How many times have you made it up in your mind that it was finally time to pursue your dreams or to accomplish something that you have wanted to do for a very long time only to come up against mounds of discouragement from friends and family? Perhaps you finally had it made up in your mind that it was time to start your own business and quit your job, only to have your friends and family tell you "you'd better not!"

And even though you knew you'd be walking away form a nice salary, and all the major perks and benefits, you felt in your heart that it was the right thing to do… but in the end you didn't.  Why? You allowed negative people to get a hold to you and allowed them to hold you back from pursuing your dreams. How do you correct problems like this? You must purge these individuals from your life!

Purging negative people in your life is a must if you plan to really live your best life. You have to learn how to listen to your own inner voice, step out on faith and move in the direction that you want to head in. In addition to getting rid of negative people, it's also important to put your plan in writing.

"Thoughts in your head are only wishes. Thoughts written down on paper are goals and eventually become reality! " Pam Lawhorne

Once you have your goals and dreams in writing, you will need to ask yourself several difficult questions.

Why do I feel the need to accomplish these goals?

What do I need to do to make them come true?

Are my goals reasonable and attainable?

Do I have a definite, set time frame in which I want to accomplish them?

How will my life be better if I am successful in reaching these goals?

Will I have more money?

More time?

A new house?

A new car?

In the end, will my life be what I want and expect it to be?

You'll find that by writing out and evaluating your goals and dreams that they suddenly seem more tangible. This is the beginning of developing your plan of action. Take each goal individually, along with an estimated time that you believe it will take you to complete it and put it in chronological order. Start by typing up or neatly writing out a checklist. Make sure to put a box next to each items so that once they are complete you can check it off of your list.

Next set up what I call a "dream board" (this is a picture of mine below). On your dream board put pictures of all of the things that you desire to accomplish or take possession of. Gather up pictures, travel brochures, magazine articles or whatever you can find to symbolize the things you will have accomplished upon completion of your goals. Arrange these items on a large sheet of construction paper or poster board and you can use your plan of action as the center. As you can see mine is on a cork board, nothing fancy. But I need a larger one because my dreams have grown quite a bit!

Hang your dream board above your desk or in any other highly visible place where you will have to see it often (I have mine in my office so I can see it when I work). Refer to this board frequently to help keep you on track.

Before you officially start your day, look at your dream board and remind yourself of why you're doing what you do. Close your eyes and picture yourself enjoying the items pictured in your board. You should do this as many times as possible throughout the day but at least once in the morning for five to ten minutes.