Are You Chasing the Right Dream?

The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.
~~ William James, famed psychologist

Achieving certain dreams often requires FAR LESS WORK than achieving other, seemingly easier goals.

Why is that so?

Because it is much, much harder to work for a goal we do not passionately desire. But when you manage to get yourself focused on what is naturally of passionate interest to you your work becomes play.

Are Your Goals a Good Fit?
Hopefully you’ve invested some thought clarifying your life goals and you know exactly what you want. So why not take a few minutes to ask yourself an important question am I pursuing the right goal for ME?

Here’s why that is so important: You’ll never really achieve your true potential as long as you pour your energy into something that doesn’t really fit your true passions and interests! Does that seem too simple?

Think about that for a moment. It’s unfortunately very easy to automatically adopt someone else’s goal. We were trained to do that very thing as children.

Ninty-nine percent of us were fully expected to achieve the goals our parents and educational system set out for us. Some of us gave in and tried to do so. Some of us rebelled and learned to fail instead. And some of us felt somehow inadequate because we did not have the natural interest and or aptitude to do what we were expected to do.

If you find you never seem to achieve your goals, you may be setting goals you don’t really desire or believe in for yourself.

This is never going to lead to success. What it will lead to is one false start after another and a tendency to want to quit after the first bump in the road.

This is a major dead-end, and will do nothing but gradually erode your self confidence.

Ask Yourself This…
You need to be sure your goal really is YOUR goal for YOUR life. If you feel resistance, take a serious look at that. Ask yourself who you might really be setting that goal for?

Then ask yourself if you really have a burning passion for that goal, and are willing to butt heads with as many so-called failures as necessary to achieve it.

If your answer is no this may be a good time to revisit your goal setting exercise.

Selecting an Appropriate Goal
Three things will happen if you make the effort to refocus yourself around a goal that is more in keeping with your natural talents and passions:

First, you will be happier, less stressed, and far more productive.

Second, you will be far more likely to hang in as you hit those jarring bumps in the road.

And third, there is a higher probability you will achieve a level of excellence at what you’re doing. This increases your value thereby increasing your potential for increased return on your efforts.

So put your goal to the test. Does it truly measure up to your innermost desires?

Achieve it.
The secrets of goal achievement are actually quite clear cut:

Have burning passion for what is desired,

Set a clear and exact goal to get it,

Make an absolute commitment to achieve the goal,

Be willing to pay the price for achieving it, and

Commit to focused action, focused action and more focused action.

Action Point…
Now … ask yourself this question: Is 2006 going to be any different than 2005? How? And what do I have to do NOW to make next year more of what I want? Are YOU motivated to improve your probability of achieving your goals in 2006 and become a whole lot happier and successful? => Start here.

Solving the BIG Prosperity Mystery

Why do some people seem to just soar toward prosperity, while others struggle and never seem to achieve their goals? There’s a mystery about prosperity that many people overlook the secret of where it all really begins.

Where Does Prosperity Begin?
Do you have a desire to create prosperity in your life? Then you’ll want to consider the mystery behind prosperity. The mystery is this: You have to start with one very important decision! What are you offering to give, in return for achieving your goal of prosperity?

The road to prosperity begins with that decision. This is the ultimate beginning of prosperity, unless you manage to win the lottery or inherit money, of course.

Can making this decision pose a problem? Yes. We’re talking about creative thinking on the prosperous level the type of thinking typical of people who ARE prosperous. The challenge is this: What do you do to achieve this level of thinking before you’re prosperous?

Cultivate a Beginner’s Mind
Your mind is infinitely more subtle and creative than you realize! And sometimes it pays to sneak up on it when trying to solve a problem of this nature. What would this involve? Looking for an answer with a totally open and flexible beginner’s mind.

Suppose, for example, you’re an expert in vertical take off and landing aircraft. And perhaps you’re searching for a new, creative approach to hovering you can sell to the aircraft industry.

Obviously you could drag out technical texts and the latest journals in your field and pour over them. That would be a good starting point. But suppose you instead chose to be a beginner, and make the assumption that anything is possible regarding hovering your key to prosperity.

I wonder what insight might come to you if you asked yourself how a mosquito approaches hovering or how a speck of dust manages to weightlessly float in the air current above your desk?

Is it lighter than the air? No? And yet it floats and hovers. Since you are a beginner, can you assume your aircraft could do the same thing? Could it defy gravity?

Another approach is to pick one common assumption in your field that everyone subscribes to. What if they are all wrong? What if the truth is the exact opposite. Black is white, and white is black.

What would this mean? How can you apply it? Do some beginner’s mind brainstorming, and don’t reject your crazy ideas. Reflect on them.

Boost Your Mind Power
A great way to build prosperity mind power is to continually feed your mind new ideas and concepts. Get onto the cutting edge of your field of interest. In our rapidly exploding information age, knowledge is the key to success.

The interesting thing about building up your knowledge in your field is this: The more you know, the more competent you will become.

And the more competent you become, the greater your sense of self-esteem and confidence. This equals increased personal power the sure mark of an achiever on the road to prosperity.

BUT many very successful people insist it’s equally important to read and study totally outside your field. Read a comic book. Watch a garden program on TV. Go to a horse race. Challenge your mind to grow and expand. Bill Gates plays chess and bridge.

Be Willing to Cut Your Losses
According to the American Management Association, at least 70% of the decisions we make regarding our lives and our businesses or professions will turn out to be wrong in the long run.

So how is it that some people still manage to end up so prosperous? The answer is simple. Those who rise to the top in life are willing to cut their losses if a decision proves wrong. They are willing to admit they made a mistake, and move onto a new path.

To rise to the top in your own life, develop the skill of looking carefully at your decisions. If new information or results light proves your decision isn’t working, be willing to abandon it and try something different. There’s no sense kicking a dead horse, after all. The horse won’t get up and pull your cart, and you’ll just bruise your toes.

Your Most Valuable Asset
The greatest source of wealth you have is right there in your skull. And remember that modern neuroscience has now proven that our brains never cease to grow and change regardless of our age.

What you need to become truly prosperous is a flexible, active, creative brain and the courage to commit to your ideas.

Since there is virtually no limit on the knowledge you can acquire, and the creativity you can develop, why not just go for it?

What you have between your ears is far more valuable than your bank account. Money is always out there looking for ideas. Your personal ability to build your brainpower, and unlock your creativity, is the true key to prosperity. Period.

Dr Jill is the co-developer of the Quantum Mind Gym, the web’s first and only complete mindpower workout. It’s as close as your computer. Come discover why thousands of people across the globe use the gym daily to increase their mental muscle. Click here.