10 Dream Steps for Success—How to Bring Your Dreams to Reality

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Categories: self improvement, success

A Midsummer’s Night Dream courtesy of Jasmin Aldin

Putting Power in Your Steps

To come from a place power, a clear understanding of past, present, and future is critical. In dwelling on the past, we are deterred from our dreams and dream objectives. By emotionally living in the past, we distract ourselves from discovering and giving voice to our deepest, most inspirational desires.

The Past Does Not Equal the Future

In thinking of the past, we stir up negative explanations as to why our dreams can’t come true because they haven’t come true in the past. It is a specific sort of blame game and subtracts from our power to take responsibility for what our life has become. Develop a habit of catching yourself in these thoughts and instantly correct them to shift your power by taking action in the present moment.

Our lives are a reflection of what we continuously focus on. Therefore, if we continue to focus on what happened in the past, we continue to repeat the past. History repeats itself, particularly for those who keep focusing on it!

“But how can I learn from my mistakes if I don’t look back?”  Although this question seems to make sense, there is weakness in this thinking. It makes the assumption that mistakes have been made. However, I believe that there is no such thing as failure, and that all seeming failure is an opportunity for adjustment. An adjustment is an improvement, rather than a correction of a mistake. When we think in terms of mistakes, this thinking comes from lack, or fear.

In thinking from power, faith, and responsibility, we simply make improvements. When we shift our thinking from fear of repeating mistakes to acceptance of a learning opportunity, the negative past loses its power over us.

The Future

The future is exciting because it’s a blank slate, and if we understand it as a creative opportunity, the future will not keep us in fear. The past is gone and the future is not yet here, so by investing ourselves too much in either the past or the future, we diminish our power to act in the present moment.

If live in the future in our mind, then we can easily get into fear, and become afraid of what will or won’t happen. “What if?” may be a statement of fear about the future, and when you catch yourself saying it, that is an opportunity to change your attitude to one of faith instead of fear.

Having faith in the future is a way to establish your dreams in the thinking stuff. Fear of the future is focusing on and visualizing a negative outcome. To see good dreams manifested, invest positive faith in the future and guide your thoughts away from fear of the future and fear of the past.

The Powerful Present Moment

The past and future are illusory. They are not tangible, and only reside in the mind. This is where the self-control of thoughts will influence your dreams—in the present moment. The present moment is so powerful that modern quantum physics shows evidence that the present can alter the past. When we begin to define our dream statement of 15 words or less, it is powerful to make the statement in the present tense. We, therefore, visualize our dreams in the present and actually attract the future based on our focus.

The Ten Dream Steps for Success

STEP 1—Launch Your Courage

CONCEPT: Courage to Dream

STEP 2—Drive Your Desires

CONCEPT: Conscious Belief Systems

STEP 3—Free Your Imagination

CONCEPT: Imagination Stimulation

STEP 4—Stage Your Dream

CONCEPT: Enlightened Visualization

STEP 5—Pen Your Dream Script

CONCEPT: Power of Words-Write it!

STEP 6—Set Your Dream on Fire

CONCEPT: Ignite Dream Momentum

STEP 7—Publish Your Dream Plan Book

CONCEPT: Connect with the “Thinking Stuff”

STEP 8—Inspire Your Dream With Action

CONCEPT: Power of the Present Moment

STEP 9—Awaken Your Dream with Thanks

CONCEPT: Attraction Action of Gratitude

STEP 10—Become a Dream Achiever

CONCEPT: Live, Share, Expand Your Dreams

Deborah Nelson is the author of several books including the Dreams to Reality Series: Author Your Dreams Action Plan, available on Amazon.com; and a free PDF copy available at http://www.AuthorYourDreams.com.

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  • http://www.self-helpmotivation.com/?p=17 Linda Davis

    Great article! I agree that if we let our past affect us, this would hinder us from achieving our goals. Instead, you should focus on your present or future. Create an image of what success means to you; this would provide with motivation that you need to turn your obstacles into challenges.

  • Paul Danon

    What does “a place power” mean, please?

  • http://frombottomup.com/ Hulbert

    Nice article Deborah. I agree that we shouldn’t let the past affect our future. I love this phrase and how it introduces the present moment, “This past and future are illusory. They are not tangible, and only reside in the mind.”

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  • http://www,AuthorYourDreams.com Deborah S. Nelson

    Excellent comment, Linda! And good point about creating an image of what success means to you! In Chapter 10 of the book, Dreams to Reality (this is an exerpt) I also address different styles of “visualization,” because everyone is different in how they express success!

