How to do what you’ve always wanted

Last Updated: July 8, 2020 References Approved

This article was co-authored by Leah Morris. Leah Morris is a Life and Relationship Transition coach and the owner of Life Remade, a holistic personal coaching service. With over three years as a professional coach, she specializes in guiding people as they move through both short-term and long-term life transitions. Leah holds a BA in Organizational Communication from California State University, Chico and is a certified Transformational Life Coach through the Southwest Institute for Healing Arts.

There are 21 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

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Everyone dreams of becoming the very best version of themselves. You may want to be a professional ball player, a world-renowned painter, or simply the very best parent you can be. Achieving your full potential can seem like a mighty task to undertake, but it’s possible once you release all the unhelpful traits that are holding you back. Take inventory of your inner traits to start moving towards being the person you want to be.

Leah Morris
Life Coach Expert Interview. 19 June 2020. There’s a quote that says “the only thing holding you back is you.” This is true. However, you must take stock of any attributes or habits you have that do not reflect the person you want to be. This may even require speaking to a few loved ones and asking them if they notice any unhelpful attributes that may be holding you back. Two common attributes that may be holding you back are:

• Self-doubt. This is one attribute that can leave you immobile, never changing and never reaching your true potential. If you are afflicted by a fear of failure or insecurities, you need to combat them now. A great way to combat self-doubt is to look for evidence of your successes. Identify all the wonderful achievements you have already obtained. Then, reach out to a few close friends and have them tell you a few things they admire about you. [3] X Research source
• Procrastination. This undesirable trait generally comes down to your self-talk. You tell yourself you work well under pressure, or that the task won’t take that long so you don’t have to do it right now. Putting it off for an hour becomes days, and the next thing you know you’re pulling an all-nighter to finish. Overcome procrastination by attempting to figure out why you put off tasks in the first place. Then, change the way you look at large tasks. Instead of trying to cram a lot of work into one sitting, tell yourself if you complete a small chunk, you can have a break. Also, go to an environment that is conducive to working – and not filled with possible distractions.
• If you are struggling with deeply buried and painful memories, fears, depression, or substance abuse, you may not be able to tackle these issues on your own. Reach out to a trained mental health professional who can guide you through the process of healing old wounds so that you can claim the healthy, vibrant future you desire.

Leah Morris
Life Coach Expert Interview. 19 June 2020. Every person has something they were born to do. You have a unique purpose for being here, and you have to find it. As Pablo Picasso declare, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” Do a self-assessment to get closer to your truth, and closer to becoming the person you were meant to be. Ask yourself these questions:

1. What do you wake up for every morning? What makes you feel truly alive?
2. What classes did you enjoy while in school? What do you like to learn more about?
3. What jobs have you held that made you feel purposeful?
4. What activities do you participate in that make you lose track of time because you love doing them so much?
5. What do people frequently tell you you’re good at?
6. What ideas are you most passionate about?
7. What can you simply not go without in this life?

Are you tired of pursuing something only to find it always eludes you?

It might be your approach.

For instance, are you tired of difficult circumstances and you just want joy? Don’t pursue joy — pursue the Author of Joy.

Are you lonely and just long for loving arms around you? Don’t pursue love. Pursue the Author of Love.

Are you tired of dissension, conflict, a “hectic” life and just want peace? Don’t pursue peace. Pursue the Prince of Peace.

Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. ” I believe this means make Him your sole desire and He will plant in you His desires and delight in granting them. I know from experience — and from watching it in the lives of many other women, too — that when we desire Christ first and foremost, we end up with everything else we wanted, too.

Matthew 6:33 says “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…” (in other words, seek HIM ) and all these things — the joy, the love, the peace — will follow.

Seek and desire HIM, not all you want Him to give you. As you find more of Him, you will also find you need less of everything else.

