Want to Manifest Your Dreams? Keep Your Vision Front and Center

Like most people, my big dreams began with thoughts about what I hoped to achieve in my life. From my early dreams as a teenager to create my own business, to dreaming as a young adult of becoming a father, to wishing for a committed partner in my life, I’ve worked towards transforming these dreams into reality.   

First, I interned in the medical records department of an orthopedic center and saw an opportunity to create a business in health information management. I started with a copy machine on my kitchen table before the age of 20. Eventually, MediCopy launched and snowballed. Later, the opportunity to adopt a baby girl presented itself, and my daughter came into my life. And then I met the partner of my dreams, and we’re now building our lives and dreams together.   

Every plan starts with the expression of a thought. But manifesting dreams into reality follows its own course of events if steered persistently by the dreamer. One big reason I believe that I was put through my life’s experiences is to be able to share my story with others — to illustrate that there’s a positive way forward for everyone. One dream now is to give others a blueprint for forging a winning path forward.  

These are the actions that I’ve taken — and continue to take — on my path to discovering the pinnacle of personal and professional success:  

1. Create a vision board.
   Since I was in my early 20s, I’ve created vision boards to help put images and depictions to my dreams and ambitions. It’s become an annual ritual. Since the success of MediCopy is always one of my highest objectives, I frequently include scenes and headlines signifying business growth on my boards. Because short-term dreams tend to shift every year, so do the images on my board. In 2018, I included the headline “Entrepreneur of the Year,” reflecting a hope that I’d be celebrated for achievements at my company. The next year, my board featured a picture of a muscular male torso with the headline “Feel Good; Healthy Body.” That reflected my goal of getting in better physical shape. The empowerment I find from accomplishing what I’ve depicted on my vision board compounds over time. 
2. Have a disciplined focus on your work.
   Fulfilling my dreams could only have happened by working for them. While I believe that good things come to those who live a principled life, I also think putting in the work is necessary. For me, that’s meant devoting the time necessary to build a successful business. Particularly in the early phase, getting MediCopy off the ground took 200 percent of my effort. Work days stretched from the wee hours until late into the night as I worked to build trust with clients and stand out from the competition. More than two decades later, the company has evolved from a bare bones start-up to a robust nationally recognized enterprise. What’s more, some of my original clients are still with us.
3. Take other’s advice to heart.
   My Mom taught me valuable rules to live by. From the time I was a kid, her motto was: “Live so that you don’t have to explain.” In essence, she meant do the right thing. Over time, it became the equivalent of having an angel on my shoulder. It was my constant reminder to live right and, if I did, good things would happen and I wouldn’t have to explain myself out of a negative situation. It’s given me a positive force of energy that protects me. I claim this as a superpower.  
4. Draw inspiration wherever you can find it.For me, one source of inspiration comes from the ideas promoted in the book and movie The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne. The premise is the Law of Attraction and it boils down to three simple steps: 1) Ask for the things you want; 2) Believe those things are attainable; 3) Prepare to receive what you ask for. 
5. Put trust in a higher being. Having faith, and expressing that faith through prayer, is also a vital part of manifesting my dreams. More important than asking God to help me fulfill my dreams is understanding that God is going to use me in the way He believes is best. And I’m open and receptive to being used. This involves surrendering and being vulnerable to God and the Universe. Faith is what you put into your life’s plans. The way God and the Universe want it to be is what comes out.  

Written by Elliott Noble-Holt.