How to Not Give Up on Your Dreams

My dreams seemed stalled for the longest time.
There was something that always got in the way–mostly I got in my own way.
I didn’t believe in myself, or I allowed something to interfere.
There are less limitations on me now, less interferences.
Here are some of the keys which have helped me go for my dreams and not give up.

 How to Not Give Up on Your Dreams

1. Surround yourself with people who have not given up on their dreams.

This is key.
My dreams got postponed for years because I put up with naysayers in my life.
They might be popular, they might even be family, but they are not good for you if they don’t respect you.
It’s that simple.
In fact, some of these naysayers want to bring you down because they cannot bring themselves up to the level that you are and want to be.
And those of us who are in the habit of putting ourselves down—either because we think it’s humble and attractive, or we got into this habit—will not be served by this.
Stay positive, focus on your unique strengths and nurture them.
And if you have these naysayers in your life, get a dog.
Better to have a pet or plant life than these people.
They are toxic.

2. The Kaizen Technique.

Start small.
We get so caught up in grandiose dreams.
But every big accomplishment begins with small steps.
I love the Kaizen technique which outlines this.
Basically with small continuous change, you make big improvements.
If you want to eat better, do one thing differently—eat less after 7 pm. Or eat a salad at lunch.
Change one thing and more things will follow.
f you want to write a book, start with writing five minutes a day.
It will grow to 15 or 20 if you start with five.

3. Vision Boards and contemplation.

This piece has been overemphasized and it can be distracting to do for long periods of time without taking action.
However, it is important, and it’s fun.
Basically you find images (or draw them) of where you would like to be in the future.
What you’d like to own, how you want to feel in relationships, places you want to go, anything at all.
You can do this by tearing out photos from magazines to create a vision board.
You just tear and you don’t think too hard.
You glue them to a vision board and look at it regularly.
Looking at the images, helps you create the picture in your mind to draw these things into your life.
I have seen it work over and over again in my own life.
It doesn’t mean you don’t have to work for things, but having a vision of them, helps you manifest them on the outer.
This is very tied into the next step which is gratitude.

4. Practice gratitude

Part of this piece of attracting these situations and things and people into your life is to practice gratitude for all you have now and all you will have in the future.
I know we’ve heard it all before.
But this gratitude creates a vortex of energy and space to allow more of what we love into our lives.
It’s operating from a different vantage point.
Some might call it faith and others might call it the law of attraction.
I have seen it work in my own life.
But the gratitude is key to help create a relaxed viewpoint.
Striving is good when you are taking action on your goals, but there is the other part which is the non-striving.
The law of reversed effort says that you can’t strive so much that you push things away.
There is a lot of literature on this, but to prove this point, just look at those things that are in your life now.
How many of them seemed to fall into place when you were paying attention to something else?
This is the law of reversed effort.
So relaxation and gratitude help you bring opportunities to take the next step.

5. Organized support to take steps towards your goals.

When I wrote my book, I had people and classes to that I was accountable to.
I had a coach at one point in my life to help me manifest a better relationship.
I didn’t actually find my mate till after we were done, but she helped me move out a bad relationship.
The writing classes were absolutely key.
I had to submit a piece of writing EACH week and I had to critique others’ writing.
So find a way to stay accountable and set goals for yourself.
Find a way to follow through and create a schedule for yourself that works for your unique lifestyle.

6. Work hard and then play!

Cultivate the attitude of play because it ignites the creative part of your brain and can be another way to relax the fight or flight.
We cannot push and force our way into our dreams.
There has to be a balance of hard work and play.
Every time I have pushed and pushed without stepping back and having some relaxation time, I’ve wasted time.
Either I stopped listening to my gut or I got away from my heart.
When we play we engage the heart and the brain.
Then we can manifest a reality that we will be truly happy with!
Go for your dreams and relax and enjoy the moments.
Record the progress, the obstacles, and learn from experiences.
And as much as we think our dreams are out there some place in the future, enjoying right now will bring us more of these moments in the future.
Therese Ayla Kravetz is an author, professor, and speaker and currently teaches English for Academic Purposes at Florida SouthWestern State College. She suffered from high anxiety much of her life and learned alternative methods to use in the classroom to bypass the fight or flight response which she writes about in her book, "Why Zarmina Sings: 18 Steps to Live and Learn Beyond Anxiety.”
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