How To Make Your Wildest Dreams Come True and Still Stay a 'little bit Sane': Fifteen Principles To Realise Them

Article Title: How to Make Your Wildest Dreams Come True and Still Stay a 'little bit Sane': Fifteen Principles to Realise Them
Author Name: Craig Lock
Line Space: 65 characters
Category (key words): Success, Dreams, Self Help, Personal Growth, Inspiratio

Web site: http://www.myspace/craiglok

Other Articles are available at: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles.htmln(Personal growth, self help, writing, internet marketing, 'spiritual writings', words of inspiration and money management - how boring now, craig)

Publishing Guidelines:
We hope that the following piece may beninformative and helpful to your e-zine readers, or on your webnsite. This article may be freely reproduced electronically or innprint. If it helps others "out there" on the pathway to success,nthen we're very happy.

"We share what we know, so that we all may grow."n n *
How to Make Your Wildest Dreams Come True and Still Stay a 'little bit Sane': Fifteen Principles to Realise Them n
"I'd rather attempt something great and fail...n than try something easy + ordinary and succeed."n- inspiring words from Norman Vincent Peale n(US preacher and author)

According to Bill Gates there are 3 keys to success in any newnventure:
1) Being in the right place at the right time! (Youncould well be already there!) n
2) Have a vision of where thenindustry/business you're working in is going! nandn
3) Taking Massivenand Immediate Action! (It is time to ACT!)

"The future belongs to those who believe in the quality of thei
dreams." Was it Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, the famous Germannpoet and philosopher who said those wise words?

"Within you right now is the power to do things you never dreamednpossible. This power becomes available to you just as soon as youncan change your beliefs."n- Maxwell Maltzn
Here are my 15 steps to fulfilling my wildest dreams . . .

1. KNOW YOURSELF. Get in touch with your Higher Self. Know and accept your weaknesses and faults (wenall have them), but even more so your strengths, abilities andngifts. Build on your strengths and try to minimize or improve onnyour weaknesses; however work more on your strengths. An honest,nobjective analysis of yourself is the first step in preparing younfor success and realizing your dreams. Celebrate you for justnbeing you, a unique creation. "Each one of us has been uniquelyncreated by God and within each of us, we have certain special
'instincts' or 'natural tendencies/strengths/inclinations' ntowards certain things. When you learn to trust and rightly napply your instinct, that is when your uniqueness will shine nthrough. You will have no competition. You will attract thosenpeople that just need and love your service or products. Therenare ways you can develop to let more of your natural strengthsnto shine through in your business (and your life).
Amazing, isn't it?" n- anon n
Aim for mental CLARITY aboutnwhat you most want out of life. Think about it and write it down.
If it's happiness, what do you mean by happiness: a sense ofnbelonging, recognition, independence, love, money or security? Most people couldn't tell you what they want out of life, other than some generalities, like "be happy, rich, etc". Just KNOW exactly what you are seeking. .Ifnyou don't know where you are and where you want to go with you
life, how will you ever get there? Aim at nothing and you're surento hit it.

2. GET PASSIONATE. Don't apologize for getting passionate. Whatnexcites you the most? If you are not enthusiastic and excitednabout what you're doing, your path in life, you'll never getnothers to share your dream. Once you find your passion, you willnhave found your POWER, MEANING and PURPOSE in life.
SIGNIFICANCE is more important than success, I feel.

3. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE PASSION. Always benaware...negative people will poison your dream faster thannanything else. Motto: "If you can't be positive, shut up!" Trynand stay positive ... even in the face of negativity. People couldn't nunderstand when I said twelve years ago that I wanted to write inspiring words to try to make a difference to touch people's lives around the globe from a "small (hick) town" here near the bottom of the world. That was my personal vision in my circumstances. I'd never heard of the net and some people (friends and associates) said I was "crazy" and laughed.

