What Makes Your Dreams Come True? by Joan Y. Edwards
Recently, I talked with my daughter, Lorrie, my friend, Linda, and my grandson, Wyatt, about what it takes to make a dream come true and what causes a dream to remain unfulfilled, never accomplished, and never experienced.
Many people have dreams, goals, aims, hopes, desires, and wishes that come true; Why? Some don’t. Why not?
Let’s get personal here. Why do some of your dreams come true?
I believe everyone is unstoppable in some areas. What areas are unstoppable for you? Write them down. What makes you unstoppable? This is what helps make your dreams come true.
Reasons Why Some of Your Dreams Come True
Inner and Outer Belief – Trust – Determination – Action – Commitment – Abundance of what you need (Time, Money, Energy, Plans) – Other Positive Forces
Reasons why some of your dreams might not come true is the inner and outer battle with negative forces and life events and experiences (loss of a loved one; loss of a job; loss of personal health, loss of friend; loss of belief in yourself). What happens?
You lose energy and/or stamina to continue to reach goal.
Abandon goal, Stay in Place, No action, Loss, Disappointment, Guilt, Fear, Lack of Time, Money, Energy, Plans, Commitment, Resources, etc.
1. You lose faith in yourself. You stop believing you can achieve this goal. Someone or something stomped the spark out that fueled your belief.
2. You stop taking action that will lead you to your goal. You abandon your mission. You no longer take action to make your dream come true.
Why did you stop taking action?
a. You no longer believe you can achieve the goal.
b. You no longer want to achieve the goal.
c. You lack the energy to achieve the goal.
d. You don’t know how to make it come true any more.
e. You lack the resources to achieve your goal.
f. Your initial plan didn’t work and you don’t know how to get to your goal.
g. You don’t trust yourself to make the right decisions to get you to your goal.
h. You are afraid of what will happen if you achieve your goal or if you don’t achieve your goal. Your fear overpowers your belief.
i. You feel you are not in control.
If you’ve stopped reaching for your goal, what can you do now?
Your hope is not gone. It is hidden. Revive and rekindle the love and ambition you had for your goal at an earlier time in your life.
If your goal needs to be tweaked a little or changed a lot, you are wise and will make the right decisions. You will create a new plan to reach your goal.
Be willing to try again. Be willing to learn new ways and new skills. Be willing to change. Be willing to look for solutions that excite you and that you believe will work.
Empower yourself. Look in the mirror. Say good things to yourself. Use my dictionary of positive words and influences below this article. Choose the words that peak your interest and seem to speak to you. Say I am capable, I can do this. I have an abundance of everything I need. I truly want to make this happen. I am dedicated to accomplish this goal. I also put negative words that might influence your goal achievements or stop you in your tracks.
Sad or Bad Past Life Experiences may be hampering your present experiences. You may have a deep fear of doing that and not realize why. Have you put off taking a long trip that you’ve always said you wanted to take?
I think sometimes an earlier sad or bad experience on a former trip might make you afraid of doing it.
One summer after my first husband, Alvin, and I took a fun two week trip out west to see Yellowstone National Park and to visit with relatives who lived on the west coast. When we returned from our vacation, Alvin got fired from his job. We never did take long vacations after that. We visited family and places on the east coast, and that was it. We didn’t plan it that way. We never talked about it.
Sometimes you might take a trip and end up in the hospital which could make you afraid to take a trip. This happened to Carl, but we talked about it. Talk about what you will do if this happens. If it’s happened to you, talking about it might help move the elephant out of the way.
It was a subconscious fear that took over. In writing screenplays and novels, they talk about subtext or the elephant that is in the room but you can’t see him. No one is talking about it, but it’s there. That’s what this subconscious fear is.
You might not realize you are afraid. However, you don’t take steps to make the trip happen. It becomes only an “empty dream.” One that you never take action to make happen because your underlying fears stop you in your tracks.
However, even the possibility of an “empty dream” ( A dream you never take action to accomplish) can remain a hope in your heart, a possibility. Even, if you don’t act on it or it never comes true, it is that “hope” and “possibility” that may still keep you going because you never realize that an “elephant fear” is stopping you.
What fuels achieving your dreams?
Belief
Cost: money, time, energy, plan, action
Control
Want it versus need it
Fear of unknown
Questions that come to your mind.
What if you don’t enjoy it?
What if you can’t control it?
Will your expectations come true?
FEARS
How do you fight fear?
Life throws you a curve ball with a loss in health, job, or financial, or other resources, what can you do?
