The terms goals and dreams and aspirations can be used interchangeably so from here on out, this module refers to those life list items that aren’t things you have to do, but things you want to do. We’re talking bucket list. The glitter.
For the purposes of this module, I want to talk about goals with a capital G. The “wants” in your life. The bits and pieces of your soul that you know you must strive for in order to be fully YOU. These are the things you will undoubtedly regret NOT doing at the end of your life.
These are the whispers from your Higher Self.
They tell you who you really are. What you really want.
Being very goal-driven, goals are never far from my mind. Whether it’s a daily word count goal in writing, becoming a pilot, doing yoga more consistently, being more connected with my kids and lover, or finally learning to speak Italian; goals, dreams, aspirations are a big part of my inner life. In fact, they are the juice of my life; the things that get me excited for a new day.
We have other things that drive us: the need for money, love, or ambition, but they don’t carry that same sense of wonder and a feeling that could be described as need, a knowing that we won’t be entirely whole if we do not attempt this desired thing.
Our distinctive yearnings are what make us unique. When a particular desire nudges you over and over, repeatedly placing that goal in your mind and heart, I believe it’s the voice of your Higher Self; the self that wants you to live your happiest most fulfilled life.
That life will not simply show up on your doorstep. It won’t come to you at all. You have to go to it.
Every day.
Step by step.
That’s what we’re doing in Course Correct—taking steps every single day toward our most fulfilled life. Because: The distance between your dreams and reality is called action.
Don’t call it a dream. Call it a plan.
“If it won’t let you go, don’t let it go.” – Tracy Clark
My dreamscape has always been wide and varied and incredibly vivid. I think for me, they had to be. When your childhood isn’t rosy, dreams look like a staircase to a better place. I’ve had many dreams. I’ve failed at a few and achieved some and there are still more on my list.
Being a published author has been one of my life’s biggest ambitions. Saying I wanted it, claiming my dream, felt as grandiose as saying, “I want to be a rock star” or as out of reach as reviving my childhood dream of being an Olympic figure skater—at fifty. Sadly, some dreams do have a shelf life.
Not that these odds are totally accurate or even important, but I recently read that only 3 out of 10,000 manuscripts get published. Literary agencies reject 90% of submissions. Lucky are the few who secure the partnership of a great literary agent who can get your project read by editors at the top publishing houses. Even fewer are actually offered contracts by those publishing houses. Hell, it’s been said that only 97% of people who say they want to be an author ever finish writing a full-length book! How do you have the dream of being an author yet never complete a project?
Dreams don’t happen without first taking action, my friends.
It’s not an easy thing to run the publishing gauntlet. It’s an incredible feat and I’m immensely proud to say I ran the crap out of that gauntlet. I took action. Crazy-driven-steam-train action.
My secret?
I made time for my dream.
I planted a flag on the hill and claimed my dream.
Consistently.
Making it so big a priority in my life that the Universe would know that I wasn’t kidding around.
In the Law of Attraction crowd, the “Be. Do. Have.” model has ‘be’ listed first. Why do you think that is? I think it’s because we don’t generally ‘do’ unless we ‘are’.
I believed I was a writer (or at least could be), so I acted like a writer. Be transmuted into do and I wrote. My being and doing were in sync. Eventually, I achieved the reality of having the experience of “author.”
Don’t confuse dreams with wishes. Dreams are paid for day by day. A word at a time. A practice session at a time. A plan at a time. A penny at a time. Don’t let the bigness of the dream intimidate you. Even if the dream doesn’t pan out, as you’d well…dreamed, you’ll be far happier having chipped away at it than letting it sit on a shelf.
Speaking of ‘shelf’: Shelf life… There are certain realities. No, I’m not going to be an Olympic figure skater. This doesn’t mean that aspects of the dream should be left behind just because I can’t have the whole enchilada. Presumably, someone who wanted to be an Olympic figure skater would love to skate, right? So…I can skate. I nerd out whenever skating competitions go on TV. Go to my local rink and play around.
The point is that the things that you love deserve a slice of time in your life.
Dreams and goals have much to do with what we love or what sparks us. There’s absolutely no reason to abandon what you love because you can’t experience the pinnacle of it. I might never be a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author. You think that’s going to stop me from being a writer? No way! Love of being an author begins with love of writing! So, I write.
A word about excuses: Stop it. Just stop it.
How much time have you wasted not doing what you say you want to do, not striving to go where you say you want to go? Stop excusing your life away! The whole point of Course Correct is to take charge of the direction of your life. You want to end up as that person you envisioned, right? You wouldn’t have purchased this course otherwise. That person, that incredible person, is on the other side of your reasons and excuses.
Of course there are challenges. But we are old enough and wise enough to see our way around a challenge. There is always an action you can take toward a goal, no matter how small. Action has momentum that makes you want to take another action and another. A book is written a word at a time. A song is written a note at a time. A dance is choreographed a step at a time. A fantastic trip is saved for a penny at a time.
Begin. Just begin.
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it! ~Goethe
What do you love?
What sparks you?
What’s on that bucket list?
Being (believing you ARE) and doing (the action) coupled with pure tenacity—the kind of tenacity that tells the Universe that you are worthy and deserving of living a life of fulfilled dreams—and you’ll be a dream-factory in your own life.
One thing is for sure, you will NEVER regret moving in the direction of your dreams.
“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” ~Michelangelo
Action item:
List 3-5 goals, aspirations, or dreams
Write down at least one thing you’d have to do on a consistent basis in order to achieve it.
If you are dream-seeking, list one new thing you’re willing to commit to trying over the 90-day Course Correct.
Write the life zones (Body, Mind, Spirit, Connection, Work, Finances/Success, Places & Spaces, and Goals/Aspirations) on a piece of paper and circle them. Then draw a line from each zone to any other zone it might affect. You will be astounded when you see how integral the life zones are to our overall happiness.
