Three Habits that shortchange your dreams

Jul 3, 2012Heal from the past, Work Uncaged

As you know, I’ve been thinking a lot about dreams lately, pursuing mine with one mind. It’s been a journey of nos and yeses and simplicity. And it hasn’t been easy. But it’s been good. Very good.

Many of you have been pushing against a dream or dreams for some time now. Did you know there are 3 habits you may be practicing now that will shortchange your dreams? Take stock. Do any practice any of these dream-sapping habits?

Habit 1: Talking Like Eeyore

“We’re all doomed. It will never happen.” When we give in to our inner Eeyore, we begin to believe the negative talk. It so consumes us that we can’t think about the positive aspects of our dream.

Solution: Be anti-Eeyore. When you begin down that negativity road, turn around and say the opposite. Instead of, “I’ll never be able to pursue that dream,” change it to “With God’s help as my strength, I can see this dream working out.” Simply reframing your whine will do wonders for your outlook.

Habit 2: Mary Poppins Thinking

Mary Poppins was practically perfect in every way. This is not how we should live in terms of pursuing our dreams. Why? Because none of us are perfect, and we’ll never have every aspect of our dream decision perfectly lined up. And as we wait for perfection, opportunities pass us by.

Solution: Be decisive. Nothing will every be perfectly perfect. If you wait for all the ducks to line up, you’ll never make a decision. Instead, say, “I don’t have all the answers, and sometimes things are muddied, but with the information I have right now, I’m choosing to make a decision toward my dream.”

Habit 3: Freaking like Jar Jar Binks

Jar Jar, my most unfavorite character from the Star Wars saga, often overreacted and gave into his fears. When our dreams are just within our grasp, sometimes even the smallest setbacks freak us out. We interpret small obstacles as mountains, and little annoyances as roadblocks.

Solution: Hurdle over the obstacles. Instead of viewing small obstacles as insurmountable, see them for what they are, small objects to jump over. (I like to think of Jar Jar leaping, which is not very poetic, but it helps me when I overreact.)

Q4u: What habits do you do that shortchange your dreams? Any of these three? Or different ones? What have you learned in the process?

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