I am assuming you have great dreams that you are excited about. Yet 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 on them, we will be so disappointed. We will have tattered aspirations and broken dream.
Let us try another exercise today.
Let us 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 Do Not 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 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 endeavours. Instead of shutting it out from your sphere of possibility, you are now opening up new opportunities that you can conquer.
What is 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 certified to dive. It was very empowering to be able to work towards that goal. Once I get 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.
When you achieve one dream it will fuel you to move towards your other dreams with greater certainty. So dream big and ask yourself what skills you need to learn, what new knowledge you need to acquire to work towards your dream. What is your next step? Then just do it! That is the only thing standing between you and your dream.