Dreaming to Live

I have always been put off by the idea of having a “job”. The word itself has negative connotations; it’s something you have to do and you don’t want to do. Most people can’t stand the thought of Monday morning and can’t wait until Friday, when all that “work” is over for a couple of days. I always thought it was better to be poor and doing what I loved than wealthy and doing something I hated.

So many of us find ourselves stuck doing a job we don’t like because we have to pay the bills. We have grown accustomed to the steady paycheck and frankly we feel comfortable with the routine and security. Even though we want to pursue a dream, we don’t want to step out of our comfort zone. Comfort and routine have taken the place of self-actualization.

All of us have dreams but many of us don’t have the courage to pursue them. We have been told since childhood “that’s impossible” and we decided to believe it. We don’t want to take risks or make sacrifices, and our fear of failure keeps us stuck where we are. We feel we aren’t able or that we don’t deserve it or we feel guilty about going our own way or having more success than our friends, family members or parents. Instead of believing in our dreams, somehow we have come to have more faith and conviction in the belief that our dreams are impossible.

Some of us put our dreams on hold out of responsibility to our family. We want to provide our loved ones with security and avoid taking risks, even though they would support us in pursuing our vision if we expressed it to them. If it’s not about family, we justify the status quo with the belief that “my company and my colleagues need me. What would they do without me?” So we put responsibility to others before our dreams, even though the contribution we could make if we live our passion would be much greater than the value we add when we do something we hate because we feel we have to.When we do a job because we feel we have to, life loses meaning. We find ourselves depressed and disillusioned, and rightly so. The emotions are a signal letting us know that our circumstances do not match our values and aspirations.

Oscar Wilde said “the supreme object of life is to live. Few people live. It is true life only to realize one’s own perfection, to make one’s every dream a reality.” Dreams make life worth living. They give meaning to existence and guide us to unleashing our full potential. Which leaves one question: are you really living?

I believe we all have something unique and something of value to offer to the world. We all have unique talents or interests, and we all have something we are passionate about… but we don’t believe we could make into a living. The happiest, most fulfilled and most successful people in the world have taken their passion and turned it into a livelihood. Some believe we each have a calling, but I believe we each have the power to choose our calling.

When we turn our passion into something that adds value to others’ lives and something people are willing to pay for, life becomes what Deepak Chopra calls the “continued expansion of happiness and the progressive realization of worthy goals.” They say that money buys happiness… but really, happiness buys money.

One of my favourite examples of someone pursuing a dream is the story of Debbie Macomber. Debbie wanted to be a writer. For 2 ½ years she typed in her kitchen each morning after the kids went to school. One day her husband Wayne decided it could go on no longer, telling her they could not survive any longer on his income alone. Distraught she remained awake all night. When her husband asked her what was wrong she told him she was convinced she could make it as a writer.

After a long silence, he told her “All right honey, go for it.” For another 2 ½ years her family struggled financially. And it paid off. Now Debbie has written over 100 books, some have been New York Times best-sellers and 3 have sold for movies. There are over sixty million copies of her books in print. Needless to say, after years of penny pinching, the family is quite comfortable now (no need to mention their 7000 square-foot mansion).

So are you doing what you love? What is your vision? How many reasons do you have for why you cannot pursue it?

Self-actualizers pursue their passions. They take something they absolutely love to do and they find a way to use it to add value to other’s lives. They love what they do so much that they can’t believe people pay them to do it. And they thrive. It’s not about working toward some destination, but doing what they love and enjoying the journey.

Most people don’t think big enough. Instead of being driven by possibility, we are held back by our own limitations and limited perceptions.

What is your “impossible” dream?

I'd love to read your comments below…

How to Liberate Your Dreams – Mark J Holland NLP Mind Coach

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; there is where they belong. Now put foundations under them.”
- Henry David Thoreau

Whatever your dreams are for your life, Changing the way you think, un- consciously and positive thinking can help you achieve them. Lifelong dreams can take many forms, whether it is travelling to an exotic location, performing a daredevil stunt, or meeting a particular celebrity.

With un-conscious state change and positive thinking, you can take the necessary steps to make your fondest dreams a reality.

It’s said that a clear outcome or goal is a dream with a deadline. Un-conscious State Change and Positive thinking helps you realize not only that you can live your dreams, but that you deserve to live them.

Un-conscious State Change and Positive thinking allows you to:

• Understand that no dream is too great or too small.
• Develop a mindset that is conducive to dream fulfilment. (This can be done in one single NLP Mind Coaching Session)
• Formulate a concrete, manageable plan for making your dreams come true.
• Equip yourself with the determination necessary to keep going until you reach your dream.
• Dream bigger than you ever would have, with the realization that there is no limit to what you can accomplish.

