D is for Dreams, Desires and Determination

Today I bring you the interconnected wonderfulness of a triple bill. For you must first start with a dream. Then you must desire the dream. Finally, you must fine the determination to achieve that which you desire. Sounds simple, doesn't it?



Of course, I've said it a couple of times already. It's not easy - at least not for me. I have dreams of course and I desire those dreams, but it's not always the burning desire I need to bring forth the necessary determination to succeed. In fact, that is one of the many things I find that I would like to change about myself. I often lack the fiery determination necessary to really accomplish my goals.

So let's examine the dream-desire-determination paradigm so that maybe I can find a way to develop the drive (yay another D word!) that I so envy in others.

The words "dream" and "desire" are often used interchangably - and there's nothing wrong with that. They both mean pretty much the same thing, but for the purposes of self-improvement they are not. The dream is the thing you want, the desire is the catalyst to bring about a determination to succeed in achieving the dream. Or if we're going to use the metaphor of an acutal fire - the dream is the piled wood, the desire is the spark that starts the fire and the determination is the heat of that flame. Does that make sense?

How about an example?

One of the dreams I made a desire and am now determined to see through has to do with my physical health. I once only dreamed of being healthy and would often make an attempt at living a healthier lifestyle, but I would always fail. Although I desperately wanted to be healthy I lacked the desire. I didn't crave it the same way I craved the instant gratification of food. One day, I stepped on the scale and something made a connection in my mind. There was the desire. I craved being healthy more than I craved that extra cookie. I became determined to succeed and so I made a realistic plan on how make it happen.



So how do I go about making that connection from dream to desire in other aspects of my life? That is a very tough question to answer. I think that to find the desire to outweigh the inertia is going to be personal for everyone which is why it's hard to find sometimes.

Maybe what I need to do is tap into my competitive spirit and find the desire in not submitting to those aspects of myself that I am not in love with. To find the desire and courage to change greater than the inertia of my procrastination and laziness. I need to find a way to compete with myself - because self-improvement is not something that can be weight against others. It is a battle and a race against ourselves.