I’ll admit, Ive often wanted:

• more peace in my home
• more joy in my heart
• more harmony in my marriage

And yet, as I return to a pursuit of Him alone, I become convinced once again that I have all I need.

Will you join me in this search for what we are guaranteed we will find?

Jeremiah 29:13 says “And you will search for me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.”

God, I want YOU more than success and contentment.

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

I love your blog! Sometimes I really need your reminder to think positively. Thank you.

I don’t usually comment, but when I saw this article, I knew I had to.

What a coincidence that you’re writing about this now: I’ve wanted to take singing lessons for years and only last week did I finally have my first one ever! I have no desire to join a band, but I deeply love to sing. So I’m doing this for myself. My partner suggested that I wait until we have more in our bank accounts, but I knew that if I didn’t do it now, I could be waiting another 10 years. So off I went. It was nerve-wracking but absolutely worth it. Apparently loads of families discourage their children from singing — so if that’s your situation, just go ahead and do it for you.

Thanks again, Dani, and I’m glad your tarot reading was so rewarding!

K – Wow, what perfect timing! I’m so glad that you’re going after what you want now. Singing is such an amazing gift to the world, and it’s wonderful that you’re sharing your voice.

The comments to this entry are closed.

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What are your plans for 2016?

You know all those things you’ve always wanted to do?

You should go DO THEM.

“Oh My God what if you wake up some day and you’re 65 or 75 and you never got your memoir or novel written; or you didn’t go swimming in warm pools and oceans all those years because your thighs were jiggly and you had a nice big comfortable tummy; or you were just strung out on people pleasing or perfectionism that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life of imagination and radical silliness and staring off into space like when you were a kid? It’s going to break your heart. Don’t let this happen.” Anne Lamott

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Right here, right now ask yourself what you’ve always wanted to do.

Write down what’s in your heart and keep writing until you’re empty.

Get it all down.

If nothing flows and your hand is frozen in the startup position you may have been focused on the needs of others for too long so you’ll need a jump start.

Consider the questions below. Read them over. Let the seeds germinate. Reread daily and when the flood gates open (which they will) put pen to paper and start capturing all those dreams and innermost thoughts.

THE BEST 10 QUESTIONS to discover what you’ve always want to do

These questions are meant to be answered from the heart vs the head. To make sure the heart is speaking keep it fun and playful. If it starts feeling like ‘work’ – stop immediately your head has taken over. Pick the one or two questions that most resonate with you and work those.

1. Go back as far as you can remember (including childhood), remember the times you felt fully alive, fully present and connected. What were you doing? We don’t grow out of our passions, what showed up when we were younger is still there just waiting to be set free!
2. Finish this sentence, “I love ______”, complete the sentence using an ‘–ing’ verb to make everything present and active. Go deeper….WHY do I love it?
3. When did I believe that anything was possible? What was I doing?
4. When in my life did I feel I could make a difference? What was I doing?
5. What energizes me?
6. What makes me happiest? What excites me?
7. When was the last time I was in the zone, in the flow and lost complete track of time? What was I doing?
8. What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
9. If I could have or do anything what would it be?
10. What did I want to be when I grew up?

Once you’ve identified what you’ve always wanted to do, get to work immediately.

In a journal or on a sheet of paper, write down “What I’ve always wanted to do” at the top of the page.

Begin listing tiny, Baby Steps that you can start taking daily to move towards it. Let it flow. Nothing is too small. Some of your steps may be very ordinary, some creative and unusual.

What matters is that there’s a step for every day. Take a week at a time.

As Malcolm Gladwell notes in his book BLINK, “most of us in life become skilled at suppressing action”. We find a multitude of reasons why we couldn’t, shouldn’t wouldn’t or mustn’t act.

You’ll have to reverse this trend if you’re going to do what you’ve always wanted to do.

A tiny, baby step every day is the key.

It won’t take long (maybe a week or two of daily baby steps) to pass the critical turnaround or abort-the-mission stage and lock in this new, exciting behavior. By this point you’ll be developing important Momentum and hearing a voice tickling your insides as it says, “I’m on my way”.

