Keeping Your Dream Alive During Challenging Times

Life often comes with challenges, changes, and uncertainties. Recent economic activities and the spin-offs from the COVID-19 pandemic have turned our lives upside down, leaving many on the brink of despair and others giving up on their dreams and aspirations. In this time of unprecedented change, however, if you can stay on course and not abandon your dream, you can succeed. Here are three things you can do to keep your dream alive during challenging times.

Believe you can

Belief is one of the fundamental principles of achievement. Many people set New Year's resolutions or goals at the beginning of each new year. Some of these resolutions may have been personal, professional, or business. However, with the unprecedented change that the world is now experiencing, many people are wondering if their dream is still possible. Suffice it to say; this may be a time to pivot and develop new strategies to achieve the goals you set out to achieve. Whatever you do, however, you must stay on course and keep believing. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Believe you can, and you're halfway there."

Take care of the physical

To get from one location to another, we generally need a reliable mode of transportation. In like manner, to achieve your dream or goals, you need a body that is in good shape, especially mentally. Since your body is the only place you have to live, spending time caring for yourself is essential. This reality means getting adequate rest, exercising, and eating a balanced diet. Moreover, physical health profoundly impacts a positive mental state, which is integral to navigating challenges in pursuit of one's desired goals.

Practice Positive Thinking

Many people could have become more, done more, and achieved more if they did not cherish negative thinking. Negative thoughts are corrosive to success and a stumbling block in the path of you achieving your goals. I like how Charles Swindle put it when he said, "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it." If while pursuing your goal you encounter frustration, respond positively by looking for an opportunity in the negative and practicing positive self-talk.

As you think about the dreams, goals, and aspirations you had at the beginning of the year, don't allow the current challenges to derail you but instead, remember why you set those goals in the process and stay on course. As a matter of fact, "It's better to risk failure than to surrender. If you give up on your dreams, what do you really have left?"