About Mike Reeves-McMillanI often quote Henry David Thoreau’s famous words: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” But there’s an assumption inherent there: that you know the direction of your dreams, and that you’ve clearly imagined a life different from your current one.
Perhaps you already know what you dream of and how to get there. But if not, here are some ways to clarify your dreams and goals and start to put yourself on track to their fulfillment.
1. The Huck and Tom Technique: Imagine yourself hiding at your own funeral and listening in (like Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer).
What would you want people to say?
What do you think they would actually say?
Your goal: to reduce the difference between the two.
2. Desert Island Everything: In the famous and very long-running BBC programme Desert Island Discs, celebrities are asked what 8 pieces of music, one book and one luxury they would take with them to a desert island. This technique is an expansion of that.
Imagine that some powerful alien or angel has confronted you with a choice. Everything you have, everything you are, everything you do is in question, all your relationships, all your possessions, your occupation, even key things about your character. You only get to keep a certain number – let’s say 10.
First write down the things about yourself that you think define you now, that you could start talking about in a sentence beginning “I have…”. Give yourself 20 minutes and write down as many as you can think of.
Now you have another 20 minutes to get the list down to the 10 things that mean the most to you.
Finally, take a third 20 minutes (for an hour in total) to reflect on:
- what your long list says about your dreams and goals,
- what your short list says about your dreams and goals,
- what you have now that you can do without,
- what you will spend more time and effort on, and
- what might be missing.
3. The Perfect Day: There’s a post right here on Change Your Thoughts (What is Your Perfect Day) that can help you with this one. Imagine the best day of your life. Who do you spend time with? What are you doing? What enables you to do this? This exercise gives you great insight into your dreams and goals.
4. The Awesome List: Catherine Caine at Be Awesome Online came up with this one. Write out a no-holds-barred list of what your life would look like if it was completely awesome.
Now think about which of the things on that list are within your reach right now.
5. The Wise Advisor: This one requires cultivating a trance state, and isn’t for those who find it hard to shut off their critical thinking.
First, get yourself thoroughly relaxed. You can do this by a number of methods. Here’s an especially simple one:
Take three deep breaths, and with each breath out, allow your body and mind to relax more and more.
Now imagine you’re at the top of a set of 10 stairs. As you walk slowly down the stairs, you become more and more deeply relaxed, and your thoughts start to drift.
Your attention narrows down and focuses just on one question: What is my best advice to myself?
Now allow your inner advisor, the part of yourself that knows yourself best, to speak to you. It sounds spooky, but it needn’t be. Some people find that their inner advisor comes with an image of a wise older person or even an animal, others just hear a voice.
Hear the advisor out, without criticising or judging. Then bring yourself back to your usual level of alert consciousness, and write down what the advisor said.
Try one or more of those techniques, and you’ll be much clearer on what changes you most want to make in life. The next step, of course, is to get started on the changes, removing any obstacles between yourself and your dreams and goals and pursuing them persistently until you achieve them.
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There’s another great question you can also ask yourself – What do I love? And go from there.
Keep asking it and also the question “What would love do now?”
Carpe Dream!
Sean M Kelly
Sean M Kelly recently posted..How to Harmonize with Spirit
Thanks, Sean, those are excellent questions!
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Hi Mike,
Wonderful advice here.
I like the wise advisor. I’ve heard stories of people who received sage counsel from older folks or as you note, even animals. It’s amazing how the universe chooses the perfect individual messenger to make an impact.
I find clarity in silence. By meditating frequently I am continually reminded of why I am here. The ego’s whining is silenced and I am free to spend my entire day pursuing my clearly-defined dreams.
Thanks for sharing
Ryan
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..A New Way to Comment- Get on the Clock!
Thank you, Ryan.
Silence is scary at first, but it’s a great way to get ourselves out of our own way and let the clarity come through.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Hi Mike. I love all of these techniques, but for some reason the one about the funeral stuck in my mind. I also plan to try the one with the powerful alien. The idea of narrowing down to 10 important parts of my life is interesting, for lack of a better word to describe the way I feel about it. I can’t wait to give this a try. Thanks so much for the great post.
Nea | Self Improvement Saga recently posted..Inspirational Words- Living Life
You’re very welcome, Nea. I’d love to know how you get on.
It’s a classic question of literature: Who is this person when everything is stripped away? With that technique, you don’t have to have it actually stripped away in order to find out, which is kind of a bonus.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Recentenly came across another great question ‘what is my unique gift that is truly me, that I give to others’. My answer was listening , acceptance and compassion. And am now discovering that my work lies somewhere therein.
That is a good one. I’ve heard it phrased as “What can I offer the world that nobody else can,” but I think your phrasing is less intimidating.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Hi Mike. My dream used to be to find the truth and the meaning of life. But somewhere along the way and when I kind of gave up, to be honest, I found stillness. The silence one of your commentators just mentioned.
Amazing thing is I find in this ever-present stillness all the happiness and peace I longed for. Thanks for the post and for the Thoreau quote, he was a pioneer wasn’t he?
