by Deborah Kintner

Each day, more and more people grow disillusioned with their jobs and their lives and start dreaming of having a different job or occupation, living elsewhere, or having a totally different lifestyle. However, few ever achieve this transition for one simple reason. It doesn’t happen unless you take the steps to get there! For those of you who dream of a significant difference in your life, I have outlined critical actions needed to help you attain the life of your dreams.

  1. Use your time to plan and to visualize what you want.
    Often, those who desire a change in life simply gripe about what is wrong with the current situation. While such venting may bring some emotional release, it doesn’t get you any closer to what you want. Instead, start developing a road map for getting there. To do so, first visualize exactly how you want your life to be. Where will you be? Who will be with you? What will you be doing? How will you feel? What will your priorities be? Include as much detail in your picture as possible and keep a mental illustration in your mind. Study that image for at least five minutes each day.

    Once you have a detailed picture of what you want, start developing tangible actions you can take to get there. Doing so places you in a much more positive frame of mind and helps you to feel in control of your own destiny. As a result, you gain energy and are likely to start attracting the types of people and situations you need to get you where you want to go. On the other hand, complaining about your life creates a victim mentality and drains you of the energy needed to make the changes you desire. In addition, people tend to avoid those who convey such a mind-set, resulting in fewer and fewer opportunities.

  2. Focus on your goal.
    Find something that visually represents your goal and place it in a prominent place where you will see it often each day. Decide on a target date and find ways to repeat it each day, as well. Make it your PIN number at the ATM. Include it as part of your email address. Write it on your calendar. Have a countdown each day such as “Just 580 days until I start… I will do something each day to get there.” Not only will this serve to motivate you but also encourages you to be realistic in your plans and reminds you to continually take action.
  3. Act as if it is already here.
    For instance, if your dream involves a change in priorities in your spending and use of time, start making those changes now. If you are planning to leave the corporate world, stop spending your money on power suits and allocate it to purchasing the items that will benefit you in your new venture. For instance, if you plan to work at home, start developing your home office now so that the environment will be completed when you make the final separation from your current situation. Take the classes that you always had intended to take but felt you didn’t have the time to pursue. Look for the farmland that you always wanted. The actual actions will depend upon your goal. However, the principle is the same. Do it now in preparation for the future.
  4. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people.
    Nothing destroys a dream faster than being around people who view the world negatively and have a skeptical outlook on anything out of the ordinary. On the other hand, gravitating toward those who believe that change is possible and who are striving for their own dreams can energize you and expand your horizons. These people will be willing and able to provide the encouragement you need when you hit inevitable snags in your plans. With their support and your continued efforts, you can work through these snags, adjust your plans as necessary, and keep moving toward your goal. By carefully choosing the people with whom you associate and engineering a positive environment, you can cheerfully resist those nay-sayers who insist it can’t be done while you go about proving that it can.
  5. Take action every day.
    I’m sure you have heard the saying that “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” If the changes you dream of involve major changes in your life, the only way they will happen is for you to start and to keep going. However, in order to avoid frustration and keep from being overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead, break it down into small, manageable actions that can be achieved in a short amount of time. Keep a list of these actions handy and make sure that you work on at least one action each day. Act as if that action is that only one on your list at the time you are working on it. Otherwise, you may be distracted by all of the other items you have listed. Simply work on accomplishing that task and avoid concerning yourself about all the other things that need to be completed. By taking them one by one, you will eventually complete the list. Remind yourself that even the smallest step that you take is still progress. Congratulate yourself and encourage yourself to keep going. Notice the changes that are occurring in your life as you take the actions and use them as motivation to continue in the desired direction. Eventually, by having taken the steps necessary to get there, your dream will come to fruition and you will have a reality that you will have personally designed.