Double Dare—Dreaming and Doing…

Self-reflection (it's not just for breakfast anymore). *smile*

"The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore." --Dale Carnegie

To achieve your greatest goals requires two things. First, you must believe you can reach your destiny. Second, you must take action.

Dreaming and Doing are the keys to success.

Let's start with dreaming. What distinguishes a daydreamer from an active dreamer? Dreamers often hold up their pleasant fantasies up as a balm against their negative beliefs. They fantasize about winning the lottery (for many writers, that amounts to hitting the NY Times bestseller list!) as a way of feeling better about the lack of success in their life. "Wouldn't it be lovely…" they sigh, followed by "but of course that will never happen."

Excuse me? Let's rewrite that sentence… *smile*

An active dreamer recognizes that anything is possible.

They actively visualize achieving their goals and reinforce that visualization with reminders that this "dream" is not only possible but can and will happen as long as they continue to take action. These active dreamers are found in so many fields it's mind-boggling. Olympic gold medal winners, CEO's, famous authors, actors. Ever hear the story of how Jim Carrey kept a check in his back pocket made out to himself in the amount of ten million dollars? He'd pull it out and focus, telling himself he would achieve his dream.

That's the way!

To achieve our dreams, we need to believe we can.

"A man's doubts and fears are his worst enemies.” – William Wrigley Jr.

Action is imperative but unless we believe our destiny is possible, we're more likely to encounter obstacles than success. Belief pulls towards us circumstances that reflect our attitude. Doubts and fears are like kryptonite against our super-visualization powers. *Grin*

I remember years ago, I let a friend talk me into rock-climbing. This is not my forte at all, let me tell you. Ask me to dance wildly in front of a crowd and I'm fine. But place my slippery hands on a ledge with sharp rocks waiting below and I'm a wreck. So there I am, shaking so hard one friend called it "sewing machine legs" (picture my knees bouncing like a needle bobbing up and down). My grip is slipping and this guy says, "Just grab a rock and pull yourself up," all casual-like, totally ignoring my fear. He didn't seem to grasp that unless I conquered my fear, the abject terror that had me paralyzed (except of course my shaking legs and trembling hands—oh, Lordy), I truly could slip and fall.

Another friend figured it out, scooted down and calmed my fears. After I stopped shaking, I did manage to climb up and avoid certain calamity.

Fears are real. They can paralyze you and hold you back. Even worse, the embarrassment over your fears can lead you into a self-destructive cycle. Yikes! So, what do you do? Surround yourself with like-minded folks who can reassure you past your embarrassment, calm your fears and talk you up that rocky mountain wall.

"We can destroy ourselves by cynicism and disillusion, just as effectively as by bombs." ~Kenneth Clark

Once you've moved past your fear, you can develop a positive attitude and help your fellow writers up their own mountain!

"Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?" --Anonymous

Dreaming and doing…

Let's focus on "doing" next.

"Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned." ~ Peter Marshall

We must set goals and work to achieve them.

Anyone can dream of hitting the NY Times bestseller list. Only "doers" will work to reach that goal. Word goals, page goals, query goals, revision goals, whatever your focus, set your benchmark and push until you get there. Did Tiger Woods say, "I'll practice today if I can make the time?" *grin*

"Don't wait. The time will never be right." –Napoleon Hill

"Success will never be a big step in the future, success is a small step taken just now." -- Jonatan Martensson

Take the double-dare, my friends!

Dream of success and Do what's necessary to Become Your Destiny.

We Are Writers. We Are Successful, Published Authors. Let's make it happen!


"What is opportunity and when does it knock? It never knocks. You can wait a whole lifetime, listening, hoping, and you will hear no knocking. None at all. You are opportunity, and you must knock on the door leading to your destiny. You prepare yourself to recognize opportunity, to pursue and seize opportunity as you develop the strength of your personality, and build a self-image with which you are able to live—with your self-respect alive and growing." –Maxwell Maltz

Ah, the beginning of August. The Double-Dog-Dare You days of summer are upon us. How many goals can we accomplish this week? Hmmm?

My goals:
15 pages of WIP.
Weekly essay.

Dream and Do!

--Chiron