Isn’t it crazy to think that just showing up and a little bit of action is all it takes to do what you’ve always wanted to do?

Now don’t go thinking there won’t be obstacles because there will but the momentum you’ve built will lead you around, over or through them. Never fear!

Take that vital step each day. It’s not important what you do…important that you do.

Now go make this an awesome year.

How far can you go? Answer: Further than you think.

I’m smiling. Are you?

Here’s a great tip to intensify momentum from John C. Maxwell the leadership and personal growth author who’s sold over 24 million books. It goes like this… every morning before you get out of bed and every night before you go to sleep say, “do it now”, 50 x’s. That’s it. You’ll be conditioning yourself to do it now as well as creating urgency and forward momentum.

Don’t know about You but I’m starting this tonight! doitnowdoitnowdoitnowdoitnow….

This post first appeared on RED SHOE ZONE, please read the originial post: here

I’ve always been a chameleon, shifting my mannerisms depending on who I’m around. I’ll alter my attitude, the way I talk and the way I do certain things depending on who I’m around without even thinking about it; it just happens.

On one hand, this has been a positive quality of mine because I tend to get along with almost anyone. I can carry a conversation and I know how to make people feel comfortable. On the other hand, my being able to do this has caused me to lose something extremely important—myself.

This did not dawn on me until my little sister asked me a simple question: “What is something you have always wanted to do?” I drew a blank. Like, a complete and total blank. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do, because I had no idea what it was I liked to do.

I looked at her with a stunned expression on my face. “Maria, I literally don’t know.” I couldn’t answer her simple question, and it freaked me out. How, at 23 years old, do I not know myself enough to come up with an answer to this simple question?

I’ve done for others, not for myself

Because of my chameleon tendencies, I am eager to try new things. In my past relationships, I have always been willing to learn about what my significant other likes and immerse myself in it. Partially because I enjoyed the new experiences, partially because it was something to do together, and (probably) partially because I wanted to impress them.

I don’t necessarily think this is a bad quality, but it isn’t exactly a good one either.

In blending in with the people around me and immersing myself in new things, somewhere along the way I lost myself. I lost who I am, and I’m not sure of who I will be. I lost myself so much, that I couldn’t even answer the simple question of “What is something you have always wanted to do?”

So I sat down, determined to figure it out.

Is writing my only unique quality?

If there is one thing I am certain of, it is that I love to write. Perhaps I don’t dedicate nearly enough time to doing so (Cue my inconsistent posts. I’m sorry 😦 but I’m getting better!), but it’s one thing I know I love to do. However, when it comes to thinking of something I have always wanted to do, I get stuck.

One this is for sure: I have always wanted to write a book. I can say that with clear confidence, but I’m facing an internal struggle with making writing my only interest. There are so many things I can try to do, so why am I limiting myself to one unique characteristic? When people ask about my hobbies or desires, I want to be able to say more than “I like writing” or “I’m a blogger.” I want that to be a unique part of me, not my entire being.

I was struggling with this until it dawned on me—I can’t be the only one who feels this way. I am sure there are others who define themselves in one single characteristic. If I asked you to tell me something you have always wanted to do, what would your answer be?

Does your answer coincide with who you are today? Does it center on a unique characteristic that you define yourself as, or is it something completely different—something you have never imagined yourself doing?

Deep down in my heart and soul, I feel like we most of you are in the same boat I am. You thought of one thing, one aspect of yourself that you are good at, and you based your decision off that. Why on earth is it that when someone asks, “What is something you have always wanted to do?” we all turn to familiar territory instead of branching out to new sights.

You are more than a ________

Let’s turn our attention to LeBron James. Super-talented, ultra-athletic, basketball star. I can’t even put into words how incredible of an athlete he is. He’s just that good. He can do the impossible on the court and (despite his leaving Cleveland) you can’t help but admire him for that.

