Turning Dreams Into Reality

Everyone, at some point of his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, somebody big and how many times have we dreamt of being rich, or successful, or happy with our relationships?

Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easily collect dust in our attic.

This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day-to-day just barely existing.

But you know what? Life could be so much better, if only we learned to aim higher and actually believed in ourselves and that dreams can come true.

The most common problem to setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up thinking I can't do this. It's too hard. It's too impossible. No one can do this. So you are already defeated, your dreams are crumbling right before your eyes.

Think about it, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.

Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Theoretically, they said, it was impossible for the bumblebee to fly. Unfortunately for the bumble, bee no one has told it so. So fly it does.

People will always tell you that your dreams are impossible to make into reality but - as the well known quote goes - 'If you don't have a dream, how you' gonna make that dream come true?'

See your dreams, focus on what you desire, believe that it is possible, expect it to happen, if you can do this every single day, then things will happen that make everything you every dreamt of come true.

It has got to be worth a try, hasn't it?

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO IMPROVE YOUR SELF?

Having looked at self improvement and success, unlocking your self improvement and how a positive attitude can change your life, I have not yet explained exactly why it is important to improve your self.

Sometimes, when we are totally wrapped up in all our doubts, fears and insecurities, we more often than not, come up with the thought “I wish I was somebody else.” We truly believe that most people are better than us- when in reality most people are thinking the same about us.

When you spot an incredible eye-catching girl sitting by herself at a party, casually sipping on a glass of Asti Spumanti how often do you think to yourself, “she looks so perfectly calm and confident.” But if you could see into her mind, you would see dark clouds of thoughts and you would be more than amazed to find out that she’s thinking “are people talking about why I am seated here alone?... Why don’t guys find me attractive? …I don’t like my ankles, they look too skinny… I wish I was as intelligent as my best friend.”

What about a young business entrepreneur, would you say “Wooh… what else could he ask for?” as eh stares at himself in the mirror and murmurs to himself, “I hate my big eyes… I wonder why my friends won’t talk to me… I hope mom and dad can still work things out.”

Isn’t it funny? We look at other people, envy them, for looking or being so outrageously perfect, and wish we could trade places with them, while they look at us and think the same thing. We are insecure when we see others we consider successful, beautiful or clever and strangely enough those people are thinking the same about us.

The majority of people suffer in one way or another with low self-esteem or a lack of self-confidence and therefore often lose hope in self improvement because they find themselves enveloped in quiet desperation and cannot see their way through.

One of Whitney Houston’s songs says “Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.” True enough. In order to love others, you must love yourself too. Remember, you cannot give others what you do not have.

Before telling other people how they can improve themselves, let them see that you are a representation and a product of self improvement. Self improvement makes us better people, we then inspire other people, and then the rest of the world will follow.

Stop thinking of yourself as a second-rate being. Forget the repetitive thought of “If only I was richer… if only I was thinner” and so on. Accepting your true self is the first step to self improvement. We need to stop comparing ourselves to others only to find out at the end that we’ve got 10 more reasons to envy them.

We all have our insecurities. Nobody is perfect. We always wish we had better things, better features, better body parts, etc. But life does not need to be perfect for people to be happy about themselves. Self improvement and loving yourself is not a matter of shouting to the whole world that you are perfect and you are the best. It’s the virtue of acceptance and contentment. When we begin to improve ourselves, we then begin to feel contented and happy.

Self improvement is important because it opens us up to a world of opportunities that you would not have had the courage to do before self improvement. It expands your way of thinking and accepting people for who they are. You will attract more like minded people into your life once you change your way of thinking and seeing your world. Learning to love yourself is one of the hardest lessons of all but one of the most important. You cannot truly love another unconditionally until you accept yourself unconditionally. Accept the way you look, your quirky ways, your very being and enjoy being the person you are today. Then look forward to the person you want to be and enjoy the journey.

Inspiration for the Soul

Today I wanted to make things a little lighter so here is one of my poems along with one of my pictures which I hope will inspire your very soul


Try as I might from the depths of my soul
It’s incredibly hard to get out of this hole
Walls of protection built up through the years
Allow me no freedom and leave only tears

To break down this wall vulnerability exposed
Bringing out fear of being open not closed
Why am I afraid of being open and free?
Why do I fear others really knowing me?

My fear is within of my own making
Only my belief can change what I take in
I struggle to believe in myself and my worth
Trying to change what has been reinforced since birth

I set myself a task and made my choices
Now I need to listen and hear the voices
Voices of those who know where I am going
Those who will help my remembering and growing

The guidance I seek and the road that I go
Will all be revealed with trust, I know
I make decisions now to seek who I am
Revealing choices made for this life plan

What’s Your Point of View?

"Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars."- Frederick Langbridge, A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts

If you were second in a writing contest, would you jump for joy and push for better results the next time or would you be so discouraged that you would find an excuse not to do that again?

In life, you will always have choices to make. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view of life and find life to be unrewarding and tiresome or you may decide to take the optimist’s route and enjoy a challenging and fulfilling life, full of happiness and excitement.

So why nurture an optimist’s point of view? And why now?

Well, maybe because optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from trauma.

Sadly, on the other hand, the rates of depression and pessimism have never been higher. Unfortunately it is no longer a middle-age disorder but now affects much younger people the average age for the onset of depression has gone from 30 to 15. The problem is that the defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe that anything bad that happens is their fault and this undermines everything they do.

So lets have a look at why it really pays to be an optimist:

Optimists expect the best, so they get the best.

Optimists are also confronted with the same hard knocks of this world. What differs is the way they explain their misfortune. They believe defeat is just a temporary setback and that its causes are confined to this one case.

Optimists tend to look for a solution for the 'problem' at hand. They use 'positive reinterpretation.' In other words, they interpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such people perceive bad situations as a challenge and try harder.

They won’t say “things will never get better,” “If I failed once, it will happen again” and “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.”

The positive expectancy of optimists also helps them during transitions to new environments, sudden tragedies and unlikely turns of events. If they fall, they will stand up and go on, they see opportunities instead of obstacles.

People always respond positively to optimists, their very being exudes their happiness and positive outlook on life. They are proactive and less dependant upon others for their own happiness. They find no need to control or manipulate people and usually attract like minded people to them. Their optimistic view of the world is contagious and influences those around them.

Optimism is a socially desirable trait in all communities. Those who share optimism are generally accepted while those who spread gloom, panic and hysteria are treated unfavorably.

In life, these people often win elections; get voted most congenial and are sought out for advice.

When the going gets tough, optimists get tougher. Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who are less optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit trying when difficulties arise whereas optimists will persevere. They do not give up easily and are known for their patience as they inch closer and closer to their goals.

It is interesting to note that medical research has, at last, realized that simple pleasure and laughter combined with a positive outlook can cause an immeasurable increase in the body’s ability to fight disease. This would explain why optimists are healthier and have a tendency to live longer than pessimists.

Because of their outlook optimists’ health is especially good. They age well, they do not experience the usual physical ills of middle age and they usually get to outlive those prone to negative thoughts.

So why not be an optimist today, and every other day of your life? Think positively towards a more fulfilled life, laugh a lot and enjoy your life to the full.. Like everyone else you too are bound to hit lows sometimes but don’t just stay there, treat it as an experience, pick yourself up, find a solution and get back on the right track

Look forward to success in all your endeavors, be resilient and inspire others to remove their dark glasses and see life on the bright side.