Some years back I learned a very big lesson. I learned that there are many people out there who genuinely want to help and they offer this help with love. For years I've always handled my goals my way, on my own. Any dreams I had, I would pursue on my own. Any goals I needed to achieve, I would tackle alone.
I never believed that others were really interested in what I was striving to achieve. I didn’t expect anyone else to be bothered, let alone interested.
Until three years ago, when the Universe decided to teach me one of my biggest lessons in humanity. At that time, I was “forced” to start a fundraising journey for a cause that I not only live with but which I am passionate about.
I say “forced” because never in my wildest dreams would I have considered a) fundraising - that word makes me go cold and b) asking for help for such a personal cause. Cringe moment! Well, as the saying goes, “never say never” and I found myself in the midst of a very exciting, rewarding, and fun fundraising journey.
My Fundraising Journey
When I first started on my fundraising journey, I had no plan. But, I knew what I needed to achieve. At the time it seemed daunting and near impossible to raise the amount I needed. All I could do was simply put it out there. I did this by sending an email to everyone I knew.
The responses were amazing. People came up with wonderful ideas to help me raise the funds. These were ideas I would never have thought of by myself if I hadn't reached out for support. By putting it out there, not only did I give people the opportunity to support in ways that they could. But I also opened myself up to a network of people that I never knew I had before.
Not only did I reach the required funds I needed, but I was able to make a dream come true simply by reaching out and asking for support. At no time did I hand over the "responsibility" rein to anyone else. I didn't expect anyone to bail me out or to take charge and make my dream come true.
Taking Responsibility For Your Dreams
As a transformational life coach, I teach my clients about responsibility and that only they can be responsible for achieving their goals and dreams. However, I do tell them that they may ask others to help and support them along the way (why are we so quick to give advice to others but never take that same advice for ourselves?!)
People are amazing resources to draw on and oftentimes, when we share our goals and dreams, those who know us (and also those who don’t know us) will do what they can to help us move forward.
Support can come in many forms and when seeking to achieve a goal, it’s always a good idea to sit down and work out what support you need.
People can offer support financially.
They can provide invaluable guidance and advice.
They can support you by believing in you and by cheering you along on the sidelines.
They can put you in touch with the right connections
People can become your sounding board.
So, while you're responsible for the ultimate outcome of your goal and dreams, asking for support is essential to keep your momentum on track.
5 Ways to Get Support
I've already mentioned some of the ways others can support you. But, there are also other ways of making your dreams come true, and here's a list of 7 ways to get the right support.
1. Hire a Life Coach
Hiring a life coach is a great way to get objective and constructive support when you're trying to find the direction and focus you need to make your dreams come true.
A life coach will help you come up with an actionable plan and guide you through your "big hairy goal" so it's not so intimidating. Instead, your life coach will help you construct a plan that is challenging but achievable.
A well-trained life coach will also empower you with practical tools. These tools can be used to unravel limiting beliefs and replace them with empowering beliefs. They'll help you identify your own personal core values, and how to use them to find your own meaning in life.
2. Use Your Imagination
Imagination is something we can all do and it's a powerful way of making dreams come true. When I was doing a session with my own coach he told me to, “Ask your Inner Guru what support would serve you best and allow yourself to imagine that it is possible.” I didn't only imagine who could support me but I also imagined my dream coming true with all of this help.
By turning to my "Inner Guru" for support, I was making use of the power within me to make my dream a reality. A famous man once said, "Imagination is everything. it is the preview of life's coming attractions." - Albert Einstein. This man knew a thing or two! I can vouch for his words as I've seen it happen, over and over again, in my own life.
3. Create a Vision Board
The act of creating a vision board is similar to using your imagination. However, instead of visualizing in your mind, you're actively putting pictures onto a board. These pictures are a representation of how you see your "dream" life becoming your reality.
Constructing a vision board is a lot of fun and it's a strong message of "putting IT out there" and asking the Universe to help you out here. If you're familiar with the Law of Attraction then you'll know that this act of creating a vision board is working on these laws.
Read Esther Hicks's book, "The Vortex: Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships" if you want to learn more about the power of this universal law.
4. Believe In Yourself
One of your greatest supporters is your Self. By learning to turn inwards and listening to Self, you'll get all the advice and guidance you need to move forward. This requires believing in yourself and it's one of the hardest things for most of us to do.
Our conditioning has taught us that "We're not good enough" or that "We don't deserve the best." When you believe in all of these limiting beliefs, you're discrediting yourself. To give yourself the support you need make sure you surround yourself with positive people who believe in you.
5. Turn to the People You Believe In
Identify the people in your life that you respect, admire, and believe in. These could be those in your circle of friends or family, It could even be a work colleague or a peer in college. By associating with these people, you can discover what positive traits they have and which you can adopt.
It's these people who have persisted through life despite the challenges they've faced. They believe in themselves and love to support others on a similar path. When you reach out and ask for their support, you'll often be amazed by how much they believe in YOU.
Final Thoughts
A few years back, my ideas of support would have been different and certainly wouldn't have included reaching out to people, many of them virtual strangers. Now, I know that “people” support is vital in so many ways. I also know the power of imagination and can imagine just how much CAN be possible.
If you're struggling to make your dreams come true, I challenge you to take responsibility. Sit down and think about who could help you along the way. I then challenge you to reach out.
And, always, allow yourself to imagine that it can be possible when you let your imagination run riot!
PS; Here's a great resource for building your vision board!
This post was originally published on April 19th, 2021, and updated on August 1st, 2022.
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