There has been nothing quiet about the beginning of 2012 and it feels as if I have lived a full 365 days in the month of January alone. In an attempt to calm the rush and re-focus on the bigger plan, we asked Dina Marais to give us some tips on how to stay true to one’s dreams and to serve as a reminder that what we focus on tends to grow…

Set yourself up to win at the game of life

1. Dream/vision that which you are passionate about.

The first prerequisite to achieve any success is to have a dream, a goal-something that you are passionate about. Something, that when you talk about it, enlivens you and serves to light up your whole being. That 'something' is a deep desire that you need to satisfy.

2. Satisfy your values

It is crucial to satisfy your values when pursuing a dream or goal. Values represent what is most important to you and they act as filters in your sub-conscious mind, in essence determining and driving your behaviour. They are your natural motivators.

3. Believe in yourself

Having a dream and passion and satisfying your values are powerful but without self-belief you may find you don’t get very far in realising your dreams. You need to believe in yourself. You need to believe in your dream and that you can achieve it. Belief empowers you to turn obstacles into opportunities and empowers you to focus on the solution and not the problem. Believing in yourself allows you to count and celebrate every action or step completed and keeps you motivated. 4. Have a Plan

Joel Barker said, “Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference.” For any goal or dream to be realised, you need a strategy, a plan on how to achieve your dream. While your vision is your big picture, breaking it down into goals and actions, gives structure to your vision. Managing goals to fruition takes focus and discipline and doing it effectively ensures specific, definite progress.

6. Take Action

Now you are ready to take action and execute your plan. Without this step, all the above is in vain. As Goethe said:” There’s magic, grace and power in action”, taking action creates movement; action produces results and it is liberating. Not taking action keeps your paralyzed and in limbo.

6. Notice results and change your actions if necessary to keep on track.

For every action we take and do not take, we create results. These results are feedback, feedback that tells you what worked and what didn’t, thereby giving you the opportunity to assess and decide on your next action to ensure you stay on track in pursuing your dream.

Dina Marais www.CoachingSelf.com