Its easy to see ourselves as separated from our goal. We are here, our goal is over there, down the road of time an energy. Our goal will bring us joy. Until we reach the goal, that particular joy is missing. Or is it? When you feel the most removed from your goal, or when youre the most dissatisfied with your current situation, this is the best time to apply yourself towards your goal, even in very small ways. The result is an improved mood, immediately. Let me illustrate. Jennifers lifelong dream is to become a fiction writer. She knows the odds of success are heavily stacked against her, yet she continues to fantasize about seeing her books on the shelves of bookstores everywhere, about traveling the country to book signings, and perhaps even working with screenwriters to turn one of her books into a movie. Her hobby, as she puts it, is to generate rejection letters. When shes had a stressful day, instead of unwinding in front of the television, she works on short stories, and follows a system of submitting them to various literary magazines. Shes learned that for every 50 rejection letters she receives, she receives one letter of acceptance. Therefore, if she receives 100 rejection letters, shell have two articles accepted. Her goal is to collect 500 rejection letters so that she can have ten articles in print. When she starts submitting book proposals, the fact that shes had several articles accepted for publication will help book publishers take note of her. Every time she submits an article, her mood goes up and shes better able to cope with the stresses at her office. Lena wants to be her own boss. Shes very creative and very driven, and has difficulties coping with the constraints of her bosss rules and demands. She knows she could probably find another job, but she also knows in her heart that she would just be happiest without a boss at all. When her boss gets her down, she slips out during her lunch hour and goes to the library. There, she researches business how-to books, checks out entrepreneurial newsgroups, and learns as much as she can. Her lunchtime excursions are only moving her slightly towards her goal, but the preparation and learning solidify in her mind the possibility that she can, in fact, be her own boss someday. Kellys dream is to lose 100 pounds. She decided to stop focusing on her weight and instead focus on her actions. Every time she takes a positive action, such as going for a walk instead of watching television, or eating fruit for dessert instead of pie, she feels good knowing that she is closer to her goal. On days when she feels despondent, she lifts her mood by taking positive action. So far, shes lost 25 pounds. What is your Big Dream? When you feel sidetracked or derailed, are there any actions at all, however small, that you can take right at the moment? Even if they move you forward by the smallest of increments, just taking the actions will serve to boost your mood and return your focus to your goals and away from your obstacles. Let me reiterate: the point of this is not to escalate you quickly towards your dream, but to use that dream constructively in your life right now, today. The good news is that if you continue to use this strategy, you will notice yourself inching closer to your dream over time until eventually you will have arrived! |
