Doing leads more surely to talking
than talking to doing.
Vance Havner
Throughout your life, you meant to do a lot of things. You might have intended to go into a certain kind of work, live in a particular area, or become involved in certain hobbies or activities. But everyday life just kind of got in the way or intervened and prevented you from doing what you have always thought you would do.
And here you are, still wishing (and hoping) that you can accomplish some of the goals and desires you established so long ago. Some of the activities you want to do might even come up in conversation periodically. You start out by saying, “One of the things that I have always wanted to do is…” or “I always thought I would…”
So, how can you stop talking and start doing what you intend to do? What does it take to follow through with your intentions?
Here are some suggestions for getting on with fulfilling your life’s dreams:
1. Pick 3
Pick your top 3 desires right now. Limiting the goals you plan to work on will help you succeed. Select those that are really the most important to you.
2. Focus
Stay focused on these 3 goals and do not allow anything to get in the way of accomplishing them. When you focus, you will keep these goals at the forefront of your mind every single day. You might say that you will be eating, sleeping, and drinking with those few goals.
3. Break it down
Break each goal down into smaller, more manageable “chunks.” Divide it up into mini-goals and enjoy one success after another as you attain these smaller goals on your way to achieving your end goal. Breaking up each goal into do-able chunks will also galvanize you to get started working toward each goal one bit at a time.
For example, if one of your goals is to travel to Japan, what aspects of this trip can your plan for and work on? Your mini-goals might include setting a date, start gathering your finances, deciding where you will visit and and what you want to do when you get there, and more.
4. Every single day
Do something that moves you a little closer toward each of your 3 goals every single day. For example, rather than spend 2 hours in the evening playing on your iPad, spend one of those hours working towards one of your mini-goals.
5. Be flexible
If staying focused on all 3 of your desires at once feels too tough for you to work toward, then choose just one of them and work on it until you have accomplished that goal. It is also important that you be willing to switch from moving one goal ahead to working on another if you find that you are getting stuck.
6. Change your self-talk
Instead of continuing to say that you “always wanted to do” something, speak about what you have done recently in working toward accomplishing your goal. Use your discussions and language to remind yourself and others of what your true intentions are. Now your talk and your actions are both consistent with attaining your goal.
As an example, let’s say you have always wanted to learn to do Tai Chi. You can say that you have checked into it online and started researching places to take class locally. “I called the Y the other day to find out when the Tai Chi class starts and how much it costs.” What a thrill it will be when during your next conversation you will be able to say, “At my Tai Chi class the other day…”
It will be wonderful and energizing when you start avidly focusing on your desires and actively working to achieve your goals? You have, right now, within your reach, the power to stop talking and start doing whatever is necessary to translate your intentions into actions. You can live the life you have been teaning to live and achieve your dreams.
Begin today to do what you intend to do.
Thoughts?
Photo Credit: Dom Dada via Compfight cc
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