I was talking to a potential suitor, giving a run down of my bucket list. I’d love to visit Hawaii, go on a Mediterranean cruise to Spain and Greece, and experience an African safari. As I went on sharing the experiences I’d love to have, the places I’d love to visit and the foods I’d love to try he listened quietly. When I finally shut up he said,
“I promise to make all that happen for you.”
Now, if you’ve been following the blog for any amount of time you’d know that I’m pretty good about making my own goals and dreams come to fruition. If I set my mind to it I can generally make it happen in due time. So it’s not that I need him (or any other man) to make my dreams come true. I was just struck by the sincerity and genuineness with which he cared about my dreams.
Related: How to Achieve Your Goals and Dreams
And then it got me thinking…
Do I promise myself to make all my dreams happen?
Do you promise yourself to make all your dreams happen?
Is there a sincerity and genuine spirit from which your dreams and plans to achieve them swell up from?
I believe a lot of people say that they want a lot of things. We’re at that time of the year where everyone promises to make their best lives happen. We promise to get it right in the new year and drive closer to our dreams, but do we mean it? Do you mean it?
I know firsthand most people don’t mean it. They’re just talking. They’re basing their dreams off of someone else’s dreams. They’re not committed to anything.
Are you being sincere and honest with yourself about what you’re willing to do and give to make your own dreams come true?
I’ve talked a lot about how to set goals and how to achieve them. Yet, there’s a missing piece that all the know-how and goal setting techniques in the world can’t replace. It’s the piece that makes someone who grew up in the most unfortunate of circumstances turn their life into a masterpiece of sorts. (Think Oprah Winfrey.) It’s the piece that makes a mother or father who has nothing and came from nothing make sure that their kids have a much better life. (Think the mom who gives birth while finishing her college exams.)
Related: Tools and Resources to Help You Achieve Your Goals
The missing piece is a promise.
Oxford Dictionaries defines promise as, “assure someone that one will definitely do, give, or arrange something; undertake or declare that something will happen.”
It’s not enough to resolve to make the new year the best year of your life. It’s not enough to create a bucket list or write down your goals. You have to make a sincere, genuine, heartfelt, nonnegotiable promise to yourself that something will happen. To the extent of your ability you will definitely do what you have set out to do.
You have to promise to make all that happen for you.
And you can’t go back on it. This isn’t a pretend promise with your fingers secretly crossed behind your back. This is the realest promise you’ve ever made. This is the promise you dare not back out of. This is the promise you wouldn’t dream of reneging on. It’s the promise that all your dreams, resolutions, and goals depend on.
One of my personal mottos is, “No pressure. Just a promise.” It simply means that I’m not going to put myself under any unnecessary pressure. I’m not going to stress myself out or put myself under any unhealthy distress trying to achieve my goals. I’m just making myself a promise that I will give myself every opportunity to make my dreams come true. I promise myself that I will not give up easily and that I will go the distance for as long as it makes sense.
[bctt tweet=”I promise myself I will not give up on my dreams.” username=”charlene_dior”]
So I’m not asking you to put a ton of pressure on yourself, your relationships, your finances, your spirituality or any other part of your life. If you’re stressed out all the time I believe it’s nearly impossible to uphold the promises you’ve made to yourself (and others). The idea isn’t to over stretch yourself or to compromise yourself in the name of goal attainment. The idea is to promise yourself that you will make your dreams happen.
- You’ll do the work necessary.
- You’ll take risk.
- You’ll pursue what matters to you, not chase other people’s goals.
- You won’t give up.
- You won’t avoid or despise discipline. (you know, the day in, day out boring, uncomfortable, “my abs are burning” stuff you need to do to achieve the goal?)
- Every time you hit a roadblock you’ll brainstorm ways to get around it, not stop there in defeat.
- You’ll get the help and support you need.
- You won’t compromise.
- You won’t settle for less.
- You are in it for the long hall.
- You’ll save your money, rearrange your schedule, and say no to things that will deter you, whatever it takes. (But to the point of unhealthy pressure).
- You will practice delayed gratification if it means you will get to the real goal (i.e. don’t go on that shopping spree when you know you’re trying to buy a house).
- You will keep growing and learning.
Related: Video: I Had to Grow to Be Here
As you think about what you want to achieve in the new year and beyond, don’t forget to seal it in with a promise. Give yourself the most genuine, sincere, heartfelt promise that you will make your dreams happen.