LIFE Tip- It's Your Life You Get to Choose: 7 Tools to Help You Get What You Want

by Marilyn Tam

Huffpost

Waiting for something or someone to give you what you want in your life is abdication of your free will and choice. Yet we've all had occasions when we thought: "If only I had __X___ then I'll be _____," fill in the blank with one or more of the following: happy, rich, famous, good-looking, self-assured... Wishing and hoping that some outside force will show up and do for us what we actually can do for ourselves.

"I have not always chosen the safest path. I've made my mistakes, plenty of them. I sometimes jump too soon and fail to appreciate the consequences. But I've learned something important along the way: I've learned to heed the call of my heart. I've learned that the safest path is not always the best path and I've learned that the voice of fear is not always to be trusted. -- Steve Goodier

What are the secrets of successful people who keep moving forward instead of falling into wishful thinking, fear, or despair? Having overcome daunting odds to success and happiness, and interviewing many accomplished people on how they achieved their dreams on my radio show, The Happiness Choice, let me share with you common traits to living one's dreams. These tools are available for you to use right now:

1. Acknowledge your fears. Pause when you feel scared and or hesitant about making a decision or moving forward. Review why you are feeling tentative. Run the scenario through in your mind; outline the various possible outcomes. What are the probabilities of them happening? You'll find that the most frightful ones probably won't happen, and you have solutions and/or can accept the others. Adjust your strategy and actions steps based on your new perspective.
2. Look at failure and rejections as temporary. Setbacks? Everybody encounters them; learn from them and treat them as something that will help you succeed by knowing what doesn't work. And you will find what will.
3. Seek advice and insights from mentors, people with experience, and research. What you are embarking on may have been done before in a different format, industry or situation; you can learn from them.
4. Allow your true passion and mission to guide you. Weigh the information from evaluation and research, and then make your decisions based on what your inner guide prompts you to do. Choices made according to your true purpose will motivate you to fully dedicate yourself to what you have resolved to do.
5. Smile and move your body. The weight and confusion dissipates when you take charge of your circumstances and remember that you can only change what is here now. Drop regrets for things past, and release anxiety about the future. Smiling and physical movement will bring you into the present; they disrupt the whirring thoughts in your brain.
6. Believe that you are worthwhile. Most everyone harbor thoughts that they may not be good enough, and that perhaps they don't deserve to achieve their dreams. Recognize that this is a common apprehension and affirm that indeed you are fine just as you are, and that you deserve to attain your dreams. Repeat this to yourself regularly and especially when you feel fear. Yes, you are good enough!
7. Gather support for your mission. Enlist encouragement and assistance on all levels, professionally, physically, personally, energetically and spiritually: business associates, vendors, friends, family, spiritual teachers and your global community network can help. Remember you are surrounded by advocates in many ways. You don't have to do it all on your own.

Living the life that you dreamed about is not only possible, in fact that is why you were born - to fully express your gifts, to grow and flourish and to have a happy and thriving life! It's your life you get to choose.

Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dreams. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dreams. -- Lao Tzu