Dream Big and Work Hard
March 29, 2010
We talked about dreaming big in our earlier post.
When we limit ourselves with self-doubt, and self-limiting beliefs, it will be very difficult to push past what we label as “impossible”.
On the other hand, if we only dream outrageous dreams and not act upon them, we will be disappointed with tattered aspirations and broken dreams.
Let’s try another exercise today.
Let's take a piece of paper and draw three columns for your dreams. List down dreams under the ‘I Can Accomplish' column. Then work on the ‘I May Be Able To Accomplish' column and the ‘I Don’t Know How I Can Accomplish’ column.
First column should be easy; you can write down previous accomplishments and those you are confident of achieving. Second column may require some thoughts. Then take your red marker pen, cross out the current title for the third column and write 'What I Need to Do to Accomplish My Dreams'.
When you phrase it this way, you are inviting your mind to give you options. These challenging dreams now become possible endeavors. Instead of shutting it out from your sphere of possibility, you are now opening up new opportunities that you can conquer.
What's stopping you from achieving your dream?
What can you do to overcome these barriers?
You may be surprise at what you come up with for the third column. You will find that the dreams you thought impossible can be achievable with actionable steps. And the impossible begin to seem possible.
You do not need to limit your imagination; nor subdue your passion. Aim high, and start working towards that goal step by step. However, try not to set a goal that you are not willing to work hard towards. Unrealistic goals will disappoint you.
Was it Thomas Edison that said genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration? For one to accomplish his dreams, there has to be had work and discipline. That that 1% has to do with thinking big.
There is no growth unless you stretch yourself. Life is all about growth. Challenge yourself once in a while; get out of your comfort zone. Do something you do not dare to do (within moral and ethical limits) and feel your own potential.
When I feel discourage and uncertain, I go learn something new. I remember a time when I was going through a rough patch. I had wanted to withdraw and be invisible.
Then I thought the best way to counter that is to face my fears and get out of my zone.
I had always loved the water and wanted to dive so I can weave among the corals and swim among the myriad of fish up close. But the thing is I am rather myopic and with astigmatism; I can barely see without my glasses. And I am dead scared of the cold. I sneeze like 19 times every morning. And if I were to learn to dive before I leave Sydney, I would need to do it in the winter as my project was coming to an end.
Well you know the rest of the story. I signed up for class, went for the training and got myself certified. It was very empowering to be able to work towards that goal. Once I got over the mental battle, I looked forward to the pool sessions and going out into the sea in the early morning. It was such a wonderful experience. Apart from having a blast I out grew my unfounded fears and became a different person. And amazingly that power and confidence translates to other areas of my life.
And when you achieve one dream it will fuel you to move towards other dreams with greater certainty. So dream big and ask yourself what skills you need to learn and what new knowledge you need to acquire in order to work towards your dream. In other words, what is your next step? Then just do it! Action is the only thing standing between you and your dream!
If you need a little help in mapping out your dreams and your "how to steps", just write in for a strategy session and start working on achieving your dreams.
Vision And Values For Dynamic Stress-Free Living
March 26, 2010
I just finish preparing my new eGuide that helps deal with tension, pressure and stress.
If there is one point I want to bring across, it will be this point on vision and values. If we can get more clarity on this one point, it will help release a lot of unnecessary tension in our lives. So I though I would include an excerpt of pointer number 5 of the eGuide with quick and effective tips for handling tension, pressure and stress.
"We talked about having a clear vision in the last section. I hope by now you are clear about what you are pursuing. This is a driving force behind you, motivating and fuelling you forward no matter what situation you find yourself in.
If we can get on a call together, we would have a little bit more time to work on your vision and core values and you would be able to see how these tips builds on top of each other.
But for now, Let us continue to address the foundation and internal issues which if unchecked will manifest as external symptoms of stress outwardly.
Knowing your vision and being able to align your values to your goals is fundamental to all that you are doing.
Have you identified the core values in your life? Would you know what are some of the fundamental and basic values which you cherish most in your life? What beliefs, values or principals do you hold dear to your heart?
Align your goals and what you do with what you cherish in life. When your activities are aligned with your mission, the activities that you do will not be burdensome because you know that you are adding value to others, you are fulfilling your course and mission.
You get the sense of fulfilment and enjoyment even if you are tired and stressed out if what you do and how you live is in alignment with your core values. Conversely, if you find life exhausting and draining then the sense of mission may not be very clear to you yet. Or that your activities may not be in alignment with what you value and enjoy. Therefore there is no inspiration or motivation.
