You Can Do It!: A Step by Step Guide on How to Achieve Your Dreams

© 2009, 2011 by Shelley Dudley. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

First published by AuthorHouse 08/01/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-8820-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-8369-9 (e)

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Dedication

For my Dad, who has always believed in me, supported me, and loved me, in countless ways. Thank you, Dad!

And for my very special friends, Gayness, Rodney, Arecha, Carol, and Kim. Your wisdom and guidance have helped me to turn my own life around and make my own dreams come true.

And for that very special man who inspires me to be my very best and highest self. Thank you, James.

"Your battles inspired me-

not the obvious material battles but

those that were fought and

won behind your forehead"

James Joyce

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One-Finding Your Passion

Chapter Two-Creating Your Goals

Chapter Three-Develop a Plan of Action

Chapter Four-The Power of Focus

Chapter Five-Maintaining Motivation

Chapter Six-Overcoming Barriers

Chapter Seven-Using Your Intuition

Chapter Eight-The Way Forward

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Acknowledgements

I have not attempted to cite in the text all of the authorities and sources consulted in the preparation of this book. To do so would require more space and time than is available. Scores of people contributed to this book and in writing it, it is evident that I am standing on the shoulders of giants.

I am humbled and grateful to those that were bold enough and brave enough to pioneer new ground in the fields of psycho-cybernetics, positive psychology, self development, quantum physics, and other disciplines that have contributed greatly in helping man’s soul to soar.

Having said that, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the exceptional insight and contributions of a select handful of people. Therefore, I wish to personally thank Jim Stovall for his very humble heart, his great contribution, and for opening countless doors; Brian Johnson, Bill Bartmann, Tracy Trost, Cecily McArthur, Veronica Robertson, and Glenn Fisher, for their openness in their interviews and for sharing their lives and learnings with the world. All of you are owed a debt of gratitude for your honesty and willingness to give to others.

Disclaimer

This book is designed to provide information on self-empowerment and self-improvement. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

It is not the purpose of this book to reprint all the information that is otherwise available to the public on this subject, but instead to complement, amplify and supplement other texts.

You are urged to read all the available material, learn as much as possible about self-improvement, and tailor the information to your individual needs. For more information, see the many resources in the Bibliography.

Self-improvement is not an overnight project. Anyone who decides to stretch beyond their current boundaries, to grow and change must expect to invest time and effort into it.

Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible. However, there may be mistakes, both typographical and in content. Therefore, this text should be used only as a general guide and not as the ultimate source on self-development. Furthermore, this book contains information on self-improvement that is current only up to the printing date.

The purpose of this book is to educate and entertain. The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in this book.

If you do not wish to be bound by the above, you may return this book to the publisher for a full refund.

FOREWORD

As you read these pages, I want to compliment you on engaging in the most common activity among successful people. The most significant, consistent trait among people who achieve in business and life is that of consistently reading motivational and instructional material. Each page you turn in this book confirms the fact that you are one step closer to who you want to be and where you want to be.

I am very proud that Shelley asked me to be a part of this exciting project. She and I met through an international teleconference where I was speaking. Shelley took the initiative to contact me and to ask me to be a part of this effort. I felt honored to offer this foreword and to be interviewed for one of the chapters. The caliber and quality of the leaders you will learn from in this book is a tribute to Shelley’s commitment to bring you the best practical information with real world examples.

If you want to succeed in life you’ve got to accept counsel and direction from those who are successful. When it’s all said and done in our world, there is a lot said and very little done. Never take advice from someone who does not have what you want. Talk is cheap and action is rare. All of us have a million reasons not to succeed in life, and only our passion and commitment as a reason to overcome.

There is probably no one you will ever meet less qualified to be a success than me. When I think of myself as an Emmy Award Winning founder of a television network, the author of over a dozen books, several of which have become major motion pictures, one of the most sought-after arena and convention speakers or just someone that Shelley thought enough of to be a part of this project, I am amazed.

As a blind person myself, I know what it’s like to have no expectations of success and to be surrounded by people who have no expectations for my achievement. Through countless audio books featuring people like those you will learn about in these pages, I formed my own dream team of success. I determined to listen to people who had been where I wanted to be and believed I could do it, too. This is what I desire for you. I do not know your name or the circumstances that have connected you and I through this book, but the one thing I know about you is that you were created with a big dream and a passion for this life.