We all worship him for his athletic abilities, because that’s what he’s best known for. He’s known for being an incredible athlete, but his talents go beyond that. Lebron James is more than an athlete.

He’s a family man. A business mogul. A father. A husband. An all-around good person. So good, in fact, that he opened up a school (Yes, a school) in Akron, Ohio for children in the area. Children that, among other things, have the opportunity to attend college completely free of charge. All thanks to LeBron James.

LeBron James epitomizes this idea of doing something you have always wanted to do that does not coincide with one unique quality. He’s an NBA player (superstar, legend, the GOAT if you will) who opened an elementary school.

I’m sure that years ago this was something he only dreamed of doing. Something he always wanted to do. People probably expected him to want to set records, which he did…

(And those are just a few.)

But LeBron did something that no one expected him to do. He did something that I’m sure he was incredibly nervous and scared to do. He set his sights high and proved to everyone that he is so much more than an athlete.

It’s time for you to do the same

Think of something outside of your realm of expertise that you’ve always wanted to do. And, when you think of it, don’t make excuses of why you can’t accomplish it. Instead, imagine yourself actually doing it.

Maybe you’re not planning on doing something as intense as opening a school (Or maybe you are. In which case, more power to ya), but there’s something about putting yourself completely outside of your comfort zone, even if that involves truly diving deep into yourself to discover something you have always wanted to do.

Sit down, jot some ideas down and figure out something that you really want to do. Something that, after doing so, you will step back and say “Wow. That was incredible.”

That’s the first step. Now, you just have find a way to make that a reality one day. After all, they always say where there’s a will there’s a way.

This month’s topic for 10 on the 10th with Perfectly Port is 10 Things I’ve Always Wanted to Do / Try, which sounds like a great excuse to post a bucket list! A very cool website I recently came across is called My Bucket List Journey and on it the writer has a list of over 800 Bucket List Items she wants to complete – and many she has already completed! I have been meaning to write my own bucket list and this post prompt is a good way to get that started. I’ve also created a few bonus lists!

10 Things I’ve Always Wanted To Do or Try

1. Be present for a baby’s birth – not via c-section. This is something I have never been able to experience myself. (Read more about that here).

2. Visit all 50 states. The ones I have left are: Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, New Mexico, and Louisiana.

3. Ride in a hot air balloon.

4. Attend an Olympics event.

5. Visit the Redwood Forest.

6. Write a novel.

7. Stay in a private bungalow on the water somewhere tropical.

8. Organize and participate in a progressive dinner.

9. Stand in 4 states at once.

10. Cheer on runners at a marathon.

Things I Haven’t Necessarily Always Wanted to Do or Try but I Want to Do or Try Now:

1. Meet Tony Goldwyn.

2. Try Paddle Boarding.

3. Do an Escape Room.

4. Try Stitch Fix.

5. Do a ropes course / zip line.

6. Get a makeover and have photos taken.

7. Ride a beach bike on the beach.

8. Participate in a pay-it-forward in the Starbucks Drive-Through line.

9. Take a trip with each of my kids individually.

10. See the Northern Lights.

Things People Might Have On Their Bucket Lists But I Have No Intention Of Doing or Trying:

3. Attend a high school reunion.

4. Be on a reality show.

5. Sing Karaoke in public.

8. Run a marathon.

9. Do a polar bear plunge.

10. Teach a class.

Things People Might Have On Their Bucket Lists That I’ve Already Done or Tried:

1. Crawl through a cave.

2. Rappel down a cliff.

4. Visit a volcano.

7. Visit the Egyptian pyramids.

8. Knit a sweater.

9. See a Broadway Show.

10. Get acupuncture.

Have you done or tried any of these things? Do you want to?

Two of my friends are starting off on a grand journey soon. In a few weeks, they’re quitting their jobs and taking six months off to travel around the world. It took them years to save up the money, but they’ve finally earned enough to take the leap.

