“If you
don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there,” said the Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland
Are you focused on what you want? Or on what you don’t want?
“Your life doesn’t just ‘happen,’” explained Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Mike Dooley, author of Leveraging the Universe: 7 Steps to Engaging Life’s Magic
Doors open to creative ideas, ways to reach your aspirations become clear, and you make decisions aligned with your goals. You don’t waste time, energy, or money. You deliberately choose words and actions that align with your core values. You become inspired and inspire others.
When you focus attention on money you don’t have, opportunities you lost, people who behaved unkindly towards you, or sacrifices you felt forced to make, you become prone to anger, resentment, fear, self-doubt, worry, and anxiety. Negative thinking consumes precious time and energy; you become emotionally cemented in survival thinking. You feel “stuck.” Uninspired and unmotivated.
It is difficult to see the entire picture of an optical illusion if you focus attention on one small part of the image. Similarly, when you choose negative thoughts about unpleasant events or become preoccupied with our fears, you fail to see opportunities. Negative thinking snowballs; more of the same creates more of the same. And many agree the act of doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results, is a definition of insanity.
When you consciously choose thoughts centered in what we want, you experience gratitude and excitement. Rather than fussing about what you don’t want, imagine new possibilities. You are motivated to act in ways that move you closer to what you want to experience.
Twenty years ago, I passionately wanted to write and inspire others as a speaker and writer. But, I did not believe I had the resources or time to pursue my dream. As the years slipped by, I convinced myself I could not pursue work I loved.
One day, a friend asked me, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”
You are blessed with specific talents, gifts, skills, and dreams for a reason. If you want to experience greater happiness, focus on what you want and why you want it. Try these tips to move forward:
• Define your dream. What would you like to do and where would you like to be in 3-5 years? Discover your dream by describing it in writing. The act of writing your dream sharpens your passion with razor-sharp clarity. How do you want to be remembered? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? How do you want to make a difference in the world?
• Begin a gratitude journal. When you feel uncomfortable thoughts creeping into your consciousness, recall at least five things for which you feel grateful. Gratitude fills us with joy and shifts our focus from what we do not have to appreciation for all of the gifts in our lives. Try these suggestions from How to Feel Gratitude (Even When You Don’t Want To).
• Create a vision board. A vision board is a personal display of pictures and phrases of ideas, experiences, and desires you wish to experience. When you surround yourself with inspiring words and images by creating a vision board, you welcome new ideas and exciting possibilities into your life.
• Create affirmations. Put the positive in your affirmation by focusing deliberate intention on desired outcomes. Affirmations are always stated in present tense; they are personal and specific. A constructive affirmation such as “Lucrative opportunities always come my way” invites prosperity and celebrates abundance.
• Ask “What is the lesson?” I used to wonder, “Why do bad things always happen to me?” when faced with unfortunate circumstances in the past. When I ask myself, “What can I learn from this experience?” I feel empowered.
• Remember you’re not alone. Surround yourself with people who love and care about you. You have within you what it takes to figure out how to get up when you fall down.
• Moving forward sometimes entails letting go. Closed doors are often entries to new experiences. Read these tips from What You Must Let Go to Move Forward.
• Breathe. When uncomfortable situations arise, take a deep breath. You need not respond immediately. Take your time to act with purpose and in ways that align with your core values.
• Do something you love every day. You may not have the resources to quit your job or abandon responsibilities to pursue your passion. Focus on the time you have; not the time you do not have within your day.
• Record “great ideas” in a notebook. Keep a notebook near your bed or in your purse. Wonderful opportunities or new ways of doing things often unexpectedly arrive to us in random thoughts. Reread your great ideas; re-imagine them with creative details.
• Network with others. Find a group with members who share your professional or goal-related interests. Many groups and organizations have well-organized and detailed directories that promote networking events and attract new members. Local Chamber of Commerce groups, libraries, local community centers, and online networking groups provide information and resources that connect like-minded individuals to inspire and motivate one another.
If Alice, in Lewis Carroll’s tale, had trusted her own inner compass and listened to her instincts, she would not have felt desperately lost and dependent upon the Cheshire Cat (or anyone else) for directions. Get clear about what you want to do and why you want to do it. Trust your instincts. Stand tall with confidence.
When you focus on what you want and celebrate the blessings in your life, you will find it possible to make much more progress than you ever imagined.
How will you focus on what you want today?
Get clear about your direction. Create Personal Vision and Mission Statements.
Not sure about what you want to do next? Find motivation and check out What to Do Next When You Don’t Know What to Do.
Get creative! Use these tips to Create an Awesome Vision Board.
Use tools in my personal goal-setting book, Dreams to Action Trailblazer’s Guide, to transform what you want into a reality.