4. ACCEPT FROM THE START THAT YOU WON'T PLEASE EVERYONE. You'rengoing to be misunderstood, misquoted, hurt some feelings, perhapsneven lose some friends (for the time being). Motto: " What othe
people think of me is none of my business!" Repeat this statementnto yourself, especially when you doubt or feel discouraged - younwill be many times. People will think you are crazy, when you state your dream. "Impossible!" n
5. ALWAYS BE YOURSELF. "To thine own self be true. (Shakespeare'sn"Hamlet", act I.3.) This is supremely important, no matter whatnthe world may think of you. The masses are conditioned tonmediocrity and other people's success can make them not feel songood about their own insignificant little lives (the "tall poppynsyndrome", so prevalent here in New Zealand and in Australia).
Accept yourself. Learn from others - but don't be intimidated bynthem, or pretend to be someone you're not; because, "We are mostneffective when we're being ourselves."

6. DON'T BE SCARED OF MAKING MISTAKES. The only real mistake isnone from which you learn nothing. Motto: "Far better to trynsomething and fail, than try nothing and succeed!"

7. ACCEPT THAT IT WILL NEVER BE EASY. Realizing your dream may benthe hardest, most uphill thing you'll ever do. A truth: "Youncan't coast uphill." If you truly believe in what you're doingn(or trying to do), the value of your product or service and thatnit will ultimately HELP others, the key ingredient in success isnnever giving up. "Keep on keeping on" with your quest. It hasnbeen said that "success is 99 made up of failures".

8 (i). TRY AND STAY HUMBLE (no matter how successful you mayneventually be.) Don't ever think you've made it and arrived --nthere's always lots up ahead, more to do, higher mountains tonclimb. Motto: "The greatest way to do our thing has yet to bendiscovered!"nn(ii) Live with absolute integrity. This is MOST IMPORTANT.
"If you have integrity, nothing else matters.
If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters."n- Alan K. Simpson

9. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE YOURSELF - OR GOD (INFINITE/CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE, HIGHER SELF, HIGHER POWER,
THE UNIVERSE, GRAND DESIGNER OR WHATEVER ELSE YOU CALL THE GREAT CREATOR). Therenis incredible power in yourself (in the form of the unique humannmind - conscious and subconscious ), but far more so in the forces of the Universe. Make themnwork for you by living your life in harmony with these naturalnforces. Like positive energy attracts like. Enough "spiritual"nthoughts! Back to the "real world" and you...Avoid having anminority complex (Who am I, a 'nothing'?") or be filled withnfeelings of self pity ("nobody likes me"), or think "I can't donit", which will steal your dream. You are special and unique - an'child of the Universe, of God.'

10. HAVE FUN. Nothing is ever as bad as it seems - don't get toonsolemn, or serious or too downcast when things go wrong (as theynsurely will from time to time). Take a leaf from Thomas Edison'snbook: "I never did a day's work in my entire life: it was all
FUN!" Laugh at life's funny moments, and there are plenty ofnthem. "The secret of happiness is not doing what one likes, butnin liking what one does." n- J.M. Barrien
11. DEVELOP 'THE WILL TO LIVE'. Because there will be plenty ofntimes when you'll face the death of your dream. When failures,ndisappointments, criticisms come, you need the will and faith fornbetter days to keep going. Remember: We learn far more from ournfailures than our successes, because failures show us whatndoesn't work. So failure is just one step closer to ultimatensuccess. Often the difference between failure and success isntrying just one more time, picking yourself up off the canvasnafter being knocked down time and again.

12. DEVELOP 'THE WILL TO HELP AND SERVE OTHERS'. Success on itsnown (i.e., for its own sake) will pollute and corrupt you; it's an'dead end street', unless you have meaning and significance in your life. The yearsnof struggle breed fortitude and character. The gold may be anninch away from the seam, where your fellow miners have given up.
You need to succeed for a reason, a purpose, a cause that'snbigger than you! And IF ("a very big if) you've fulfilled all thenabove "requirements".

Your dream may even be to help others reach their dreams.

