I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about life and living. After moping for a while I realized something simple and profound. It hit me like a bright light shining in my face: you have to be excited about your life. Perhaps I can help you with getting there.
Start with this question you’ve likely heard many times before: “What would you do if you woke up with a million dollars?”. Don’t laugh it off. It could be the most important thing you will do. Take as much time as you need to think about yourself while answering. In my case, I don’t care about living long but I while I’m here I would like to fly and make music (among other things). Don’t forget to dream big. What you say will determine what you will be able to accomplish. If you don’t dream big for yourself do you think that someone else will do it for you?
Grab a piece of paper and jot down your initial 
goals. Then expand on all possible avenues you can use to get there. To put my thoughts down I use a free mind-mapping program called Freemind but a pen and paper will do. Make sure you don’t throw away what you write! You and your dreams might change over time so don’t forget to keep reviewing and modifying your plans as you need to.
You must become fearless in order to face two obstacles: yourself and the people around you. If your plans for life don’t intimidate you at all then you’re not dreaming big enough. After fighting my fears for the last six months I have begun to reap its rewards. To learn more about how I started read this entry.
Even though you have big dreams make sure you start small. This is essential to build up your confidence and experience. As you inch towards your goals you may have to work hard and face failure but if you are excited about where you are headed you will be able to endure. If your dream does not excite you then don’t waste your time pursuing it!
Don’t forget to continually track yourself. Write down what went wrong and how you can improve. For goals that involve developing a daily habit keep a journal or use a tool such as Joe’s goals. Benjamin Franklin is famous for using charts to track his virtues. Finally, when you hit a milestone don’t forget to note what you have accomplished. This will help encourage you when you are feeling down.
What are you waiting for?
Update: You can view a mind-map that I’m using on this page.
