It is that time of year once more when many people are working on the goals they have set for themselves for the new year. Its the same thing every year. The goals that people set for themselves are usually along the lines of, I want to lose weight, I want to quit smoking, I want to exercise more etc. Newsletters and Magazines are full of articles on how to accomplish these things.

Although the normal resolutions are good and healthy for you, they make you focus on negative aspects of your life, essentially, what you should not be doingsmoking, eating badly, being lazy etc.

The problem I see with these resolutions is that it makes people think negatively and feel guilty, especially when February rolls around and they realize that they were not able to keep up with their resolutions. By thinking negatively, we set ourselves up for failure.

I want to suggest something different to you. Let us not dwell on new year resolutions that go down the drain by February, lets focus on something a little different. Positive thinking brings results. Results make us happy and content. When we are content and focused on positive things we will find that many negative aspects of our lives fall away on their own. It is as if the body says, I dont need these negative things in my life anymore and voila, they drop away without effort.

My suggestion to you is that this year we dwell on positive things. Instead of dwelling on what we want to rid ourselves of this year, let us dwell on what positive things we want to see in our lives. Let us focus on our dreams and make them a reality in our lives.

Many people dont give much time thinking about making their dreams come true. They are caught up in the rat race of life and a worldly way of thinking. My suggestion is that we focus on a more spiritual way of thinking. Let us take the time to think about what we really want in life and then focus on setting goals that will bring us closer to our dreams.

Yes, even when following your dreams, one must set goals or we will never accomplish that which we dream of. Dont get caught up in wishful thinking but put some action behind your thoughts. The secret to realizing your dreams is to break your objective into small steps. Ask yourself, What do I need to do in order to accomplish this goal? then break it down into bite size pieces.

This week we drove from Hamburg to Munich because we had to check out our new apartment and see about my fiancs new job out there. It is a very long drive and if you drive fast and push your limits (which most people want to do) you can make the journey in 8 hours. BUT, if you dont want to stress yourself out, you have to make sure you take time for breaks and stretching so it ends up taking between 10-12 hours, depending on traffic etc. Then you end up at the end of the journey relaxed. Tired still, but relaxed ;-)

Think of your dreams as your destination. It may not be right around the corner, most dreams arent, but if you have patience, and pace yourself you WILL arrive at your destination. The problem most people run into with goal setting is that we think we can accomplish it much faster if we push themselves to the limit.

When we hit problems that will slow us down, we end up getting frustrated and often give up. If, we would relax and think clearly when we hit a roadblock to our dreams, we would be able to figure out alternative routes to our destination. Detours do not mean failure and stalled traffic does not mean that we must give up and forget about our destination.

We will reach our goals if we relax, persevere and be willing to figure out alternatives to our situation. We dont need to drive ourselves like maniacs in order to reach our destination. Life is not the autobahn!

Road plan to your dreams:

1.Figure out what you want the most in life. What is your dream?

2.Set small, realistic steps so you can clearly map out the way to your destination, your dream. Remember that you cannot swim the ocean.

3.Be prepared to take an alternative route if you run into roadblocks.

4.Dont give up. You WILL reach your destination.

This new year, let us think about the positive things we want in our life. Take the time now, to think about what you really want and then set about making up your road plan. Wishful thinking wont accomplish anything. Make plans and follow your dreams!

Shoot for the moon, if you miss at least you will end up amongst the stars- Author unknown