
  3. List – Make a list of the steps you need to take to reach your goal. This is the foundation of your plan and something you will continue to tweak and adjust over time.
  4. Execute – Do the things on your list. Finish them one at a time, and do your best. Be patient with yourself and the process.
  5. Persevere – Never give up. Surround yourself with people who will support and/or inspire you. Ignore the naysayers, even if it is your own family. Don’t believe anyone who says you can’t pursue, and reach, your dream.

Repeat the above steps until you reach your goal. And then repeat these steps for any new goals you have. These are basic dream manifestation tactics.

Thanks to all the schools that have opened their doors so far and allowed me to meet all the fabulous young dreamers out there. Keep making your dreams happen!

 How to Make Your Dreams Come True in 5 Easy Steps

Weekly Word: Daily Actions

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“Anytime that you notice you’re not feeling well, ask yourself ‘What am I thinking?’ Usually it’s a negative thought.” ~ Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield usually hits the nail on the head when it comes to the how. How to take the law of attraction and make it a practical application to daily life. This installment sees him give some advice on things we can do everyday to change our lives and reach the goals we’re striving for. Good stuff!

Whenever I find myself having “one of those days” I think about my thoughts about what is going on in my life. It would be easy for me to say “Oh, X Y and Z is happening, and that’s why I feel this way blah blah blah.” But the real truth about what’s going on is my thoughts about X Y and Z and the blah blah blah.

One daily action I am working on making a habit is training my mind to work for me and not against me. Yep, it’s hard, but the benefits are immediate.

Weekly Word: Inspiration and Work

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“The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who’ll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.” ~ Chuck Close

Part of the writer’s dilemma is writing, and finding the time to write in a busy schedule. Writing on a daily basis is ideal, but making the time to write, for many of us, is an art.

saraswati I like this particular quote because it reminds me that the work of writing is the most important thing. When I’m writing my creativity flows and I feel the need to write more. There’s a connection with the practical doing of writing and actually getting it done. This doing can be applied to anything, not just writing.

So yes, inspiration is great, but without the doing the inspiration is wasted. Even if you don’t feel inspired, do what you need to do anyway. Whether it’s writing or any other creative endeavor, just do it.

Make it a habit, break it down into manageable steps, tackle the biggest job first, and before you know it you’re not stuck waiting for inspiration. You’ll be actually taking action to make your ideas a reality.

Weekly Word: The Importance of Rituals

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“Will power doesn’t last, but rituals can last a lifetime.” ~ Anthony Robbins

Anthony Robbins talks, actually rambles in an amazing way, about not only the importance of rituals (aka habits) but exactly how to go about changing your life and achieving your goals, whatever they are.

I love the practical way he approaches this topic and how this can be applied to anything and anyone regardless of background, age or situation. Right now I am building a habit of effectively planning and managing my time. I am making progress but I’m not going to say it’s easy. It is not! But it is do-able because I am able to break things down into small steps and take it, sorry for the cliche, one step at a time.

 

Weekly Word: Your Habits = Your Life

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. ~Aristotle

This is one of so true it stays posted on my wall. When things are not working smoothly in my life I usually take a look at how that connects to my personal habits. Then, adjusting my personal habits accordingly fixes the issue, or at least improves the situation, the majority of the time.

Angel Heart

For example, when I for whatever reason start putting off doing little chores at home, that procrastination builds and spreads, like a disease, to all the other parts of my life. Soon I am putting off big things and not staying on top of important things. Once I reverse this and address even the smallest of matters in a timely fashion (like finally washing those dishes, or replacing the batteries in the chirping smoke alarm) that energy also reverberates to the other sections of my life (staying on top of my work schedule, paying bills on time, etc.). Effective planning  is a habit I am currently in the process of building (emphasis on effective).

So the message here is to make sure that what you do repeatedly, your habits, are serving you and facilitating the type of life you want to live. If they aren’t let them go, replace them with actions that do serve you, and watch how your life changes for the better. As Zig Ziglar says, self discipline is the key to excellence!

 

Weekly Word: ZigZiglar

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First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.  Life is a grindstone. Whether it wears you down or polishes you up depends on what YOU are made of. ~Zig Ziglar

I love Zig Ziglar. He started of as a salesman and eventually turned the art of teaching success in business into teaching success in life. Many of his sayings and lessons can apply to anything regardless of what you do or want to do.

Attitude Is Everything:

I always like to think of how a guy whose parents named him Hilary could overcome the ridicule that probably came with that and go on to inspire generations of people around the world. Just that one aspect alone proves that *your* attitude, not the opinions and attitudes of those around you, is one of the most important factors in controlling your life.

Setting Goals: