”Hi there, dear dreamer. Time to take some action.”

If there would be a picture in the dictionary of a dreamer I’m pretty sure there would be a picture of me. I’m the dreamiest of all dreamers. I dream day and night. Night and day. And while in my dreams I find myself dreaming. Yes I believe you get the point. And as I very much enjoy being a dreamer, there’s this part of me that now would love to take some damn action.

What can I do this month that will bring me one step closer to where I want to be?

Setting daily, weekly or monthly intentions is a great way in order to achieve the desired goals you have in life.

Many people are afraid of setting both short and long term goals. Goal setting is avoided because one is afraid of failure, and scared to let oneself down if the goals aren’t achieved. Things not working out the way you planned is not failure. You learn from everything you go through in life. Regret, however, is a feeling that should be avoided at all costs. I’ve always been inspired by courageous and ambitious humans. Humans that take action and believe in themselves. I like to think that there’s a human like that somewhere inside of me, however far I need to dig in order to find her.

WOOP

I’ve read about a theory called WOOP by Gabriele Oettingen (a Professor of Psychology at New York University and the University of Hamburg). This theory got me interested, and I would like to bring it to practise in order to see if it would help me reach my goals.

What is WOOP?

According to the site woopmylife.org ”WOOP is a science-based mental strategy that people can use to find and fulfill their wishes, set preferences, and change their habits.”

WOOP is an acronym for:

WISH: What is your most important wish or concern in your life? Pick a wish that is challenging for you but that you can fulfill.

OUTCOME: What would be the best thing, the best outcome about fulfilling your wish? How would fulfilling your wish make you feel?

Now take a moment and imagine the outcome. Imagine things fully.

OBSTACLE: What is it within you that holds you back from fulfilling your wish? What is it in you that stands in the way of you fulfilling your wish? What is your main inner obstacle?

Now take a moment and imagine your obstacle. Imagine things fully.

PLAN: Make an if-then Plan. What can you do to overcome your obstacle? Name one action you can take or one thought you can think to overcome your obstacle.

“The solution isn’t to do away with dreaming and positive thinking. Rather, it’s making the most of our fantasies by brushing them up against the very thing most of us are taught to ignore or diminish: the obstacles that stand in our way.”

– Gabriele Oettingen

Source: woopmylife.org

Setting goals bring happiness

The purpose behind goal setting can be seen as bringing more happiness into life. Firstly, it helps us focus on the things that are important to us, in other words it helps us draw attention away from things that are irrelevant. Secondly, setting goals makes us feel alive and energetic and helps us strive for the things we wish to accomplish. Moreover, it helps us become more enduring and patient. And last but not least, goal setting makes us look for, and create, strategies in order to achieve the desired goals.

Do understand that happiness is not achieved solely by achieving the goal, but through carrying out, and putting into action, one’s potential, skills and talents.

Mindfulness practises for setting & achieving goals

Writing & visualizing. The more specific you are about your goals the better. Write them down, try to be as clear and precise as possible. I strongly believe that putting words, goals – the desired future – on paper will take you one step closer to achieving your dreams. However, this is where I ususally end up, not moving forward – while I love writing about a desired outcome I sometimes struggle with actually doing something to achieve it. Nevertheless, now I’ll start incorporating the obstacles as well as an if-then plan, and hopefully that will make me move past the limiting beliefs and fears I hold inside.

Challenge thyself. Do something that scares you, and watch your confidence grow. It’s very easy to fall into a rut; routines become such a natural part of every day life, and all of a sudden, we stop challenging ourselves. Growth is inevitable in order to achieve goals. We have to push ourselves to do things that make us nervous and terrified (in a good way).

With this being said, as soon as that fear start kicking in I’ll start focusing on being fully present in what I’m doing. Furthermore, I’ll remind myself of how rewarding and satisfying it will feel once I’ve achieved my goals.

I wish you the bestest of luck on your journey towards achieving your goals.

❤