  • http://www,AuthorYourDreams.com Deborah S. Nelson

    Paul,

    Thanks for asking that queston! I think there was a typo …it should read “come from a place of power.” This is an exerpt from the Dreams to Reality Text, and earlier I speak of coming from a place of strength, energy, and power. If we want to be effective in our “dream doing” it is important to come from a place of power, to be pulled into and to attract our dreams to us via enlightened visualization (Chapter 10) style. We use inpired action rather than disciplined action. Inspired action comes from faith and truth, and disciplined action, although effective, comes from a place of weakness, is usually fear and appearance based, a very weak position from which to stage our dreams! I hope that clarified it for everyone who had the same question. Again, thanks for asking, I appreciate it!

  • http://www,AuthorYourDreams.com Deborah S. Nelson

    Hubert,

    Thanks for you comment. We should not let the past effect our present or our future. However, easier said than done. So many influences conspire to make the past much more powerful that it really is. Once we grasp that the present moment is where our TRUE power is, we overcome procrastination and other fears, we can begin to act to attract our dreams towards us with certainty. Thanks for your comments, and if you would like a complimentary copy of Dreams To Reality: Introduction to Dream Planning, write me on my website, and I will get a digital copy out to you personally!

  • http://www.cureprocrastination.com/ overcome procrastination

    I read your post i am so impressed to read this. This is full of knowledge and it taught me how to live a healthy life. I can’t explain how much i liked this post. It is so nice and very interesting to read.

  • http://www.wealthvaultseminars john

    Really interesting article.do not dwell on the past too much-it does affect your present thinking and thats not always good.

  • http://www.authoryourdreams.com Deborah S Nelson

    John,

    Thanks for your comment about dwelling on the past too much! But ow do we STOP dwelling on the past, does anyone know? This is a very interesting subject for me, because the more I detach myself from and RELEASE my so-called failures in the past, the higher quality life I experience. But I am not sure how to completely break this habit. Anyone have any ideas!

  • http://www.AuthorYourDreams.com Deborah S Nelson

    I just love the illustration! BEAUTIFUL and APPROPRIATE. Thanks for that!

  • http://www.Authoryourdreams.com Deborah S. Nelson

    Dear John: Procrastination if a fear issue, most likely it comes from the fear of failure. We appreciate your comments. If you have time for further exploration, please go to my website and sign up for the digital copy of the book, Dreams to Reality. We are giving just a few a way in the next week or so to create buzz about the new Dreams To Reality Series!

  • http://GarrettCanHelp.com Garrett Miller

    Inspirational words, Deborah. I’m going to check out your e-book later today!

    Talk soon,

    Garrett

  • http://www.AuhtorYourDreams.com Deborah S Nelson

    Love all the positive comments and questions! Thanks so much everyone. Everyone on this thread is invited to request a COMPLIMENTARY copy of the Digital Version Dreams to Reality (114 pages)Book. I am looking for buzz and if you will promise to follow through with a joyful review on AMAZON or testimony on my website (with you photo) you can have it for NO COST! I am so excited aborut this project because its more than inspiration…the entire series is a way to take your dreams to reality in a 10 step workbook which helps you to write your own personal dream plan book! (concept of the vision board combined with law of attraction and POD). YOU actually do something with the INSPIRATION…

  • abraham

    wow. this is one of the best articles i have read. its really inspirational. the common weakness that most of the people in this world possess is dwelling in the past. based on past experiences people try predicting the future.

    • Deborah S. Nelson

      Dear Abraham:

      This is Chapter 12 of 16 chapters in the first of a series called Dreams to Reality. This is a key Chapter because we need to experience our dreams, passions, and purpose in the present moment. The past is gone and the future never comes, in a way. So often, we say “one day,” I am going to do such and such. The present is our most powerful moment.

      I was teaching out of that Chapter (Dream Steps) Yesterday, and we all got really inpired by it, and took some extra time to contemplate the truth of all this.

      Abraham, you got me all going and sparked up again!

      Right now I am living my dreams, as I am writing and living on a Caribbean Island finishing up the workbooks for this series. (I am not rich, like you might think to do such a thing…)A Friend wrote me, and I love her dearly, but this is what he said:

      “One day, I hope, to be in the position to do what you are doing now! It’s sad to me because he is 56 years old, and so many people are dying even before that age. So in a sense “one day” never comes, and when we “hope” instead of “DO” we hardly get it done either. Hoping keeps us our dreams at arms length from us…in the future! When we say “to be in the position,” that’s another phrase that again, it putting the dream off into the future, where we have NO POWER to do anything!

      Its not that I am so great, I just have a 10 step method for walking into my dreams, and step 1 is launch your courage, and some of the other steps along the way, say that we need to act in the present momment because that is the ONLY place that we can take an REAL INSPIRED ACTION.