I am convinced that that big dream would not have been put inside of you if you did not have the capacity to achieve it. Shelley and the other thought-leaders in this book will convince you of that. But all of us still deal with doubt and adversity. Any time you question whether the principles in these chapters apply to you and you need someone to believe in you, please call me at (918) 627-1000 or email jim@jimstovall.com. I want to join Shelley and the others involved in this project in becoming a partner in your success. Any time you doubt that commitment or your own capacity to succeed, simply email or call me. I look forward to your success and to someday reading your story in another of Shelley’s books.

Jim Stovall, 2010

Introduction

Sometimes in life you are drawn to a book or a person, a movie or an event, because that person or thing holds something you need: a message, a lesson, or something that will help you sort a problem you’ve been trying to solve. I believe this is often the case and it may be why you’ve chosen to read this book.

Whatever the case, I expect there will be much of great value in it for you.

Whether you’ve had a tough life and wish to totally turn your path around or perhaps you’re just tired of the repetition of the day-in-day-out treadmill, or maybe you’ve been working toward a goal, but you feel stuck; in any event, you were born to be more and are destined to achieve greatness and this book will help you to get there. In short, if you want to ‘up your game,’ this is the book for you!

In the coming chapters, you will learn how to clarify your dreams and goals, those that may seem pie-in-the-sky, those that scare you, and those that appear to be more realistic. You will also set into motion a plan of action for achieving those goals, gaining some very good insight and skills along the way. You will learn why you’ve ‘failed’ at past attempts to achieve your dreams and how you can overcome both small hurdles and BIG barriers that might stand in your way. You will stretch yourself and you will develop momentum. Your motivation will be high. In short, you will learn how to turn your life around and achieve your dreams!

You will also learn from others who have walked a mile in your shoes; people who have been where you are and have turned their own lives around to achieve greatness and realize their own goals. You will not only learn from their mistakes and their wisdom, but you will be inspired by their achievements and the abundance they’ve brought into their own lives and the lives of others. You will learn in their own words how they’ve achieved their dreams.

So without delay, let’s begin … .

Chapter One-Finding Your Passion

"Insanity is doing the same thing

in the same way and

expecting a different outcome."

Old Chinese Proverb

It is not uncommon for a person to wake up one morning, unexcited about his life, knowing that today will be exactly like yesterday and the week before that, and tomorrow, and next week, and all the foreseeable weeks to come. It is not uncommon at this point in life to ask, What is it all for? Why am I doing this?

Viktor Frankl, in his great book Man’s Search for Meaning said that, Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life.

If you’re switched on, questioning what it’s all for can be a defining moment … a turning point for you. It was for me. And it was how I came to be writing this book for you at this present time.

It is normal for a person to float through life without truly knowing what their purpose is or what it is that they want to achieve. It certainly was my own story.

Without any direction, we take the path of least resistance and wind up wherever the current takes us. If we are incredibly lucky, the current may take us for a peaceful ride over smooth water. If we are not so lucky (and this happens more often than not), we may be dashed upon the rocks, never knowing what hit us or where we’ve landed and why.

Just think about what would happen if you got into your car and you intended to take a very long journey, but you didn’t have a destination in mind. You would waste a lot of time, money and energy just driving around in circles. And, sure, you would end up somewhere, but would it be someplace good? Would it be where you wanted to go? How many mishaps would you have along the way, just because you had no plan to follow?

We all have a destination in life-someplace that we will end up at the finish of our journey. Stephen R Covey said, If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster. How true that is.

How much more fun is our journey if we’ve pre-planned our destination and a rough route to get there, with a bit of planned site-seeing along the way! Life is exactly the same as our vacation example.

When we have a designated goal in mind, a good idea how we’re going to get there, and we remain flexible enough to adjust course along the way, we’re much more likely to land at our expected destination and we’re much more likely to enjoy the journey.

The hidden danger lies, though, in choosing the wrong destination. What do I mean?

What if you’ve always dreamed of being an artist? Of sharing your passion with the world through paint on canvas?

Oh no, dear, your mother said. "However will you feed yourself? You don’t want