If
you meet people who are perpetually grumpy or cynical, they probably aren’t happy
with themselves. They view their life as a failure, their job and home as
something they must endure.
Most
likely, they lack an important quality that people who generally are happy and
positive possess: They don’t have a dream.
A
vision for our future, of a place where we want to ultimately end up, can be a
significant motivator in lives. It gives us purpose. That purpose in turn then shapes
our daily decisions. We decide to save money, to study harder, to take a second
job, to master new skills all to pursue our dream.
More
importantly, the journey to achieving a dream also will build character and strengthen
your willpower.
For
example, if a woman and your dream is to slim down from a size 20 to a size 4,
envisioning what you’ll look like in a
mirror, the great clothes you could wear, the compliments you will receive, and
the looks of admiration from men you will get, can help you through difficult
times. For example, if you have a bad day at work or just had another difficult
phone conversation with your mother, rather than turning to a bowl of ice cream
to alleviate your emotional pain, you instead can use that vision of what you’ll
look like when slim to hold off from indulging.
If a
man and your dream is to own a sports car, envisioning yourself driving that
car, the happy smile of your girlfriend as she sits in the passenger seat, and the
nods of respect you’ll get from other men you pass on the road, can help you
through tough times. For example, when you get a bad grade on a test or a girl
turns you down for a date, rather than going out drinking with the guys to deal
with the depression, you instead can use your vision of turning that key in the
ignition of your beautiful sports car to keep from wasting money on beer (Alcohol
will just exacerbate your bad feelings anyway!).
Indeed,
you may never ever own that 16-room mansion or actually reach the summit of
Mount Everest – but your efforts to do so will provide an incredible payoff.
And
should you achieve your dream, you’ll find that the next one you pursue will be
all that much easier to obtain.