Have faith that you will figure out new ways to continue to get new jobs. You will figure out how to still go places in spite of any health limitations.
You have fears. However, outweigh your fears with a fervent belief in the possibility of a goal. Fears can be outweighed by your firm desire to get up and go. You have a strong faith that you will figure out a way to accomplish what you want to do in spite of any limitations of your health or your job. Your faith helps you fulfill your dreams. Faith overcomes fear.
Watch and listen to the words that you speak. They are powerful links to what you believe in your subconscious mind. Here’s a story to explain what I mean.
One day my late husband, Carl said, “I get sick every Christmas.”
Whoa! What a proclamation! I asked him, “Did you hear what you said? He looked at me and shook his head. You said, “I get sick every Christmas.”
I asked him if that was something he wanted to happen. He said, “No.”
So he changed his words to, “I am well every Christmas.”
Listen for words spouted from your mouth:
“I can’t…”
“I never get to…”
“I always …”
“I never get a break.”
“If it’s not one thing, it is another.”
Use these words instead:
I can do what others think is impossible.
Sometimes I get to…
I am safe.
I have an abundance of all I need.
I can find a solution that makes things better.
Write down three positive and three negative words that speak to you. Use these in writing the steps to reach your goals. If you know of an elephant that may be stopping you or causing you to “run in place,” write it down. Talk about it. Pray about it. Write a way to calm you so you go forward with a firm belief and enthusiasm for your goal.
Below I have put a dictionary of positive words and also negative words.
Remember above all to pray to God and be thankful for all that you have. I believe that God will help you achieve your dreams. He is the one who put them on your heart.
Dictionary for Achievers
– Most of these definitions come from Oxford Languages on Google or Merriam Webster
Positive Words that might help you get to your goals and make your dreams come true.
Abundance – plenty, enough for what you need and some left over to share.
Achievable – able to be reached; able to make happen.
Action – the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim.
Aim– have the intention of achieving; direct a course, aspire, intend
Amuse – make laugh, entertain
Attainable – reachable, achievable
Befriend yourself – a practice of self-compassion and kindness to oneself.
Belief – trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something.
Believe – to accept something as true, genuine, or real ideals.
Confidence – Great faith in oneself.
Continue – persist in an activity or process.
Commitment – an agreement or pledge to do something in the future; emotionally impelled.
Compel – to drive or urge forcefully or irresistibly
Dedication – self-sacrificing devotion and loyalty
Delight – please greatly, charm, captivate.
Design – a plan.
Desire – a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen.
Determination – firmness of purpose; resoluteness.
Deter – discourage (someone) from doing something by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences.
Dream – a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.
Driven – (of a person) relentlessly compelled by the need to accomplish a goal; very hard-working and ambitious.
Expectation – a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.
Fact – a thing that is known or proved to be true.
Faith – commitment of strong trust and confidence in something or someone.
Firm – strongly felt and unlikely to change.
Enjoy – take delight or pleasure in (an activity or occasion).
Entertain – provide (someone) with amusement or enjoyment.
Essential – absolutely necessary; cannot happen without.
Expectation – a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.
Essential – necessary, indispensable; unavoidable
Flinch – make a quick, nervous movement as an instinctive reaction to fear, pain, or surprise.
Goal – the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.
Gut feeling – an instinctive feeling, as opposed to an opinion based on facts; a strong belief about someone or something that cannot completely be explained and does not have to be decided by reasoning.
Hang on – wait.
Hang in there – said as a way of telling someone to not give up, despite difficulties.
Help – to make it possible or easier for someone to do something, by doing part of the work yourself or by providing advice, money, support, etc.
Hold on – to make yourself continue to do what you are doing or stay where you are although it is difficult or unpleasant.
Hope – a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
Impel – impart motion to; move to action
Inner voice – Also referred to as “internal dialogue,” “the voice inside your head,” or an “inner voice,” your internal monologue is the result of certain brain mechanisms that cause you to “hear” yourself talk in your head without actually speaking and forming sounds.
inspiration – the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative; spurred on to reach a goal.
Instruct – teach (someone) a subject or skill.
Intent – adjective: resolved or determined to do (something).
Lasting – Adjective. lasting, permanent, durable, stable mean enduring for so long as to seem fixed or established. lasting implies a capacity to continue indefinitely.
Necessity – is required or indispensable
Need – a thing that is wanted or required.
Never give up – to keep trying and never stop working for your goals.
Objective – a thing aimed at or sought; a goal.