Some people have called their plans a little crazy. Yes, it’s a big risk, but I still think they’re making the right choice.

Sometimes you just have to do that thing you’ve always wanted to do.

I can sympathize with them; I’ve done some crazy things over the years too.

• I started a blog with the goal to reach thousands of readers without first learning much about how blogging even works.
• I traveled all the way to Casablanca, Morocco to teach at a school I’d never been to.
• I spent a ton of money (almost all of my savings) on IVF which only offered a 50% chance of working.
• I flew to Belize so I could swim with sharks in the open ocean.
• I’ve started copying “The Great Gatsby” word for word into a Word doc because I heard Hunter S. Thompson did it to improve his writing.

They’re all things people thought were a little on the crazy side, but something inside of me just felt like my life would somehow be incomplete if I never got around to doing them.

I often hear from people who have that same urge to pursue a long-held goal, but can’t find any good reason to start. It’s as if they’re looking for that one specific reason that will justify their decision.

I’ve never had a tough time coming up with some good reasons. Here are some of the best ones.

1. You only have one life to make it happen – do it or live with the regret

To me, living a good life is about minimizing the chance of regret. I don’t want to reach the end and look back only to wonder what might have been.

No matter what goal you have, there will be reasons not to do it – the fears and doubts holding you back or the excuses you give to quit.

But when you reach the end of your life, all those reasons will pale in comparison to the sharp pang of regret.

Here’s the truth: your life is ending one day at a time. Everything you ever want to do has to take place in the brief existence you’re given to live.

When you take a close look at your options, there should be little room for anything but taking action. Even if it turns out badly, I’d do it – I at least tried to make it happen.

As John Green once said, “What’s the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?”

2. It will make you happy

Just knowing that you had the courage to do something crazy is life-affirming. It can fill you with a sense of accomplishment that few other activities can.

When your goal or project is finished, you’ll have the rest of your life to look back on it with a newfound sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. You made it happen. Few things give you the same sense of pride as the knowledge that you faced down all your obstacles and took a chance.

3. Do it for no specific reason at all

When George Mallory made his attempt to be the first person to climb Mt. Everest, a reporter asked him why he wanted to do it. He famously replied, “Because it’s there.”

Weirdly enough, this is sometimes the only reason you need.

I like to think rationally through all my decisions, but sometimes you just have to throw it all out the window and do it “just because.”

Sometimes the task or project itself can provide all the meaning you need. It can be enough to do something crazy simply because it gives us a sense of purpose and direction.

4. You never know what good things will happen

It’s amazing how often taking action can open up opportunities you never realized were there.

When you’re on the verge of doing something new, the uncertainty surrounding it can be frightening; you don’t know what will happen.

But there’s a positive side to uncertainty. It also clouds all the new paths that might be waiting for you.

Amazing things can happen when you put yourself out there. The experience you gain from it might introduce you to a new idea, person or thought that leads your life down an unexpected, wonderful path you never knew existed.

5. You’ll grow more as a person than you can imagine

Doing something crazy can seem daunting. There might be organizational issues or time management to contend with, not to mention any external or internal obstacles.

But with each step you take to make it happen, you learn and grow as a person.

Overcoming obstacles builds knowledge and confidence. Each fear and doubt you shake off builds a tough mental attitude.

Growth occurs from challenges. When you tackle more than you’re used to, you’ll become so much more than you’ve ever known.

6. Passionately pursuing it will make you feel alive

Every one of my crazy goals has been a labor of passion. Passion is what sustains me and keeps me moving and working on a project – it’s what makes me excited and feel alive.

When you set a crazy goal that is uniquely your own, you don’t feel like you have to work on it, you get to work on it – a huge difference.

Immersing yourself in something you love to do is good for the spirit as well as the mind. You wake up looking forward to what the new day is about to bring – and that feeling is priceless.

