Are YOU a Dreamer?

This morning I watched a news article about a young woman who had just set a world record for sailing across the English Channel. What was special about this Channel crossing? The sailor, Hilary Lister, is a quadriplegic who steered the boat by blowing through two straws. She completed her crossing in 6 hours.

In her own words, speaking to BBC Breakfast: "If you want to have your dream badly enough you can do it." According to the BBC, she took up sailing two years ago as a way to boost her self-confidence.

And what a way to boost your self-confidence!

How is it that there are some people who seem to have exceptional determination and who drive them selves to succeed against all the odds, and at the other extreme there are people who don't even think about the what if's?

It's all about attitude. If you believe that something is possible, you can almost always find a way to do it. If you believe that something is impossible, you'll almost always find a way NOT to do it.

As we grow up and experience set backs in life, we start to form beliefs about what we are 'allowed' to do and what we aren't. And these beliefs can stop us from dreaming, from doing the things that could make us happy, from taking a leap into the unknown.

For a number of years I held the belief that my husband and I would never travel the world. We had a mortgage, steady jobs and a comfortable life. And we told ourselves that we didn't really want to do it anyway ? traveling was either for students or wealthy retirees. It was only when I bumped into an old school friend who simply said ,"just rent your place out and go" that I realised we'd both been finding reasons not to do it.

Once I'd made the shift in my mind that it might be possible, I soon discovered how easy it was to arrange! We decided to go away for a year and to make it a honeymoon. In February we set the date for a June wedding (we'd been engaged for 12 years!) and organised the wedding and reception in my spare time within 3 months. But, as the wedding magazines argue, THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! You need at least a year to organize a wedding... don't you?

If you really want to do something, you can find a way to do it.

But the first step is opening your mind to the possibilities. What would make you really happy right now? What would give you a sense of achievement? To have a better relationship with your loved ones? To learn to dance? To have more responsibility at work? To go to a concert? To laugh?

Spend some time this weekend thinking about what would make you feel happy and alive. Dream, play and give your mind the chance to wander. Every time you hear yourself saying 'but' or 'I can't do that because..', ask yourself HOW you could do it. Those obstacles aren't so big and scary when you start to think about how you can overcome them.

And it's never too late. Colonel Sanders was 65 and living off social security checks. But his unwavering belief in his recipe for fried chicken drove him to start the franchise business that became the KFC we know today. Whether or not you like KFC, you've got admire his courage!

Hannah McNamara is the Managing Director of UK-based coaching company HRM Coaching Ltd. She can be contacted by calling +44 20 8544 8024 or e-mailing info@hrmcoaching.com

With the sheer numbers of people operating as coaches, HRM Coaching offers an invaluable service matching clients with the coach who they are most likely to get along with.

Subscribe to Hannah's FREE newsletter by visiting http://www.hrmcoaching.com and you'll get regular coaching hints and tips delivered to your inbox.

We hate spam as much as you do, so your details are safe with us.

---

The Value of Coaching to Support Your Business and Your Life

In our daily lives as well as in our businesses,... Read More

Smelling the Roses: Better Living Through Savoring

"Stop and smell the roses," people often say. Then they... Read More

Priorities: Are You Living Yours?

In the Charles Dickens classic, "The Christmas Story", Scrooge is... Read More

New Developments Make Christian Life Coaching ?The? Career Choice for Work-At-Home Professionals

I have watched for a couple years now, as my... Read More

Floating In Mindfulness: Dealing With Disappointment

Feeling disappointed? It's time to float.The time-honored approach to disappointment... Read More

Tempering Temper

I'm almost always a calm and collected person. Or at... Read More

Attitude

What makes attitude so important? Why not just learn some... Read More

How Empathy Can Reduce Your Anger

Jim, a 42-year old engineer was teaching his eight-year-old son... Read More

Stay Connected To WHY You Are Doing Things

"The more I want to get something done, the less... Read More

Coaching is Asking the Right Questions

Have you ever known anyone who asked themselves "Why me?"... Read More

Passport to Passion

Passion is a feeling of excitement and intensity. The energy... Read More

Tips for Writing Great Coaching E-Books

Never understimate the power of a well-written word. Tens of... Read More

Managing Your Perfectionism

What Is Perfectionism?This is the first of two newsletters that... Read More

How to Crack a Daunting Task!

If you have a daunting task and the mere thought... Read More

A Visualization Exercise on Managing Expectations for Adults with ADD

As adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), we often find... Read More

Among the Purpose & Personality

I have one magical thought, lets see it more closely.... Read More

Business Career Executive Coaching Article -Motivator, Discipline and Desire

"There is a certain combination of desire and discipline in... Read More

What The Buddha Says About Coaches

There is a Buddhist saying that goes like this: "If... Read More

How Not Letting Go of Your Past can Hurt Your Future

Experiences, whether good or bad, are sometimes all we have,... Read More

Use a Journal for Self-Discovery and Self-Expression

As a therapist, I often suggest to clients that they... Read More

Your Mindset Determines Your Success in Life

To keep at the top of your game you have... Read More

Live With An Attitude Of Gratitude

Imagine for a moment one of those nights when you... Read More

Two Pillows and One Dead Husband

That's what I needed when I delved deeply into my... Read More

Boost Your Self-Esteem

What Is Self-Esteem?Self-esteem literally means to esteem, or respect, yourself.... Read More

A Perrverse Confidante

Direct Answers - Column for the week of July 15,... Read More

We Are Exactly Where We Choose to Be

The idea for this month's newsletter came from an unlikely... Read More

5 Steps to Derail Difficult People - Your Surefire Way to a Peaceful Resolution

That one guy at work that always has to be... Read More

A Coaching Secret

I've told people for a long time that one of... Read More

How To Deal With People Who Dislike You

When you read books on personal development and articles about... Read More

Curse of Competence: How Being Good gets in the way of Becoming Great

Just before the storms hit last winter, my father-in-law and... Read More

How to Forgive Another for Past Hurts

No one gets through life without being hurt by another... Read More

Personal Strategic Planning

I have a few questions for you ---What if we... Read More

How Could Choosing to Not Do It All Enhance Your Impact?

How often have you heard yourself say, "I've got so... Read More