Identify your values: These are what we will do in the Stress-Free Living in 30 Days Home Study Format: what are some things that are important to you? Given the limited time and resource you want to spend all you resources on only what you value.
Which of the following would be your fundamental values:
- Financial Stability/Freedom
- Family (you can further break that down)
- Health/Fitness/Energy/Vitality
- Inner Harmony
- Sense of Fulfilment/Success
- Personal Achievement
- Contribution to Community etc
If you jot down the amount of time you spend on each of the items you value, you will then be able to have an idea of whether you are living in alignment with your core values.
What happens if you are not living in alignment with your true values? You inner true self wants one thing yet you are spending you limited time and resources on another.
Guess what? You are being pulled in different directions. This creates great tension and pressure; thus stress. And if left unattended to, you will pop when the pressure gets too much. So deal with it now while you still have a chance to address the issue.
You will not be functioning at your best capacity if your values are not in alignment with your goal. Imagine a car with wheels all going in different directions, you are burning fuel but not getting any forward movement and in the process, the tires will be worn out with lots of exhaust, waste products.
Alignment is not something that you do once. Just as you need to periodically send your car for check up and tuning, you too need regular "self care" and "maintenance". This is what I do in my group coaching sessions where we will have real and fierce conversations with ongoing support and structures to help each member live in authenticity and alignment to their own values for optimal success and enjoyment.
You will be able to function at your best when you allow your true self to shine through. Ask yourself what you value most and plan how you want to spend your time and resources doing what you value. Be your authentic self.
This does not happen overnight. When you have the framework of what is important then you can work around that and fit or hang the rest onto this framework. It may take some tearing down before you can build on the structure. And the key here is to first identify what the values are and then see if you are in alignment.
Although tools and techniques can bring you quick relief from stress, having the right foundation and lifestyle will bring you a longer lasting sense of fulfilment and calmness.
I encourage you to use both the quick tools we learned in the first two sessions as well as go deep into the foundation for a change in the way you think, behave and live.
If all these are sounding like Greek to you and you would like to have more discussion on this topic, you can check out my free audio and mini course on how to deal with stress. All the tips I share in this series will be further elaborated in the program."
End of excerpt. I hope you find this helpful. To fully benefit from this pointer, you need to make use of the tip shared here. Having the knowledge does not give you any power or advantage. Making use of your knowledge will give you the unfair advantage and power. I hope this helps.
Success Clues
March 17, 2010
"Salary increase" and "more profits/bonus" sounds like a wish list for 2010.
When you do get the extra cash, do you find yourself spending the extra just as easily and quickly?
We know the answer to that one.
The extra cash never seems to be enough to cover the new credits.
In fact most people who has windfalls tend to lose all that extra cash very quickly. It is also not uncommon for some to find themselves heavily in debts.
How do you manage this thing called finance?
We work hard to save up and when we do make some progress, it seems to slip through our fingers.
Wouldn't it be nice if we can have some clues to not only build up our financial security but also be able to manage it and not have it play trick on us.
If this sounds like a good idea to you, then sign up for the interview with Robert Riopel here. That will be clues for thought.
International Trainer Robert Riopel from Canada has been on the stage these past 5 years, teaching success clues over 200 events to over 150,000 people from around the globe. Clues that he gathered through years of struggle and experience.
Robert has overcome various challenges and is passionate to help impact the lives of others. He feels that if he could help one person to accomplish what he has, then the struggles and lessons learned would have been worth while.
Some of us may have met Robert in person before. You are welcome to pass on this invitation to friends and family and all who have met Robert in his previous training. Press the share button and spread the love.
Additional Information: If you have not listened to the audio recording of the interview with Michael Tan, you can do so here
And by the way, the special offer for this weekend's event will expire by 5pm Friday 19th March. If you have been reading the Star Property, you would have read inspiring testimony of speakers at this weekend's event. You will not only get to meet these inspiring role models, people like you and I, you will also get their autographed books – after you have secured your seat. Once you sign in, you will be directed with instructions if you wish to purchase the tickets.
Full disclosure: I am not an affiliate for promoting the 2-day workshop. But I am inspired by what Michael and his co-hosts are doing and I like to do my part in spreading the word. I have bought my ticket for this workshop and I hope to see you there!
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