Do it because the thought of it excites you. Do it because it consumes your time and thoughts. When you fill your life with something you’re passionate about, it can feel so enriching and fulfilling.

7. It’s freeing – you start to wonder what else you’re capable of doing

There comes a moment right after you finish a goal or project – something crazy you never thought you could do.

After it’s all done, you look back on everything you thought was holding you back – the fears, doubts and excuses. What once seemed so real now only seems insubstantial and out of touch with reality. All those reasons holding you back might even seem silly with what you know now.

Then a magical thing happens. Your mind drifts to other thoughts – other crazy dreams and aspirations. There’s an assortment of fears, doubts and excuses with them too – only now your view of them has changed, they don’t seem as real or formidable.

Every time you finish something you once thought was impossible, you strengthen the idea that you’re capable of more than you know.

Instead of seeing limitations and barriers, the world becomes open and free. Instead of telling yourself you can’t do something, you start to understand your autonomy and self-determination.

Eventually you start to realize that there’s less holding you back than once thought – and that’s an incredibly freeing idea.
photo credit: Alex Indigo

By Roger Ali Bocus | Submitted On July 01, 2007

1. Determine what your dream is. What is your dream? Do you want to become a doctor, lawyer, musician, best sportsman or sportswoman, start your own business, etc. etc? First pinpoint exactly what dream you want to fulfill.

2. Secondly: Write it down. Have you written down your Dreams – Do you have it recorded on paper. stored in a safe place? Go for a notebook now, and begin recording what your dreams are. Drop everything and do it now!

3. Believe. You will only accomplish in life what you believe you can. All things are possible to the person who believes. Are you a believer?

4. Make positive affirmations. Before Chicken Soup authors: Mark Victor Hanson and Jack Canfield accomplished their dream of becoming Mega Bestselling authors, they confessed religiously, everyday, for four hundred (400) times: Their book was a Mega Bestselling title, and today Chicken Soup for the Soul is. What are your confessions? Write them down. Speak them loud enough for you to hear them. Do this, daily, and as often as you can. There is a scripture, which states: Belief comes by hearing (By hearing words), and with belief, all things are possible.

5. Devise a Plan. There is no creation without a plan – No creation of any product or service without a plan. Just like you need to have a plan drawn, first, before you build a house, even so, you need a written plan, stating exactly how you are going to accomplish your dream. This would be your foundation to build your dream upon.

6. Set reasonable Deadlines. If you don’t set deadlines to realizing your dream – You will Procrastinate – You will ‘dilly-dally’ and put-off fulfilling your dream to some indefinite future. “One day I will. ” becomes your daily decree. But that one day will never come until you set a specific day, month and year when you will do what you say you will do. Stop wasting your time. You’ve been only given a limited amount of it to fulfill your Dreams. to accomplish your goals. Use Time wisely. We are not the owners of time, simply the stewards.

7. Acquire as much knowledge as you can from books, videos, DVDS, the Internet, etc. etc. Study models. There are other people who are successfully doing what you desire to do – Study them. Success can be duplicated. Isolate the key elements, which have made these individuals and companies, a success. People are already doing or have done what you are now attempting to do. Learn from them. Purchase their books and products, and devour their teachings.

8. Be persistent. Be tenacious. Be patient. You took nine months in your mother’s womb before you were born. And even then, it took several years before you reached adulthood. Be patient when it comes to seeing your dreams come to pass. Continue to pursue your dream like you would search for water in the desert – With the same determination, drive, passion and thirst.

9. Don’t give up if you encounter a few obstacles. Obstacles are really stepping stones to success. Because you bounced-up some obstacles in pursuing your dream, it doesn’t mean that your dream is wrong. It simply means your Dream is right, but the methods you chose to accomplish them, might be wrong. In such a case: Change or Revise your methods. But the easier thing to do would be to follow the examples of success around you.

