Everyone has dreams. From the earliest of ages we are asked, “what would you like to do when you grow up?” The answers you commonly hear from children are, “I wanna be a cop,” or, “I wanna be an astronaut.” While these answers may seem trivial in the moment, what if they didn’t have to be? What if there was a way to achieve these dreams? What if they were no longer dreams, but reality? I worked with someone this summer who told me about her ‘Dream Board’. Now I know what you’re thinking, is it not just a board with your goals on it; displayed in some elaborate, yet visible fashion? NO! It is far more than just your goals splattered on a piece of Bristol board. It is a real and genuine representation of where you want to take your life, and the path you will pave to get there.
People say all the time that they have goals or mention that they would like to do this and that. But that’s often as far as they go. They have no plan to achieve their desires; only thoughts that come and go as often as the sun rises and falls, with no real hope of being achieved. We say we pursue these things because we don’t want others, or maybe even ourselves, to think that we have no purpose in life. We all want to think that we have the ability to achieve great things and become everything we aspire to be. However, there is a distinct difference between thinking and acting. Individuals do not judge each other based on our intents or thoughts; we judge each other based on actions we can see and feel.
This is the essence of the ‘Dream Board’ – it allows for our thoughts and goals to become mobilized because we can see them, and they become real. We have to remember that the mind is very powerful. One of its most amazing features is that it is constantly working, even when we aren’t aware of it. The ‘Dream Board’ permeates our subconscious: having your goals, thoughts, and dreams displayed allows them to become part of you. Simply seeing those words and consistently having them placed in the forefront of your mind enables your subconscious to hold those ideas so they are always there and become a part of you. The more you see those thoughts, the more you see those goals, the closer you get to achieving them. Whether you are consciously working towards them or not, those ideas are with you all the time.
This concept of having those thoughts, goals, and dreams front and center all the time is captured by the term “positive affirmations”. These positive affirmations describe a person’s ideal situation. They are so powerful because they reprogram the mind to think in a manner that is conducive to achieving this ideal state. The longer you ingrain those positive ideas, and the longer you surround yourself with those uplifting and inspirational messages, the greater the chance you achieve your dreams.
The ‘Dream Board’ provides the opportunity to shape the life that YOU want. At the end of the day, if you are not happy, and not living the life you desire, how can you expect to enjoy anything that life has to offer? This is a pivotal part of our development as individuals; identifying our preferences, understanding the things we want from life, and then pursuing them with rigorous persistence.
Once you reach those goals and feel the jubilation, you want that feeling back: the feeling of achievement is incomparable. The ‘Dream Board’ not only allows you to accomplish things you never thought possible; it perpetuates a continuous cycle for self-improvement. The quest to achieve never fades, it becomes part of who you are: a person who is in constant pursuit of excellence, and of fulfilling the sincerest form of complete happiness – for many, the ultimate goal.
Sebastian Farkas is a 3rd year Politics student and Sports and Wellness Editor for The Athenaeum