      All other action is taken from discipline and “have to” and it is usually very ineffective (if it is actually finally done).

      I do not know why we get stuck in this trap, I just know that if we want to see our dreams come true, if we want to live our lives, follow our dreams, do our purpose, then we will need to chose to break away from the past.

      One the things has helped me to do this, initially, is the phrase: “The past does not equal the present!”

      I repeat that over and over again, when I catch myself thinking I can not do something that I really want to do!

  • http://www.angelarts.biz Dana

    Great article! Especially like the reminder that mistakes are not failures, but opportunities for improvement!

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  • http://www.AuthorYourDreams.com Deborah S Nelson

    Thanks Dana. Totally, when we look at “mistakes” as failures, and even look at them as “mistakes” (a “mis-take” is like taking a poloroid picture of ONE single frame within a movie at the worst possible moment!); then we can easily become IMMOBILIZED!

  • http://www.fawnmcmanigal.com Fawn

    I really like your 9th step, Deborah. It’s so easy to get bogged down in the pursuit that I never even consider being thankful for the goal in the first place. Thanks!

  • http://www.AuthorYourDreams.com Deborah S Nelson

    Fawn:
    Thanks for your comment about the 9th step. The thing is, we can send our dream away, if we do not receive it! The four major components of the Dreams to Reality Process are CONCEIVE, BELEIVE, RECEIVE, and ACHIEVE. We cannot really receive unless we put our stamp of acceptance on it, through the practice of thankfulness. Think about it. How often has a dream you thought was about to come true, but was aborted because you or someone else (near and dear) said some negative things about it? Thankfulness is the anitidote to the dream stealers (even yourself).

    After that we can own the achievement of the dream! How awesome is that?

  • http://myrelationshipguy.com/selfimprovement Guy Farmer

    Great article Deborah. It’s amazing how much we can achieve if we put ourselves in the right mindset. I’ve always been fascinated as to why one person will see a challenge as a negative and another will view it as an opportunity. It’s always possible to move in a positive direction if we are willing to put the work into focusing on that way of thinking.

    Take care,

    Guy

  • http://www.AuthorYourDreams.com Deborah S. Nelson

    ABSOLUTELY. At 5 years old my parents send me to a specialist to see if I was autistic. This is because in Kindergarden, I WOULD SPEAK to NO ONE! I was so insecure and so shy that I would not speak! One day I woke up (in the 5th grade) with a spark of inspiration and with the help of my first self improvement teacher (Mr Shaw, 5th grade) I started my self improvement journey! SO MUCH IS IN ATTITUDE, and so little is from the external situation. In fact if we would realize that we created the external situation, it WOULLD change our attitude! I invite you to read the full blown copy of the book, this article is one exerpt. You may get a free copy (for the next week we are giving out free PDF copy in exchange for reviews) of the first Dreams to Reality book by signing up for my double opt in Dreams R 4 U 2 Report. We are doing this for a limted time, otherwise the book is on sale at amazon. Thanks for your comments!

  • http://enlightr.com/ Craig Thomas

    Nice and straight forward. :)

  • http://www.AuthorYourDreams.com Deborah S Nelson

    Yes. and Doable!

  • http://www.energysmartindustry.com Led Lighting Systems

    Simple Steps to Turn Your Dreams into Reality … Creating a realistic step-by-step plan with a deadline will bring your dream to life.

  • http://www.AuthorYourDream.com Deborah S Nelson

    Can I use that? Great title and subtitle! Thanks for your comment

  • http://www.thedogandponyshow.tv steven hawk

    excellent…! the comment on the past does not equal to the future and the steps to success is awesome and realy benefial to the achievers……. those point are helpful i think so because to achieve some guidence which you mentioned above … thank you

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    I have bookmarked your site and will come back to see what else you have to say.

  • lyndall

    My adult children are making their dreams come true. One has written a book, another has a freelance makeup business while my eldest daughter has created Willow Hastings Bridal Dresses.

    My dream is to move to the country. Have to sell our house first and get a fulltime secretarial job there, while I’m launching my other business of minding children. My husband’s vision is to have a woodwork business.

    Thanks for your inspirational article. I’m now working on the gratitude step.

  • khanyie

    everything is possible,only if you bilieve.

  • walid

    Great article, I think also everybody need to win his bad desires or bad attitude to become a successful person.

  • Priscillaafriyierubins

    pls  4rm dis  days  going i wil follow de  step  2  success

  • Vikash Rathi

    i belong to poor family. i want to become a rich person in my life. my profesional is as a junior engineer in electrical branch. but i does more work hard in my job. but not smart work plz tell me some tips