10. Avoid negative people. Negative people are individuals who have forfeit their dreams, and settled for the norm and traditional. they become envious and critical when they hear someone is pursuing their dreams. Avoid them like you would shun the plague.

11. Don’t share your dreams with people who don’t have knowledge about this area you’re venturing into. Because they lack the experience, passion and knowledge of the dream you want to realize – They’ll discourage you, and paralyze you with their fears and unbelief. They will misunderstand you. They’ll pump you full of negative words. Give them general answers if they ask you what you’re doing with your life.

12. Action your plans – Nothing will happen until you act. Don’t wait until everything is picture-perfect before you make deliberate movements to see your dreams materialize. Start now – Where you are and with what you have. Accomplishing your dreams is a journey. You must start it with the first step. But if you take baby steps, everyday, it would amaze you how much distance you’ve covered in time.

Roger Ali Bocus is the author of ten (10) books, a motivational speaker & counselor. Roger is also the President of The Literary Crusaders: A non-profit organization whose mission is to effect positive and lasting change in the lives of its readers, through the power of the written word.

Come on, admit it. You have some secret dreams and things you’ve always wanted to do that are lurking in the back of your mind. Life came along and many of those dreams got filed away, but sometimes you still take them out and wistfully look at them, like old jewelry in a drawer. But life is too short to permanently postpone doing things you’ve always wanted to do.

“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

from The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware

Of course I’m not talking about throwing your family under the bus and going off to live on a tropical island that you dreamed of at the age of seven. But I believe that many of our dreams are given to us because they are part of our destiny. We are drawn to things that are part of who we are and what we are meant to do. We don’t want to get to the end of our lives and realize that we should have, would have, could have.

Of course circumstances happen that we didn’t plan on, and we end up delaying or denying our dreams. Love demands sacrifice at times–we all know that.

Why Women Give Up on Things They Always Wanted to Do

But before you immediately start listing the reasons why you can’t possibly do anything about your dreams, let’s step back and look at a few reasons why women give up on things they always wanted to do (not including truly necessary circumstances):

They don’t think they deserve anything good.
They figure “Why hope, it never happens.”
They get overwhelmed by everything that would have to be done.
They have so neglected themselves, they have forgotten their dreams.
They are waiting for someone else to make their dreams come true.

Ahem. Can I say “been there, done that?”

Finally Doing Some Things That I Always Wanted to Do

Without getting into counseling and analysis and preaching, let’s just say that in recent years I’ve finally done some things that I always wanted to do:

Went to Disneyland
Went on a cruise
Became a T-Tapp Trainer
Started a blog
Wrote a book (actually, several)

How did these things happen? Most of them, one step at a time:

Went to Disneyland (our daughter lived in the San Diego area, so we were able to go when we visited her)
Went on a cruise (saved up, actually made the reservation and went for an anniversary)
Became a T-Tapp Trainer (started with a CPR cert, then a personal trainer cert, and eventually a Mentoring program)
Started a blog (started with one post on Blogspot)
Wrote a book (actually, several) (started with my story of losing 100 pounds)

My current “Always Wanted To” is to learn to take decent photos. It may sound silly, but remember that I spent many years holding the baby while other people took pictures. When I was growing up, we just didn’t do photos. For years I’ve said things like “I am NOT a photographer” or “I am terrible at taking pictures!” Yet deep down I always wanted to. So I’ve decided to take it out of dreamland and make it a goal.

Tips for Doing Things You’ve Always Wanted to Do

Here are some steps that have served me well in the past to make a dream come true:

Decide I’m going to do this. A decision is actually where it all begins. It’s where you quit making excuses and stop saying you don’t deserve it.

