The boogeyman lurking in the closet scares the bejesus out of little kids. “Big people” know the imaginary monster from their childhood isn’t real. Yet, adults freeze in their tracks when the same monster pops up on their path in life.

The closer we come to reaching our dreams, the more our monstrous emotions and mind-talk flash their urgent warnings, “Stop! Don’t go any further. You can’t pull it off. You’re not good enough. You’re gonna screw up. Or get hurt. Or die!” When you buy into these threats, you can feel confused. Numb. Scattered. Unfocused. So, ask yourself, “Is what the ego telling me true?” If you don’t challenge the propaganda of the boogeyman, you might quit going after your dreams altogether.

When you find yourself waylaid by the ego monster, you can reclaim your power and clarity by using facts from your life as ammunition against the ego.

“Just the Facts, Ma’am”                      

Remember the old Dragnet TV cop show? Actor Jack Webb played the no-nonsense police detective Sgt. Joe Friday. Often in the course of his questioning, Sgt. Friday was bombarded by the frantic, emotional babbling of confused and upset citizens. To cut to the bottom line, the wise detective somberly requested of the women, “Just the facts, ma’am.”

By gathering facts—and disregarding the misleading interpretations of people’s minds and emotions—the sergeant built a rock solid case.

In order to withstand the dream-shattering attacks of the boogeyman, you need to establish a solid case too. By gathering “just the facts” of your actual accomplishments—and ignoring the inaccurate conclusions of your ego and emotions—you create a solid foundation for creating your dream.

And what did Sgt. Friday do to remember his facts? He wrote ‘em down.

Save Your Dreams with a Journal

With its constant undermining, the ego has an effective weapon to halt your journey to happiness. The invalidation distorts your memory. It narrows your vision. It makes you forget that you are a valuable person. The monster deliberately distracts your attention from the times in your life when you did create what you wanted.

Creating a “Dream-Saver Fact Journal” of your factual successes is an effective active step you can take to dispel the devastating, self-defeating inner talk of the ego. Forget about what you don’t do well, or where you come up short. Jot down what, in fact, has gone well in your life. Especially, log in evidence that proves your ego is wrong about you being unlovable, untalented and unworthy of having what you want.