Move beyond wishful thinking and anchor your dreams in your mind.

You've got goals and dreams in life, and they can come to pass, if you focus on them and take action toward making it happen.

One way to keep the focus is by creating a dream board. Think about what you want in all areas of your life: spiritual, financial, physical, relationships, (family and friends). If you can't think of what you want, write down everything you don't want, and then know that you desire the opposite.

Involve your family. It's likely your children will have no trouble creating a wish list. They don't stop to think, “I can't afford it,” or “I shouldn't want that," or "I should be happy with what I have,” or “I'll never be able to achieve that.” Children rarely develop those kinds of negative thoughts by themselves; they have to "grow" into it. Now you need to let go of any negative thoughts, reservations, and past failures. Think like a child; open your mind to what you really want, in all areas of your life.

Next, sift through magazines, and cut out pictures that reflect what you desire. Do you want a new car? A new washing machine? A new swing set for your children? Do you want more cash available to give to charity? More time with your mate? Find those pictures and cut them out. You can also take a camera, drive around, and have your picture taken next to the car you want, the furniture you'd like to have - even your dream home.

Download pictures from the Internet to reflect anything you've not been able to find. You may even want to cut out words and phrases from magazines, too,to add to your dream board. Then, assemble all the materials that reflect what you want in each of your categories.

Here's what you'll need in order to put together your dream board: a large piece of tagboard or poster board, glue or double-stick tape, scissors, and markers.

Place your pictures on your board, arranging them by categories, or by each family member's desires, or by order of need. It's all up to you. After you've organized the pictures on your dream board, add any words of encouragement or appropriate phrases you've found. Last, have the whole board laminated, and hang in a place you'll see it often.

You may find you prefer using a sketch book or scrap book instead, so that you may literally carry your dreams with you. Keep your "dream book" by your bed so you can review it each morning when you get up and each night before you go to sleep. Whatever the format, the point is to keep your dreams where you'll be reminded of them often.

Dream boards -and other similar tools, like treasure maps and dream journals - can help you keep your focus and reach the goals and dreams you want in life.

Then, as your dreams start coming true, celebrate! Put a star or smiley face next to each dreams as you achieve it. Some will come quickly; some may take time. But, when you put your desires out there for the universe to respond to, and when you put your dreams out there for your mind to focus on, you'll be surprised at how much really that you want, can happen.

Isn't it time you had fun creating dreams, rather than just hoping and wishing? Go ahead! Make a dream board, start taking action to reach those goals. And don't forget to celebrate along the way!

Copyright 2007 Anne Nelson, Joy Zone, LLC