Welcome to "Surpass Your Dreams". The goal of this newsletter is to help you recognize your potential and surpass your dreams. This month's issue will focus on commitment.

So, tell me what you'd like to see, and what's important to you. Are you trying to figure out what your dreams are? Have you found what they are, but are afraid to pursue them? Have you reached your dreams, and are now ready to take it to the next level? Please share with our readers what is going on with you, and how you came to the place where you are today. You can send your stories to info@surpassyourdreams.com.

Are You Committed To Living Your Dreams?
The Traits of Highly Committed People?
Book Corner
Free Newsletters
Are You Ready To Get Committed?
Last Month

Have you committed to your dreams or are you just talking about them? The answer to this question makes the difference between living your dreams today or one fictitious day in the future.

We want our lives to be successful and mean something. But commitment is difficult to maintain in a society that endorses upgrading to the newer and better model, from cars and electronics to friendships and even spouses. Yet only when we stand by our commitments can we make a real difference in our world.

True commitment takes hard work, and sometimes we are not ready to do this. But the rewards are bountiful. You cannot live your dreams without committing to them first.

But how do you commit. The answer is simple. You just do it. You declare your intention, and go for it. Once your declaration is out there, your dreams can happen. Once you say it, it becomes reality rather than this unaccomplishable thing that only happens to other people. You have more power over your life than you think.

So why does declaring your dreams give you the power you need to move forward? Declaring your dream gives you 3 things; the first is it's out in the open, thus it becomes real; second you get to hear how wonderful it is versus having your doubts run around in your head; and third you get to share it with other people who can help you along the way. Life is accomplished through the love and help of others. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today.

So what's keeping you from making commitments? Are you feeling overwhelmed? Are you afraid to take on more things to do? Are you fearful that you might not make it? Are you unable to try again because you were unsuccessful in the past? All these things are reasons that keep you stuck in one place and give you permission to not go out and try again. You don't know what you can accomplish until you give it a shot. You have no idea how powerful you really are. If you really let that in, you would be unstoppable.

So go out and live your dreams. Make the commitments necessary to get you there and don't stop along the way. The difference between success and failure are the things you say to yourself. Don't you deserve to be nicer to yourself? (Yes!)

The power of commitment will strengthen your ability to commit to what is truly important, giving you the freedom and power to make an extraordinary impact on the world. Isn't this the reason you got out of bed today?

II. THE TRAITS OF HIGHLY COMMITTED PEOPLE

1. Committed individuals go beyond seeing possibility:
   Individuals who have a high level of commitment can clearly articulate the opportunities that are available to them. They bring their dreams into the realm of reality.
2. Committed individuals have and communicate strongly held beliefs that they can succeed:
   These beliefs are internally, not externally driven and are stronger than the views of others. Committed individuals are not stopped by other people's judgments.
3. Committed individuals set goals--big goals:
   The goals they set for themselves take them much further emotionally than would mere wishes or hoped for outcomes. They stick with their goals because they said they would. Words such as maybe, should or can't are absent from their vocabulary.
4. Committed individuals invest fully in their goals:
   They invest time, money, emotion and other resources; the quantity and quality of which are substantial. In other words, their goals are important enough to re-orient their lives around them.
5. Committed individuals do and are their best:
   They do and are their best without reservation or suffering. They are focus closely on the results they obtain. Mistakes or non-successes are viewed as momentary setbacks or the basis for new opportunities.
6. Committed individuals are able to handle the value added as well as the limitations of their choices:
   They enjoy the energy and momentum and do not suffer about having given up on other projects or activities in order to pursue their goals. Their perspective about what is important shifts. They extend their boundaries around so they can easily reach their goals.
7. They form deep relationships with projects or endeavors:
   Their relationships result in a shift in their way of being, thinking and feeling; not just in the way they do things. Their commitments become a part of who they are.
8. Their self-awareness is enhanced:
   Committed individuals have a heightened awareness of the impact of their actions, thoughts and feelings and of the changes they have made in their lives. They are proud of their accomplishments, and in turn are able to fully be with others.
9. Committed individuals' awareness of their surroundings is enhanced:
   They are highly sensitized to all kinds of information in their environment, which relates to their goals, and they use that information to draw distinctions, sharpen their focus and evaluate their results.
10. Committed individuals are passionate about their goals:
    Committed individuals' passion inspires and energizes others around them. They radiate, and others are intrigued by or attracted to it.

This piece was written by W. Jan Austin, M.S., M.P.A., who can be reached at thecoach@mindex.com.

This month's Book Corner is devoted to providing you with suggested resources to help you bring commitment into your life.

It Takes Commitment, by Chad Hennings, Dave Brannon.
This is the story of Chad Hennings--jet fighter pilot and Dallas Cowboy star--who shares the secret of his success and who identifies his greatest priority as winning in the eyes of God. This is a great book!

A Passionate Commitment : Recapturing Your Sense of Purpose by Crawford W. Loritts.
Why do so many people feel so empty? The problem is that we've lost our passion and sense of purpose. This is a book to help us rekindle our spiritual spark and begin to live a life of inner joy, enthusiasm, and deep spiritual passion.

Seven Mountains; The Inner Climb to Commitment and Caring by Marilyn Mason.
It the tradition of Surfing the Himalayas and Into the Wild, here is a dynamic and unique approach to personal growth expressed through the metaphor of mountain climbing. Using mountain climbing as a metaphor for building meaningful relationships with others, the author of Making Our Life Our Own examines such topics as risk, facing our fears, trust, asking for support, and letting go.

IV. FREE NEWSLETTERS

Would you like to have your newsletter or e-zine listed here? Please send an e-mail to info@surpassyourdreams.com with the name, web-site address and 1-2 sentence description of your on-line publication.

Are you reaching for greater success AND balance? Get help by subscribing to The Business Woman's Advantage, a free, e-mail newsletter for women with entrepreneurial spirit. To subscribe send an e-mail to: bwa-request@listhost.net. Put subscribe in the body (not subject line) of the e-mail or visit the Business Woman's Advantage web-site at http://www.womansadvantage.com/bwa.

Dr. Donald E. Wetmore, a full-time Professional Speaker, one of the foremost experts on Time Management & Personal Productivity, and the author of "Beat the Clock" would like to know if you would like to receive a free copy of his article, "The Five Top Time Management Mistakes". If you do, email your request for "mistakes" to: ctsem@msn.com.

Would you like to receive Donald's free "Timely Time Management Tips" on a regular basis so you can increase your personal productivity and get more out of every day? Sign up now at his "TIME MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION LIST". Just go to: http://www.topica.com/lists/timemanagement and select "subscribe". Donald welcomes you aboard!

Taking action towards living a life you love takes courage and a belief in yourself. Sometimes just committing to our dreams helps us get closer to achievement.

If you are ready to get committed, then Personal Coaching may be right for you.

For a Free 30-minute Telephone Coaching Session, call me at (516) 432-2440, or send an e-mail to info@surpassyourdreams.com. This session will give you the opportunity to see first hand if a personal coach is right for you. My web-site is at http://www.surpassyourdreams.com

Last month's newsletter focused on discovering how to get unstuck, when you don't know how.

How? You do something. Yes, it's that simple. When you do one thing, it leads to another, and all of a sudden you stop feeling like a victim and start gaining control of your life. Progress is made of little steps, and you get to the finish line one step at a time.

You, and only you, have to power to make your life better. So get unstuck today!

To read this issue, as well as other past issues, check the newsletter archive list at the top of the page.

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Have a great month!

Deborah

Copyright © 1999, all rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute text from the newsletter or the content in its entirety so long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author (Deborah J. Brown) is attached.

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