In the last Purpose newsletter, I was asking you to make a change. Making a lasting change, takes time, effort and focus. You need to learn and practice new patterns of behavior.
Changing behavior can be so hard because our minds are controlled by two different systems: the emotional and the rational. The rational side wants to retire wealthy and secure, and the emotional side wants to watch Netflix – Now!
In The Happiness Hypothesis, Jonathan Haidt compares these two aspects of our minds to an elephant (emotional) and a rider (rational). Picture a rider atop an elephant. The tiny rider can exert control over the elephant only occasionally and only for a short time. Like the elephant, our emotions can be powerful, sometimes uncontrollable, forces.
Many of the changes we aspire to involve giving up instant gratification (emotional desire) and pursuing long-term goals (rational desire). To achieve those goals we need to work with the strengths and weaknesses of both of the emotional and rational aspects of ourselves. When they work in harmony, rather than in opposition, we can achieve the change we seek.
So today let’s set a direction by bringing your purpose to life with a dream board. A dream board provides a goal to focus your actions. It’s the incentive to change. Using pictures is useful because they tap into the emotional side of our minds and can be strong motivators.
Creating a dream board is a powerful and fun process. Here’s how:
1. Get a large piece of paper or poster board.
2. Gather magazines with images of your dream vacation destination or adventure.
3. Find your perfect picture and glue it in the center of your paper.
4. Glue supporting photos around the central image.
5. Hang your dream board where you can see it every day.
With your destination in sight, the journey can begin.
Live a Bold & Authentic Life
Matt
