365 Ways to Live Happy (18 page)

If it's pouring rain in Paris and you forget your umbrella and end up with a nasty cold on the way back from walking to the Notre Dame, most likely, you aren't a happy traveler. Likewise when those monthly cramps begin the moment you set foot on the beach in Jamaica in your bikini. Anticipate times during your upcoming trip when you might not feel well. Before you go, pack those personal items such as tea, medicines, and other products that will comfort you and make you feel better when you are away from home.

No one enjoys picking up dirty, wet towels and cleaning sinks and showers of soap scum, whiskers, and hair. When you are working out the budget for your trip, try to include tips for the household workers who keep your home away from home clean, sanitary, and fresh. Housekeepers and motel workers make very little money, yet their work, in addition to being tedious and dirty, is often thankless. Your generous tip will help them better provide for their families and tells them that you have appreciated their work. And you can feel happier knowing that your act may change the ugly American perception by some foreigners to a view that Americans are friendly, caring, and generous.

On a piece of notepaper, jot down six specific things about the future life you desire. If it makes the task any easier, first think of several areas of your life, for example: family, friends, finances, health, career, and spirituality/religion. There are certainly many other areas you could list, but choose six and then write out something specific about that area of your life that you would like to manifest. For example, you might write, “I will have an income over $75,000 next year” or “I will move into a house twice the size of the one I'm in now.”When you are clear about what you want, you are more likely to get it.

What's your primary personal goal? Is it to lose weight, spend less, or earn more money? Whatever it is, write out an affirmation for achieving it. For example: From now on at mealtimes I will eat one-third less than my usual serving of food, and I will walk for a half-hour each weekday. Try to keep your affirmation succinct and to the point. That way, it will be easy to recall, and repeat it at least three times during the day. The more specific your affirmation, the more effective it will be in helping you attain your goal.

Consider how you might do what one television infomercial guy did, that is, spinning your dream along different avenues. The television guy speaks passionately about his love of real estate wheeling and dealing, updating houses that he buys cheap through foreclosures, bank-owned real estate auctions, or tax sales. He flipped those houses into a million-dollar income, but he didn't stop there. He spun his dream into books, seminars, conferences, a television show, and other areas that cross-sold his real estate ideas. Your interest might not be in real estate or lend itself to exactly those types of spinoffs, but think of how you, too, could develop spinoffs from your dream.

When you have decided that success is possible and have worked on your inner game (that is, being able to think of yourself as successful), then it's time to establish some modest, attainable goals. Reaching for too much too soon might render disappointment if you aren't immediately successful. Starting out with some attainable goals will increase your confidence and inspire you to even greater accomplishments.

Whenever you meet someone who has successfully followed and manifested her dream, ask her to tell you about her personal journey. Unless you already know everything there is to know about becoming successful and turning your dreams into reality, you can learn a great deal from others. Perhaps there are pitfalls and minefields you can avoid that someone else has already gone through. Be open to suggestions, insights, caveats, and the counsel of successful people. Most likely, they were once in your shoes, embarking upon a path toward their dreams and hoping to achieve success.

Think of your dream as a team project. Ask yourself how five friends could help you reach your goal. Write down a master list of everything that must be done. Now make those calls to your buddies. For example, perhaps you love to cook and already teach small classes in your kitchen. You'd like to take your cooking enterprise into a bigger venue. You could write a cookbook and have your friends become testers (preparing and cooking your recipes so see if the dishes come out correctly each time). Or, you could assign each friend a specific task to help you make a video for a cooking show that might air on your local cable network. Enlisting the help of friends means they are invested in helping you succeed. So, get your team together and go for your dream.

Isn't your dream worth thirty minutes of your time? If you think you can't squeeze thirty minutes out of a twenty-four-hour day, think again. How long do you spend in the shower or shaving or putting on makeup? How long is the prep for dinner? Use snatches of time here and there if you can't find a block of thirty minutes. The point is to work on lifting that dream out of the wish state and pulling it into manifestation in your life as soon as you can. Yoke your dream to your will, intent, and action and then give yourself a pat on the back for drawing your dream into physical reality.

Blank journals are great for keeping track of the progress you make toward achieving your dream. You can find blank journals in bookstores, drug stores, and some supermarkets and department stores. Perhaps you've always dreamed of owning your own salon. Assuming you already have your cosmetology license and, perhaps, a station at a local salon, begin by figuring out all of your options, including striking out on your own or partnering with a friend, relative, or an associate. Is there a local salon for sale? Is there retail space at a good price in a great location? Do you already have a clientele who will follow you to your new location? Where will you get the money for your startup operations? Brainstorm until you know everything about actualizing your dream. Write your ideas in the journal. Then, make your dream happen.

This exercise might not seem too specific, but in fact it is. Incubate means allowing something time to reach its fullness. Letting your dream take flight is letting go of the restrictions you might place upon yourself and your dream. Instead, think about it until it reaches its fullness then let it go. Follow it. Writer Anaïs Nin once observed that a dream was always ahead of her and she chased it, but when she caught up and lived in unison with it for a moment, that moment was nothing short of a miracle. Dreams open your mind to beautiful and exciting possibilities. Give your dream free reign. You may even discover happiness and unfathomable success.