A few days ago, I was visiting my daughter’s second grade class and the teacher started a discussion about Martin Luther King and the importance of having dreams. The children’s ideas about dreams were interesting, “Being able to make your own decisions,” “Peace in the world, no war,” “Stop cutting down trees to save the environment.” Then the teacher went a step further and gave them a piece of paper to help them create their own “Dream Story Organizer.” I thought I’d share that with you today.
The word “dream” is so powerful, yet many think of dreams as something that occurs when they sleep and soon to be forgotten when you wake up. I remember when I was a little girl, my grandmother would say, “Joy, stop daydreaming and help me in the kitchen.” Did you ever hear that growing up?
Having dreams that hold value and meaning can reveal a lot about what you really want in life – both personally and professionally. However, it’s essential you organize your dream in a way that can help you take the steps to make it happen.
Here are a few steps you can take right away to begin the process of making your dream become a reality. Grab a piece of paper, a favorite pen and answer these questions:
1. What is your dream? Describe your dream in detail. Is it to own a business? What kind of business? What would you be doing each day in that business? Create the vision as clearly as you can.
2. What will you accomplish with your dream? Make more money? Buy a new home? Have better health?
These were the questions given to the children. I’m going to take this one step further. The key to making your dream come true is to take your answers to the questions above and map out a plan to make it happen. Here are two simple, easy-to-follow tips to help you get started:
Easy Tip #1 – Write your dream on a sheet of blank paper. Now, map out all of the things you need to have in place to make it a reality. For example, if you’d like to take a vacation this year to Africa, what do you need to do in order to make it happen? Set a date to depart, check air-fare, make flight arrangements, find a place to stay, update your vaccinations, learn the currency system, etc. Now write a date next to each task indicating when you will complete that portion of your research. This simple process makes dreams come alive.
Easy Tip #2 – Create a Vision Board. This is a very powerful tool. Women in my Success Circles report that most (if not all) of their Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals come true when they go through this process. It only takes a few hours and it’s worth every minute you spend. All you need is some colorful construction paper, glue, scissors, favorite magazines and music that you love to listen to. Find the photos or images in the magazines that feel and look like they are a part of your dream coming true. Cut those out and add them to your board. Place your completed vision board in a spot that will remind you often of your dream. I’ve been doing this for years and I can tell you that my Dreams have come true using this simple process.
Dreams are powerful and they can become a reality if you give them the time and energy they deserve. How can I be so sure? Martin Luther King had a dream. Because he took the time to clearly identify his dream and take the action steps to make it happen, history was forever changed.
I invite you to begin your journey to make your Dreams a reality.
Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.
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© 2011 Joy Chudacoff
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