Sunday, June 06, 2010

Making room for your Dreams

Make Room for your Dreams
By Debra L Eckerling

There is no better time than now to pursue your dreams – whether it’s to write a book, start a business, or find love. We all are busy, and frequently relegate our passions to the backburner. Well, if that’s the case, that blog will never get written, that concept will never get marketed, and that room will never get redecorated.

Take time, even if it is just a few minutes each day, to dedicate to you. And remember to think positive … and to have a plan. Pursuing your passion is the best gift you can ever give yourself.

1. Visualize: In order to get what you want, you have to see it. If you have trouble seeing it in your mind, let the Sunday newspaper assist. Do you want to write a New York Times bestseller? Then cut that column out of the paper, and write your name in the top spot. Do you want to write a blockbuster movie? Take out the calendar section and rework the text for the weekend’s big release. Want a new house? Go shopping in the “Homes” section, pick out a house, and put it on the fridge or somewhere where you will see it on a daily basis. If you are going to dream, you may as well dream big. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

2. Eliminate Clutter – both physical and mental: All of the positive energy in the world will not help you if your life is cluttered. Clean a closet, you’ll be surprised how free and motivated you feel. Do you have stressors in your life you feel are beyond your control? Get up 5 minutes early and meditate before you start your day. Then, when you have some down-time, you can put your energy towards something positive. It’s amazing the power a dose of “hope” can have.

3. Make a Plan: Set goals: both personal and professional. Even if it’s to organize your workspace in a month or to write a page a day or a page a week, it doesn’t matter. Make goals that are attainable. Also, do not allow yourself to get sidetracked if circumstances beyond your control prevent you from working several days in a row. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on.

4. Make Time: The biggest roadblock people face is a lack of time to work on a long-term project. The quick fix is to use the time you have, no matter how short the increment. When you are waiting in line at the grocery or pumping gas, take those few moments to work on your project. If you are writing fiction, do some people-watching, and make physical or mental notes. If you are working on a pitch, you can always practice it in your head for five minutes.

5. Believe in Yourself: There’s a lot to be said about the power of positive attitude. Eliminate negative thoughts and negative people from your life. And, while we’re on the subject, you might want to keep this special project to yourself—at least at first. You can tell one or two people who have your best interests at heart and whom you trust. If you truly believe in yourself and surround yourself with those who believe in you, anything is possible.

Those overnight success stories rarely happen overnight. Remember the Tortoise and the Hare? Slow and steady wins the race. But even better … the shortest distance between you and the realization of your dreams is a straight, consistent line.

Debra Eckerling is a professional writer and the founder and leader of Write On!, a live – and online – writers support group, which focuses on goal-setting, productivity, and networking.

Dream It, Then Do It! Debra recently launched a seminar series with life coach/matchmaker Marla Martenson (author of Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker), which offers workshops, tools, and inspiration to put people on the path to their dreams.

For more information, e-mail Debra@WriteOnOnline.com.

20 comments:

Unknown said...

Great article, Debra! I loved all your recommendations but I can really relate to the one about eliminating clutter. When my desk gets piled with stuff (as it often does!), I have a hard time concentrating. I have to start the day by cleaning the clutter, which has a way of clearing my mind.

Accountant, Author & Freelance Writer said...

Wonderful recommendations that can be worked into our lives. I feel the same way about clutter. I work so much better when my desk is clean & organized.

Thank you for sharing these tips!

Karen Cioffi said...

Debra, what a timely and important article. Each point is valid and helpful. It's #1 that I keep forgetting to do, and I'm a firm believer in positive projection. And, I'll admit #3 is one I need to work on.

Thanks for sharing.

elysabeth said...

I agree it's always great to have these little reminders about making our dreams come true and setting goals and achieving them. Thanks for being my guest today, Debra - E :)

Vivian Zabel said...

The tips are excellent, Debra. I need to pay attention to eliminate the clutter.

Vivian
http://vivianzabel.blogspot.com

Jane Kennedy Sutton said...

What good advice. Sometimes taking the simplest steps can bring about the greatest rewards.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for hosting me, Elysabeth, And thanks, everyone, for stopping by ... and for your kind words. Am thrilled you found this helpful!

I encourage weekly goal-setting on http://www.facebook.com/writeononline and have a place to set goals monthly on http://www.writeononline.com. Accountability is key, so feel free to stop by and share!

Dallas said...

Such a wonderful, inspirational post! These are great tips that make dreams seem do-able! Thanks for the dose of motivation! :)

Unknown said...

Fantastic article, Debra! Thanks for the reminder to give ourselves the time to dream and follow those dreams.

Kim Baccellia said...

I totally believe in 'visualizing' your dreams! Thanks for the other tips!

Janet Ann Collins said...

Thanks for the encouraging suggestions, Debra.

Heidiwriter said...

Excellent advice. But how DO we eliminate clutter--it seems to multiply every time you turn your back! LOL

Unknown said...

Great advice Debra! I need to do the decluttering thing. From looking at the other comments, I'm not alone in that struggle.

Magdalena Ball said...

What a great blog post, Debra. One other recommendation that comes straight out of the book I'm reading (Brainstorm by Eric Maisel) is to face the fact that there will always be risk. With a big project like a novel (and any thing that constitutes a 'dream' has got to be big), there is always the risk of failure. Once we get past the fear and just embrace the fact that doing it is the end-goal - is, in itself, success rather than any extrinsic award or financial reward, the fear and insecurity eases off a bit. As you so rightly suggest, visualising the endgoal helps tremendously. Thank you!

Magdalena Ball said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Debra Eckerling said...

Thanks for your thoughtful comments, everyone!

Re: eliminating clutter, do it a few (or several) times a week in 10- to 15- minute increments. It's much easier to purge in short, manageable amounts of time. And you get much less overwhelmed when you start with a brief time-frame.

Maggie, I totally agree about facing your fear. Such a good point - thanks for adding it! When I teach my "Breaking through Writer Block" workshop, I start with the top excuses: and fear certainly ranks high on that list. Remember, you cannot succeed unless you bring your A-game!

Margaret Fieland said...

Debra, great article. I really, really need to work on eliminating the clutter, bigtime. Thanks for the poke in the rear.

Margaret Fieland

Anonymous said...

Debra, I love this article and the timing was perfect as I was cleaning clutter and it's amazing how clarity set in.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Martha said...

Great tips!! I know I can always eliminate clutter. I've forwarded this article on to a number of friends I know who could use these tips.
Martha Swirzinski
www.movementplus.com

Kim Baccellia said...

Love this! I totally believe in the visualizing part of achieving your dream.

Thanks for sharing your tips!