Close your eyes and call into your mind the type of person you really want to be and what you want to have in life. What are you doing? Who are you being? Denise Waitley, author and productivity consultant says that “If you can see the person clearly in the mirror of your mind, you surely will become that person.” The third “D” in our Transformational Mornings is to DREAM. Spend time dreaming about your ideal life or ideal day. See it. Feel it. Believe it. Let this become your mental blueprint for how you make decisions so that you are in total alignment with the person you need to be to achieve your dreams. You can also create what I call a Bliss/Vision Board where you post images that will guide you as you spend time visualizing your life. I encourage you that as you look at your bliss board images to ask yourself “what else could this mean?” What I have found over the past decade as I have created bliss boards is that a picture can mean more than what it shows at face value. For example, on one of my bliss boards I had a picture of Kelly Clarkson. Now I like Kelly, but I by no means want to be her or a die hard fan. I knew this image wasn’t about becoming a singer beaceuse I only have a voice God loves and I knew it wasn’t about becoming famous because my aim in life isn’t to be famous but to be of value. So I began to ask what else this image might represent. Then I recalled the lyrics from her song “Stronger.”
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone
What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
You see I was going to be transitioning through a tough year and I would need to find the strength to keep going. So each morning when I would spend time dreaming I would visualize how I was becoming stronger and overcoming the challenges I was going through.
The fourth “D” is DEVELOP. Max De Pree, businessman and writer once said “we cannot become, who we are mean to be, by remaining who we are.” If you want to transform your life you must be willing to become a continuous learner and grow. Many times when I ask people what book they are reading, they tell me they would love to read but they just don’t have the time. The truth is though that you don’t have time not to read. We only get one chance at this life, so if you keep pushing off developing yourself until life slows down, it will only lead to a life of “should’s” instead of a life of “I did’s” or “I am’s.” Plus you are likely to make mistakes that could have been avoided if you were willing to learn from others who have gone before you. You have heard the phrase “you eat an elephant one bite at a time” well that is how you develop; one page, one video, one opportunity at a time. Don’t plan to spend the morning reading an entire book, just plan to read 10 pages. If you did this everday within a year you would have read 3,650 pages which equates to approximately eighteen 200-page books. Can you image how much more capable, confident and wiser you would be because you have read 18 personal development/self-help or biographical books? And again I realize not everyone enjoys reading, so listen to a book on CD, watch a video, but the key is to spend time learning each day. Growth is joy and when you grow on purpose you will be a much happier and healthier person.
Today dream of your ideal life and choose one way to begin to develop yourself. Later this week I will share the final three “D’s” and until then feel free to share in the comments below how these next two steps are transforming your mindset, your morning and your mood!
