Like the story of Ali, you will have to put in the hard work, you will have to dig your heels in and find out what it takes to get that dream going. Maybe it is going to mean that you will have to go back to school. I hear you saying, school, with all those millennial kids? Yes, others have walked those paths before and have come away with great learning and experience.

Be mindful, that this is where I am and this is where I want to reach, and it is the start of my journey. Once you start, you will begin to see doors opening up, the subject areas that you struggled with become much easier. The millennial who you were so afraid to work with, starts recognising your abilities and experience. Soon you become the one they are seeking out for clarity and assistance.

Now you are faced with another challenge, you cannot find time to do your work. This is the power of the Creator; this time around it will be easier and faster. The psalmist said, “The works of God are great, and pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds.” (Psalms 111). You can depend on Him to take you through the challenges you will face while you climb the ladder.

How about trying it out regarding that house you wanted to build or purchase so long ago? No, it is not buried too deep; start playing this on the screen of your mind. You may not believe, you are so afraid of this mind stuff that you cannot see yourself even thinking about it. It’s time for a paradigm shift on your part; it will not hurt you to take that first step for the good. However, the opposite thinking is true, that is, seeing bad things happening. You may not believe a word of what I am saying but just try it — look through the eyes of faith.

Your vision should include who you want to be. It is important to know clearly who you are right now and to know who you want to become. This includes your habits, attitudes, and points of view. If you are unclear about yourself, you will be unclear about your future. The destination of your vision should be emotional, physical, spiritual and intellectual.

Take hold of your vision and decide that ‘I am going to break out of my timidity. Not tomorrow, but today the sun will shine brighter for me. I am going to start something new; there is a better and larger way out for me.’ Your vision can be one of the most powerful ways to keep you focused on what you want in life, while keeping you motivated towards achieving it.

Give yourself permission to say, I have a beautiful picture on the screen of my mind. I will take control of this. It means no retreat, no surrender now. Be aware that the moment you start seeing your way forward on that screen, something is there lurking in the shadows to show you that it cannot be done. This is the point where you have to take control; focus on positive self-talk. Encourage yourself ‘That this can be done and I will do it. ‘Whatever it may be; let that be the centre of attention.

It is so easy to lose the passion and optimism when even something simple isn’t going your way. This is where you can also be your greatest enemy — just like how you can talk yourself into your vision, you can also talk yourself out of it. It is at this point that your mind will start opening up to the many possibilities and the extravagance of what life has in store for you. Continue to see a future that is good, happier, fulfilled and prosperous. Hold on to this picture and when even you say it cannot be done, your vision will stay with you to accomplish whatever was meant to be.

GOAL SETTING

Goals are extremely important at this point. It is necessary for you to own what you are going to put down as your goals. Your time frames must be realistic, but at the same time allow you to stretch yourself.

Now that you have a clear picture of what you are seeing on the screen of your mind, take a closer look at what you are trying to achieve. Create smart goals; write them down, this is very important; goals not written down spell danger.

Create an action plan and timeline, take action. Re-evaluate and assess your progress. I know a few of us will say, so much trouble, but goals provide you with focus. The decisions you make and the actions you take will bring you closer to achieving your goals. The principle of goal-setting is fundamental in maximising what is on the screen of your mind. It keeps you on your feet, increases your passion, and provides a road map to manifest your vision.

Goals will push you to a higher functioning level in order to get the best results. They are fundamental in sticking to tasks and timelines in order to achieve another segment of the vision. By this you would have solidified what you want to achieve; these goals that you have written down will force you to think about the journey instead of just the end destination.

CLARITY

If you are serious about being successful at what you are about to embark on, you must be clear about what you want to achieve. What kind of people do you want to open your vision to. You are going to need to have that laser focus that helps you determine what actions to take and where to spend your energy on a daily basis.

Fundamentally, clarity is the key which will allow you to unlock how you communicate your vision. Without this key it will be extremely difficult for you to answer core questions, like why are you doing what you do? If you are unable to answer this without hesitation then it means you are not clear about your own vision. How can you expect someone else to buy into your vision when you are unable to articulate it? It is extremely important that you know your vision inside out; sometimes you may need to revisit the picture on the screen.

Ensure that you know this so well that you can do some of the processes it requires way before you start any implementation. Some key phrases that come together to describe clarity are — being free from anything that obscures, blocks, pollutes or darkens your vision. You will have to assist others to see and understand reality better. Constantly, you will have to bring the most important things to light, such as, current reality and future possibility, if you haven’t bought into your vision. It is tantamount to being dead before it was born.

READ WIDELY

The popular saying, “Reading maketh a man” is as important today as it was way back when it was coined. As you enter into this sphere of your life you are required to read widely.

Read books and articles that will give you information on your vision. Read for fun. Yes, you will need to lighten up sometimes —don’t take yourself too seriously.

Read to keep abreast of what is happening around you. Reading quality books will give you information about your area of interest. It can allow you to get/ bolster what you are thinking about.

Many will say if I am entering into this new breakthrough situation, where am I going to find time to do all this reading? A part of this new thinking will be about some changes in your life, and reading will open up new insights and teachings; it will take you places you have never been before.

Look at globalisation, reading is one of the surest ways to allow you to know what is happening without taking a flight. It will allow you to learn about the business, projec,t or whatever you will be embarking on. You will never know when a piece of information gained will make a big difference in what you are asked to present. You will never know when a piece of information you give will come in handy and you ask ‘where did that come from?’ Only to find out it was something you read somewhere. Reading and reading widely will be the game changer for you.

COURAGE

In order to go forth and claim your dreams, you need to be aware that you are stepping out of your comfort zone. Therefore you are going to feel uncomfortable, maybe even frightened.

Start out by doing something small, visit your goals and work on something that will not be too difficult to achieve and take incremental steps onward. It may be scary, but do it anyway — that is the first step in building some muscles.

If the goal you choose to start with requires you to make a call and you normally are afraid to ask questions, go ahead and make the call. You will feel better for getting that done. It may feel daunting at first but it gets easier as you continue to do more tasks.

Just know that it is important to take bite-size pieces at this early stage. Do not allow fear to scare you off; it is strange to view it this way but it is almost wrong if you are not having some scary feelings now. This is when you persevere and make that call, push the limit, and ask even more questions than you planned to ask at the start. Then you will realise that the next time around you will be bolder, and your expectations will increase.

Slowly, but surely build up your courage by doing the things you typically shy away from — it is this way of building up courage that will enable you to put plans in place to get out of the job you are so afraid of going to. Remember, you have to see yourself doing this on the screen of your mind.

Have faith in yourself and in the Creator that what you are doing will work out.

Fay Walters is a human resource development consultant with three decades’ experience. She specialises in empowerment speaking, coordinating and executing training seminars geared towards empowering persons with skills in conflict management and resolution, and other mechanisms for coping with issues of social justice.