Get started. Really. I could have spent months researching cameras and fretting over whether I should get a point-and-shoot or DSLR. Instead, I did a reasonable amount of research, asked around and decided to start small and non-overwhelming. I bought a camera and ignored the little voice asking “But what if…?” But I’ll admit it took me a few days to actually open it. 🙂

Start small. Besides buying a less-expensive camera, I’m playing with it to get familiar with the functions. Too many times we postpone a dream because we’re waiting for a huge life shift when we can finally spend hours and thousands of dollars. Doing some is better than hoping to do a lot someday.

Change my language. And I don’t mean that I started speaking Spanish. I am no longer saying things to myself like “You’re giving the camera to the wrong person!” I am not saying out loud “I’ll NEVER learn to take pictures.” Instead, I’m thinking about how great it’s going to be when I can take good photos. I’m telling myself “I’m learning to use this camera well.” I’m saying “I’m learning about lighting and composition.” Words matter.

Keep the vision before me. I’m working on a vision board right now. It won’t be fancy or big, just a piece of card stock with stickers and pictures printed and cut out. It will have photos that represent dreams and goals. You can bet that I’ve already found a photo of the exact model of my camera. Whenever I glance at the picture hanging above my desk, it will remind me and inspire me to keep learning and building my skill.

This all sounds simple and it actually is. When we talk ourselves into making things complicated and impossible-looking, we never get started. It’s actually a way of blocking and protecting ourselves. Fear keeps us from starting. That ought to make us mad enough to do something about it.

What’s something you’ve always wanted to do? What are some things you’ve finally done?

By Shawn LeBrun | Submitted On November 19, 2005

In just a moment, I am going to give you the key that will
unlock any fitness goal you may have now or any goal you may have in the future.

It is the secret to permanent fat loss, muscle gain, and getting an incredible physique.

No magic, no potions, no screaming “Eureka, I’ve Found It!”
No fluff, just a fact.

Are you ready for this key, the one that will unlock the door to becoming the best bodybuilder you possibly can be?

O.K. here it comes. Want to sit down for it? The key to getting the body you’ve always wanted is:

Yes, getting in shape, being more muscular and stronger than most people is simply a choice that you make.

In fact, I could end this article with that said (some of you probably wish that I would 😉

Anything you want in life, any goal or desire can be yours if you simply choose to go after it. Things just do not fall into place naturally and without effort.

Yes, they do fall, just not where you want them to. You must first “think” of what it is you want and then choose to go after it.

And if you do not get what you want? Try it again.

Like the back of the shampoo bottle says, “Lather, Rinse, Repeat.” Keep at it until you kill it and claim it.

Forget blame. Forget victim talk. Forget excuses.

If you want it, choose to get it. After you choose it, if you are persistent enough and work hard enough, whatever you wish for can be yours.

Want to shed some body fat? Choose to.

Want to gain muscle mass? Choose to.

Increase your strength or start eating better? Choose to.

Life boils down to a series of choices. The better choices you make, the better your life will be.

You can choose to do cardio or you can choose that piece of cheesecake. You can choose to get behind the wheel after drinking or you can choose to hand the keys to a friend.

Some of the choices you make have a long lasting and dramatic impact on your life forever.

So, for any of the young aspiring bodybuilders out there, I guarantee if you make better choices now, you will cut out years of trial and error!

Bottom line, if you choose to go after something, you can be assured that it’s within your reach because others have already accomplished it.

Any problem that you may face in life, chances are that someone has faced it and has already battled and conquered it. Just follow what it is they did to come out on top.

If getting the body you’ve always desired is one of your priorities, you can rest assured that many others have already done it.

So the question of whether or not it’s possible is not an issue. It’s just your turn to go get it.

The choices we make dictate the lives we lead. Where you are today is the result of all the choices you have made up to this point.

If you want better, you must make better choices. You can either move ahead or stay behind.

The choice is yours.

Personal trainer and natural bodybuilder Shawn LeBrun shows you how to lose fat, build muscle, and get in the best shape of your life, in the fastest way possible. Check out Simple Steps To Get Huge And Shredded to learn more.