Christopher Foster recently posted..A buoyant heart is a happy heart
There’s a lot in stillness, isn’t there? Sometimes we discover that what we thought we were looking for isn’t really what we wanted. I’m glad you’ve found that out.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Hi Mike!
I really enjoyed the links you provided, and have already forwarded the article to a couple of friends who I think would like it.
My favorite would definitely the “Be Awesome List”
Parker Lee recently posted..Welcome to my Reality
That’s great, Parker, thanks.
The Awesome List is simple but super-effective, like most of what Catherine does.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Thank you Mike, this post came at a very good time. Because I feel I have lost focus on my dream at the moment so I need to refocus. These were some new techniques that might help with that.
Tom Sörhannus recently posted..How To Make Your Holiday Responsible And Fun
I’m always happy to be the agent of good timing. Enjoy the techniques!
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Mike, these are great techniques–thanks for sharing the link to the Awesome List. I like that one. I never did it any formal way, but I clarified my wants by writing out my ideal life, and I actually listen to a tape of it often. Makes me feel great and helps me prioritize what I’m doing with my days.
Ande Waggener recently posted..Can Your Past Negative Energy Bite You On The Butt
That’s a good addition – a recording in your own voice can be very motivational.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Hi Mike,
Thanks for sharing this. I’ve heard and tried the first two on your list, but not the the other three. Should be fun to try.
Thanks, Harry – enjoy, and please come back and comment again to let us know how it goes.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Hi Mike,
These are brilliant especially because they seem like fun and enjoyable exercises. Ones you’d really love to dig into. Thanks for gathering these for us.
Sandra Lee recently posted..How I Focus – 10 Practical Tips
Thank you, Sandra, I aim to make the techniques as vivid and attractive as possible – especially since I’m incorporating these into my stop-procrastinating course, so they need to overcome a degree of inertia.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Doing these exercises can potentially be very enlightening. It helps us focus rightaway to what’s important. Thanks for the suggestions!
Evelyn Lim recently posted..Inspirational Story- The Rich Merchant in a Tsunami
Thanks, Evelyn – where you put your attention changes your life experience, that’s my continual message.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
I love the idea of listening in on your own funeral. The most enduring thing we can leave behind is our own unique conversation. I feel my ultimate purpose here on planet earth is to leave behind a conversation that can lift humanity up a notch. If I can do this, my life’s work has been a success.
rob white recently posted..Fussing and Insisting
Thanks, Rob, I feel much the same.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
We have one technique we use.
You ask yourself, “In one year, what has to happen for me to be satisfied with the progress in my life.”
We ask the same question about 3 years as well. Really puts things in perspective.
Bryce Christiansen recently posted..10 Pesonal Growth Lessons From Thanksgiving
Sounds a bit like my Motivational Time Tour technique, where you imagine the future that you’re going to get with your current actions, then the future that you want, and work back to the actions that will get you the better future. Thanks, Bryce.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Hello Mike, really enjoyed the list.
The Wise Adviser sounds eerily interesting, i think i will try that one out for myself.
I like to stare up at the Moon on a clear night and imagine the entire population lives there whilst i am down here alone. This exercise gives me a different perspective on whatever i am facing in my life. i then imagine i will be traveling up to the moon (in my mind, the moon of course is habitable) the very next day to and contemplate what changes i will be making to my life when i get there.
Declan recently posted..Gratitude is so important
Thanks, Declan – imagination is a powerful thing, and getting a different perspective (any different perspective) will often shake us out of a rut.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..8 Action Takers Tell Us How They Deal With Procrastination
Mike,
A great summary of techniques to clarify our dreams and passions into do-able steps to achieve.
It is such a shame that people often dream about completing the preparation work! There is so much power in actually exploring and spending time doing this incredible work.
Thank you so much for sharing Mike.
Thank you, Juanita. That, I think, is the key point. Work is what works. That’s why they call it that.
Sadly, most of us want the fairy-dust answer that doesn’t require us to do anything.
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..Stop Procrastinating- Start Succeeding course is live
Great techniques Mike.
You have reminded me of the following….
When we were born, we signed up for the greatest life we were ever going to live. The team is called humanity and the coach is called experience. And the only way we will ever get experience is by getting experience.
However, a lot of people never actually step up to the plate to bat. I am challenged today to grab life in both hands. We mustn’t hesitate. We must do something out of the usual. If we’ve never fished, go fish. If we’ve never dropped free fall from an enormous height, like a bungee jumper, then fall. But whatever we do, we must not die before we’ve really lived.
Peter G. James Sinclair recently posted..How To Live Creatively
That’s excellent, Peter. “The only way we will ever get experience is by getting experience.”
I’m going to be spending a bit of time between now and the end of the year blogging about challenge and stepping up. I’ve taken on a couple of new things myself that I’m excited about – and life is a lot richer when we’re challenged, isn’t it?
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..Stop Procrastinating- Start Succeeding course is live
I’ve been trying to track down a great list like this and I happened upon this. These exercises can benefit just about anyone and everyone. Thanks so much for posting, I’ll definitely be putting them into action!
Thanks, Charlotte, glad to be of help. It’s good to know that at least one person was actively looking for this!
Mike Reeves-McMillan recently posted..How You Can Live Skillfully and Change Your Life