Thursday, September 10, 2009

2. Decide upon your true dreams and goals: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a list person. Some say that it’s too constrictive, but I find it quite comforting. I know that I’m the type of person that if I don’t write my thoughts and daily goals down on paper I will forget them and end up feeling more flustered and unorganized as the day goes on. You’ll see me with about four different notebooks, each with a daily list for whatever project I have going on. It’s truly the only way I know how to keep track of all of my daily obligations.

Even though you may not be a list person for your daily activities, writing down your goals, how they will be accomplished and setting a completion date will help make your goals a reality. Sometimes we feel stressed because we’re not achieving things that are important to us, or our focus is headed in the wrong direction.

Daily stress can result from a lifestyle that isn’t in line with where we would like to be, and an overall feeling of frustration and emptiness when we’re not achieving the goals we had hoped to accomplish.

You may want to keep a running journal of how you’re doing on your goals, as a way to congratulate yourself for your success, work through frustration of setbacks, and as a form of continued motivation. You can also make updates to your goals as they change with life experience.

It’s important to visualize yourself achieving each goal. Writing your goals down will help with visualizing the process. Lee Iacocca said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." What will your achievement feel like? How will your life unfold differently as a result? If your goal is a physical accomplishment, keep a picture of the item where you see and are reminded of it every day. If you can’t picture yourself achieving the goal, chances are – you won’t.

Go out today and buy yourself a nice looking journal and dedicate it to your life goals. Then find a quiet part of the house and start writing. Allowing a few minutes every week to revisit and update these goals will keep your thoughts fresh in your find. These goals could be specifically related to your invention. Either way, keeping a journal of your life goals will be the next step to success in your life.

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