{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"T.A. Watson.","provider_url":"https:\/\/tawatson.com","author_name":"Dr. Tommy Watson","author_url":"https:\/\/tawatson.com\/author\/admin\/","title":"Are You Staying Motivated to Live Your Dream in 2017?","html":"\r\nThomas Watson Sr. (no relation) was 40 years old when he took over as general manager of a little known manufacturing company that processed meat slicers, time clocks, and simple tabulators. He had a dream and a vision for a machine that could process and store information before the computer became a reality. To move the company toward his dream and vision, he renamed the company, International Business Machine Corporation or IBM. In an interview he would later give after the success of the company, he was asked, \u201cWhat point did you envision the company becoming successful?\u201d, he simply responded, \u201cAt the very beginning\u201d.\r\n\r\nThomas Watson Sr. had a dream that he turned into a reality. Vision begins with imagination, joined with the belief that the dream will come to fruition. This is what many of us call faith.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\nHelen Keller was asked in an interview what was worse than being blind. \u201cHaving eyesight and no vision,\u201d she responded. Victor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor,\u00a0spoke to an audience during an engagement,\u00a0\u201cWhat kept me alive in a situation where others had given up hope and died, was the dream that someday I\u2019d be here telling you how I survived the concentration camps.\u201d His vision and dream allowed him to overcome the horrific concentration camps and share his experience with the world.\r\n\r\nWe must visualize our dream and envision it unfolding. We must become so dedicated to our dream and vision, that we don\u2019t let anything disrupt the goal of obtaining it. Our dreams open up the doors to our reality. Our futures must be envisioned\u00a0before becoming reality.\r\n\r\nThere is power in words. The words, \u201cI have a dream,\u201d from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. touched the hearts of millions of listeners and prompted a belief that anything was possible.\r\n\r\nThe power of dreaming or envisioning a positive\u00a0reality has been taught to athletes in the form of positive mental imagery to galvanize peak performance for years. Anticipating and dreaming of the future guides individuals toward that outcome, be it positive\u00a0or negative.\r\n\r\nWhen we dream about our future and identify individuals living out similar dreams, it is critical that we get the full perspective on the journey they endured to accomplish their dreams.\r\n\r\nIn a recent interview, I was asked, what is the number one factor that prevents others from reaching their dreams of success? I responded by stating that:\r\n\r\n\"Many people enjoy seeing and hearing about the success of others. Often times we hear all about the GLORY (what went well) of success; however, we don\u2019t hear about the GRIT (what went wrong) of success. We don\u2019t hear about the price that individuals had to pay to achieve success. Therefore, when many individuals say they want to achieve something- they do not know the GOOD, BAD, and UGLY of a person\u2019s journey so they end up ill prepared. Being ill prepared prevents individuals from having the resilience needed to get beyond the many barriers that are a prerequisite to succeeding.\"\r\n\r\nIn fact, when I began my journey into the world of entrepreneurship, I spent time meeting with entrepreneurs who had been successful and those who had not been successful.\u00a0 The ones who had not been successful would say, \u201cTommy, I started my business, this went wrong, that went wrong, and that was enough for me. I stopped.\u201d The person who was the successful entrepreneur said, \u201cTommy, I started my business, this went wrong, that went wrong, this went wrong again, that went wrong again, and I stayed with it. I kept going.\u201d It did not take long for me to solely focus my meetings with only those entrepreneurs who had been successful.\r\n\r\n(Read the interview in its entirety: http:\/\/dreamstothings.blogspot.com\/2013\/02\/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-ja-x.html)\r\n\r\nKnowing the full story behind a person\u2019s journey will keep us motivated to stay after that dream during times of GRIT and have a deeper appreciation for moments of GLORY.\r\n\r\n\r\nHere are some questions to consider as you prepare to stay motivated to reach your dreams in 2017:\r\nWhat makes your dream come alive for you? \u00a0 \u00a0\r\nWhat makes you yearn to fulfill your dream? \u00a0 \u00a0\r\nWhat three\u00a0accomplishments would make you feel as though you have come close to your dream in 2017?\r\nWho are the people who will support you as you reach your dream in 2017?\r\nWhat have you already started putting in place toward your dream in 2017?\r\nWhat part\u00a0of your dream could you begin working on now?\r\nIf your dream were to become a reality today, how would it feel? What would you do to celebrate?\r\nWhat makes you feel proud and capable to pursue your dream in 2017?\r\n(Orem, S., Binkert, J., Clancy, A., 2007. Appreciative Coaching)\r\n\r\n\r\nBe Inspired,\r\n\r\n\r\nDr. Inspiration\r\n","type":"rich"}