Thought for the Day: As we begin this new year, do you feel like you have lost sight of your dreams? Would you like to discover what you were born to do? People who allow themselves to dare to dream tend to be happier. I want to help you find your way to have a happier life this year. Next week, I will share the Top 5 Miraculous Motivational Monday Posts from 2013, but today I want to give you something that will make a difference for those of you who have lost sight of your dreams. Since it is the beginning of a new year, it is a good time to think about where you are going, individually and as a couple. Read on, if you would like to discover what you were born to do and make it happen. It is something that I teach my clients and explain in depth in my book, The Wake Up and Dream Challenge. When I teach it to couples in therapy, I explain it to them together, but ask them to work on it individually and not to share their homework until they have both completed it. The Dream Positioning System™or DPS is a therapeutic technique that works like the GPS in your car on steroids. Unlike most New Year's Resolutions that people make with good intentions and forget relatively quickly, the DPS will start you on a path that will help you redesign your life. If you have questions feel free to post them here and I will respond.
In my book, I give far more details on why and how this has worked for my clients, however, I decided to share an abbreviated version to thank you for following my posts for the past two years with over 82,000 page views. When you program the GPS in your car to reach a destination, it can only go from point A to Point B. If you change your mind, you can add a destination in between, but basically it gives you a linear map. With the Dream Positioning System™or DPS, you must program at least 10 Dream Destinations for your life accomplishments. Once programmed you will be able to move towards multiple dreams at the same time. Here's how it works, you start by listing the aspirations and goals you wish to accomplish by the end of your life, the legacy you wish to leave behind. Then you plan backwards. Once you choose 10 (or more) whole life dreams, you imagine where you will be as you work on your them at 6 moments in time: 20 years, 10 years, 5 years, 2 years, 1 year, and 6 months from now. Finally, you make an ACT Now To Do List of things you can do tomorrow that will help you move towards each of the dreams you have mapped out. Once you choose a dream destination, you must follow it at each of the 6 markers and on the To Do List.
You begin with your wildest dreams for the future: they do not have to be realistic, but they do need to be things that you really would like to accomplish. Don't let your inner editor get in the way, simply write down the things that you would do if you had the money, time & health to do them. As you move towards the To Do List the tasks you write will become concrete and doable. Once you have completed your lists, you will be ready to start moving towards your dreams one step at a time. You should update your DPS once a year. However, you can reprogram it at any time, if you change your mind or life circumstances change significantly. (Small changes will occur on their own in the way that your GPS recalculates if you go in a slightly different direction. Be as specific as you can about a dream; i.e., don't just say you will have been healthy, say that you have been practicing a healthy life style, eating well, exercising 3 times a week, etc.
You may be surprised at the results and find creative ways to accomplish things you have not dared to dream before. Try developing your DPS this year and see where it takes you. Feel free to write to me if you have questions. I will give you additional guidance.
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