Opinion – a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
Optimistic hopeful and confident about the future.
Passion – strong and barely controllable emotion of love or enthusiasm.
Persevere – continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.
Persist – continue firmly or obstinately in an opinion or a course of action in spite of difficulty, opposition, or failure.
Persistent – continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty, opposition, or failure.
Plan a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something; an intention or decision about what one is going to do.
Propel – drive forward
Promise (noun) – a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.
Promise (verb) – assure someone that one will definitely do, give, or arrange something; undertake or declare that something will happen.
Purpose – the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists; one’s intention or objective.
Reachable – able to be achieved.
Reality – the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them.
Recharge – to make a new attack; to regain energy or spirit; to become charged again.
Relentless – constant; never giving up
Resolute -admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering.
Result – a consequence, effect, or outcome of an action.
Reward – something offered or given for some service or attainment of a job or goal
Save – keep safe or rescue (someone or something) from harm or danger; keep and store up (something, especially money) for future use.
Statement – a definite or clear expression of something in speech or writing.; an official account of facts, views, or plans, especially of someone.
Surprise – a welcome, unexpected or astonishing event, fact, or thing.
Trust – rely upon; firm belief in the reliability, strength, or ability or strength of someone
Unstoppable – Unable to be stopped or prevented; impossible to stop or prevent.
Unflinching – not showing fear or hesitation in the face of danger or difficulty.
Unwavering – steady or resolute; not wavering.
Want – have a desire to possess or do (something); wish for.
Wish – feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that is not easily attainable; want something that cannot or probably will not happen
Negative Words that might hamper achieving a goal
Abandon – stop supporting; give up completely (a course of action, a practice, or a way of thinking
Challenging – too difficult
Criticism – the expression of disapproval based on perceived thoughts or opinions; disapproval.
Dead End – an end of a road or passage from which no exit is possible.
Detour – a long or roundabout route that is taken to avoid something or to visit somewhere along the way.
Disappointment – sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one’s hopes or expectations.
Disbelief – doubt
Distrust – the feeling that someone or something cannot be relied upon
Doubt – a feeling of uncertainty; disbelieve; fear
Excuse – a reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense.
Give up – cease making an effort; resign oneself to failure.
Guilt – feelings of deserving blame especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy
Lack – not enough; inadequate; deficient
Loss = he state or feeling of grief when deprived of someone or something of value
Negative self-talk – any inner dialogue that might limit your ability to believe in yourself and your own abilities to reach your potential. It is any thought that reduces you and your ability to make positive changes in your life or your confidence in your ability to do so.
No action – do nothing
Pessimistic – tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen.
Quit – end activity; stop; leave
Self-Sabotage – when you unintentionally destroy yourself physically, mentally, or emotionally or hinder your success and wellbeing by hindering the reach of personal goals and values.
Self-Reproach – harsh criticism or disapproval of oneself especially for wrongdoing.
Shock – a sudden upsetting or surprising event or experience
Stop – cause an action, process, or event to come to an end; quit..
Unnecessary – not essential
Wavering – to vacillate irresolutely between choices : fluctuate in opinion, allegiance, or direction; hesitating in choice of opinions or course of action; undecide.
Wishy Washy – not able to make a clear decision
Please leave a comment. Let me know if any of my ideas help you. Share what helps you achieve your goals or what stops you in your tracks. Good luck in reaching your goals and dreams! May God bless you.
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards, Author
Books Available for purchase:
1. Flip Flap Floodle Firebird Book Award Winner Will this little duck’s song save him from Mr. Fox?
2. Joan’s Elder Care Guide Practical ways to help make things easier for you and your elder. (I am updating and revising now.)
Copyright © 2009-2022 Joan Y. Edwards
Subscribe to Joan’s blog for new articles of inspiration, information, and humor. Let her know if there’s a topic you would like for her to cover. Receive free gifts. Join over 262 subscribers and over 1,730,086 visitors. Thank ou.
Resources
Joan Y. Edwards. “Be Excited Each Day to Work on Your Goals:” https://www.joanyedwards.com/be-excited-each-day-to-work-on-your-goals/
Joan Y. Edwards. “Write Down Your Goals:” https://www.joanyedwards.com/write-down-your-goals/
Les Fee from a Fee Funeral Home in Alberta, Canada says Write out your plan. Have a physical plan in front of you. Not only an idea in your mind, but also something tangible that you can hold in your hand or hang on the wall.
Les Fee also says, “Goal setting will allow you to challenge the negativity and move forward to positivity.”