Summarize the following:
Brainstorm all the things you can think of that make you feel enthusiastic, excited, and happy in the past. Create a list, and don’t let yourself feel limited by your daily circumstances or what you feel is realistic or possible for you. Right now you are trying to figure out what you want not what you should be doing. Banish your negative thoughts and focus on the positive to create this list. Use this list to help you define a dream that will be a positive place to work toward. Your list should include activities that you truly enjoy, for example maybe you feel happiest surfing, reading books, writing poetry, swimming, or spending time with your neighbor's dog. Mission statements aren’t just for big corporations. A personal mission statement provides purpose and direction to action – and that’s something that is important for individuals, too. A mission statement explains what’s important to you and where you want to go in the future. To create one, reflect on your core values (attributes that matter to you and speak to your priorities in life), your past successes, the contributions you want to make to the world, and your short- and long-term goals. Use all four of these to create a one-sentence statement of your mission in life.  An example mission statement for a new career path might read: "I value being part of making the world a kinder, gentler world for animals, and I will build on my commitment to these values by working toward a world where all animals are healthy and happy." Post your mission statement somewhere you will see it every day. Seeing your mission statement often will help to keep you on track as you are working hard to achieve your dream. Revisit your mission statement periodically. Things change, and you might want to redefine your mission statement – in small ways or more radical ways – as time goes on. Have you worked toward a dream goal in the past and failed or gotten stalled. Take the time to reflect on your past experience. What got in the way of your success? What worked well? Try to let feelings of guilt, shame, or regret go – you are entering a new chapter of your life and it is important to examine your past experiences so that you don’t repeat them. But it is also important to reflect on what your strengths have been in the past so that you can make them work for you in the future. One way to help understand your dream is to create a vision board. To make a vision board, you will need a large piece of poster paper, glue, and a bunch of paper and/or magazines. Create a collage on your poster paper that represents the images and words that are your highest priorities in life. Don’t worry if some of your vision items are frivolous – maybe you really do want to own a beach house one day. Choose words and images that appeal to you. You can’t control the actions of others that might get in the way of your dream. And you can’t control the universe as a whole. Try to define some of the things about achieving your dream that might be unpredictable, using your experiences from the past. Take a look at everything you have done – your happiness list, mission statement, learnings from the past, and vision board. Now begin to craft a simple and clear goal from these materials. Try to define your dream in simple terms, using just one sentence. For example, a clear one-sentence goal might be: “I will save more of my income each month so that I can go backpacking through Mexico next summer.”
Start by asking yourself what makes you happy. Create a personal mission statement. Re-examine your past goals. Create a vision board. Consider what you can and can’t control. Reflect and then write out your dream as a manageable goal.