Liberate you Dreams while Changing your thinking, expect transformation in your Results.

Re-ignite the dreams you truly desire. NLP Mind Coaching – Life Coaching with results!

Copyright 2009 Mark J Holland.
All Rights reserved.
http://www.markholland.com.au/
====================================

I'd love to read your comments below…

Opening Your Opportunities - Mark J Holland - NLP Mind Coach

“Opportunity rarely knocks on your door. Knock rather on opportunity’s door if you ardently wish to enter.”
- Charles Forbes

Now that your new positive mindset is firmly rooted in your mental garden, you will start to see the buds of possibility appearing everywhere in your life. You can learn to coax blossoming success from the endless fertile fields surrounding you. Recognizing opportunity is an essential component to achieving your objectives; whether it is subtle as a clover or brilliant as a sunflower.

Today, we will review tips and techniques for realizing the full potential of the power of positive thinking

Visualizing in Technicolour

“We must be over the rainbow!”
- Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz

Anyone who has seen the timeless classic film The Wizard of Oz remembers that magical moment when Judy Garland’s Dorothy steps out from the wreckage of her black-and-white house into a breathtakingly colourful world- a world she later discovers had been there all along. Realizing the power of positive thinking is like capturing that movie magic for yourself. Suddenly, your surroundings appear in a whole new light: alive with the possibilities of your life and ripe for picking.

One powerful method for accessing positive thinking is visualization. This means picturing seeing yourself actually achieving your goals and being the person you want to be. Like many of the processes we have described so far, using visualization can feel awkward at first. The best way to start off using visualization is solo practice, but eventually you will be able to initiate the process of visualization in just about any circumstance, under any conditions.

The most important thing you should learn about visualization is this: it only works if you really, really want it to work. Whatever you are visualizing, whether it’s a material goal or a new mental attitude, you must be absolutely convinced of your vision, and seeing you complete the end result or evidence procedure. This method runs on mental energy, so the stronger your thoughts are, the more likely they will be to influence your life.

Preparation: Boarding the Visualization Train

There are several varieties of visualization methods, but the first step in any one of them is always the same. You must prepare yourself mentally to receive your vision in order to be able to fully immerse your consciousness. The process of preparing for visualization is nearly the same as meditation, and you can add in your own elements as you gain more experience with the process.

• Find a quiet, undisturbed place. At first you will need to be alone while you visualize. Choose a room or a space that you will use on an exclusive basis for visualization during the beginning stages. Be sure your surroundings are quiet and uninterrupted. White noise is acceptable for visualization, but for most methods you should not use music or recorded sound (you will be visualizing your own sounds!).
• Get comfortable. The best way to perform visualization is from a seated position. You can use a comfortable chair or the floor or ground, as long as you seat yourself in a way that will allow you to remain comfortable for at least ten to fifteen minutes.
• Set a timer. The effects of visualization vary from person to person, but in some cases it can produce a trance-like state. To ensure you don’t end up visualizing the day away, get a silent electronic timer (no ticking!) or set an alarm clock to go off in fifteen to twenty minutes (at this point, you still have a few minutes of preparation before you begin the process of visualization).
• Relax your body. If you happen to possess the ability to relax at will; great, do that! If you’re like most of us and you do not, you can engage in progressive relaxation to drain the tension from your muscles. Begin at your feet and concentrate on releasing all tension, one body part at a time. It may take you a few tries to do this; don’t worry if it doesn’t happen the first time. It can be difficult to achieve complete relaxation, and in many cases there will be some tension or stiffness remaining. You will find that the more often you practice relaxation, the less tension remains.
• Clear your mind. There are a few ways to accomplish this; you should choose the one that works best for you. One way is to imagine a single, benign object such as a white ball or a leaf, and focus entirely on the imaginary object until all your other thoughts simmer down. Picture your thoughts as a crowd in a football stadium, with the object in the centre. Each thought stills as its attention is drawn to the object, until they are all silent. Another method for clearing your mind is to “send” your thoughts away by wrapping them in a mental “bubble” and allowing them to drift away from your consciousness.
• Breathe. Once you have relaxed your body and cleared your mind, you should perform three to five minutes of deep, concentrated breathing. Try to keep yourself focused on nothing but your breathing; this will relax you even further and prepare your mind to experience visualization.

You can also use this introduction to visualization as an alternate form of meditation. Taking a few moments to relax is always beneficial, and can energize you to face the tasks you’ve set for yourself.

Increase Self Esteem, Overcome Limitations, NLP Mind Coaching, and Life Coaching

Copyright 2008 Mark J Holland.
All Rights reserved.
http://www.markholland.com.au/
====================================

I'd love to read your comments below…