We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance. ~Harrison Ford
I know that January is a natural time for people to make changes (If you don't feel ready to change something, please don't cave into the pressure though! It is better to make changes once you are prepared.), so I want to make sure to do a few posts to help you go into the behavior change with the greatest possibility of success!
Previous information about behavior change includes:
Today, let's talk about dreaming. Sometimes we fear our dreams, or feel that we have to edit them before we can say them aloud. Dreaming is good, and can lead to fantastic changes in our lives. However, I don't think it's enough to just stop at saying the dream. The dream is the end goal, but there's a lot of steps in life that get us to the end goal. It's important to set mini goals to get us to our dreams.
Here's an example:
Dream: Getting published
Mini-Goals:
- Create list of places to be published
- Complete research on topic (could create mini-steps for this)
- Network with people in _______ field
Dream: Increase My Self Esteem
Mini-goals:
- Determine what is holding down my self-esteem
- Create list of negative self-talk & negative beliefs about self
- Engage in a practice of challenging & changing cognitive distortions
- Implement a practice of daily affirmations
Of course you'd need to determine what mini-goals would work for you, and brainstorming is certainly an important step in this process. Dreaming is GOOD, and we shouldn't be afraid of it! Don't just stop at your dream, but establish a plan to get yourself to that dream. You CAN do it, but it may take some time and hard work, so be patient!
Now it's your turn:
What are your dreams for 2012?
Thank you for reminding me to dream. I think that one of the by-products of mental illness can sometimes be to stop dreaming altogether. I remember a session once where the counsellor asked me what my dreams were. In my deep dark depressed state I answered 'what's the point of dreaming?' It all seemed so pointless. And so I got out of the habit of dreaming, even when I felt good. So thank you today for reminding me to dream. My dream right now would be to be able to do the things that I enjoy doing, writing and sewing, without the eyestrain from writing and the back pain from sewing. That would be my dream. My steps are to do those things for limited time periods only, keeping a timer with me in order to stay on track. Again, thanks for the reminder.
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