13. ALWAYS BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR OPPORTUNITIES. They are allnaround you. There are no permanent problems- only solutions,npossibilities and opportunities. The Chinese word for 'crisis'nmeans 'danger' + 'opportunity'.
Always remember, when you've exhausted all you
possibilities, you haven't - there's always anothe
way, a better way... and even more importantly, always another day! n
14. IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU ARE DOING, DEVELOP THE 'WILL TO SUCCEED' with absolute commitment. It is not enough to justnsurvive - aim at being the best you can possibly be! Keep you
dream big, bold and even "outrageous" - don't water it down ornsettle for mediocrity, even if others think you are crazy! Trustnin your judgment, your intuition and your creative mind tonovercome any obstacles (and you're sure to come across them). "Be bold and mighty unseen forces come to your aid." (I love that quote by Brian Tracy). Always remember,
"What is impossible with man is possible with God"....so put you
trust in the Creator (Great), the Essence of Life and aim for the heavens, even the stars.
Always remember,
God will never give you a dream without your having the capacity (or potential) to see it to fruition.

Also God's dreams are always far bigger than we can envisage (nice big word, eh...or should I have rather said 'imagine'!) ourselves.
"The dreams of great dreamers are not realised, but are surpassed...made FAR BIGGER by the Spirit of the Universe.
"Let your dreams be big enough for God to fit in."

All we have to do is WORK hard, doing one's very best and TRUST...because with FAITH (great) + ACTION (the faith impels one to the action) ANYTHING is possible.

Listen to the uniqueness of your soul.
NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM! Be patient and have faith (GREAT). Don't be in too muchnof a hurry to achieve your goals and dreams. ("God, please give me patience...but please HURRY.")

Be persistent and never quit. "Keep on keeping on." As the saying goes, 'Winners never quit and quitters never win.' Have faith: firstly innyourself, your abilities and then in a Higher Power, our Creator,nthe Source of Life, Who/That wants for you to fulfill yourself through your unique gifts andnabilities and then you'll be full of joy. In so doing, you'll reach your full potential as a human 'bean' and be be able to help others and in your own special way to make a difference - a better world.

What would YOU do, if you knew you could not fail?

Life is not a dress rehearsal, it's the main event. GO FORnTHAT DREAM. A seed of uniqueness, of even "genius" lies within your soul... nand your DESTINY is within YOUR reach.

BELIEVE in your dream first,nthen one day you'll SEE it materialise

GOOD LUCK in GOING FOR IT with all you've got...nand most importantly,

ENJOY THE JOU
EY down the rapids of life.

Craig Lock n("Incorrigible encourager, information and inspiration distributor") n
"Life is about finding, then following the dream... andnone's dream/vision comes to reality through believing innyourself, making the commitment and then creating it."n- craig

P.S: Dr Martin Luther King, Jr stated, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase."

"Faith sees the invisible, trusts the incredible and achieves the impossible." n
"Some men see things as they are and say: 'Why?'
I dream things that never were and say, 'Why not?'"
George Bernard Shaw ( 1856-1950)
Irish dramatist, essayist and critic

"All big men are dreamers.
They see things in the soft haze of a spring day; nor in the red fire of a long winter's evening.
Some of us let great dreams die; nbut others nourish and protect them, nnurse them through bad days,ntill they bring them to the sunshine and light, nwhich comes always to those who sincerely hope nthat their dreams will come true."n- Woodrow Wilson (1856-1925)
President of the United States (1913-1921)

About the author:
In his life mission Craig hopes to help, encourage, motivate, uplift and perhaps even inspire people to be their best through realising their full potentials. His dream is seeing people finding, striving for the "seemingly impossible" and one day perhaps even realising their personal goals and dreams. n
The various books that "Craig felt inspired to write" are available at:nhttp://www.myspace/craigloknwww.lulu.com/craiglocknhttp://www2.webng.com/write
z/books.html andnhttp://www.craiglockbooks.com

Together, one mind, one soul at a time, let's encourage, impact, uplift and perhaps even inspire the world."

THIS ARTICLE MAY BE FREELY PUBLISHEDn n n n n