“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream” C.S. Lewis
All goals start as dreams. What separates a dream from a goal is that a goal has a clear written plan for its achievement. Aside from straight psychosis (for example, wanting superpowers), I believe people hold back on their dreams because they think they can’t be achieved. But I don’t believe you would think of something you were not capable of achieving.
“If your dreams don’t scare you they are too small” Richard Branson
How do you know if your dream is achievable? The best way to find out is to put it to the test: has anyone else achieved what you want to achieve? If the answer is yes, then there is proof that it is, in fact, achievable! And better yet, there is already a plan to follow, no need to reinvent the wheel.
So how do you start?
- Think
Really think of what it is you want for yourself and for your family. Give yourself permission to think outside the box. Now write down exactly what it is you want.
- Think bigger
Now that you wrote down what it is you want, I want you to do me a favor…I want you to multiply that dream by ten! What you wrote down is what you think you can accomplish, maybe what you would like to see happen, but I challenge you to crank it up a couple of notches. Give yourself permission to dream big dreams.
- Find a Model
How do you accomplish this big dream of yours? Find someone who has already accomplished what you want to accomplish, whether it be someone you know personally or a public figure, and look at what they did to get there. I’ve discovered that biographies are a great place to start finding inspiration and even a roadmap to accomplish your dream.
- Take it from Dream to Goal
“A goal is a dream with a deadline” Napoleon Hill
To make your dreams come true you need to turn them in to goals. This means having a clear written plan of attack and a deadline. Having a plan is not enough, it is easy spend days and even months in the planning stages so in order to execute your goal, you must set a deadline. It can be any random date you pull from your head but just having a date to shoot for will help give you the focus you need to make your dreams come true. Just be careful not to set the date too far in the future, because this can lead to procrastination.
- Keep going
At times it will be hard, you will feel like quitting, but just remember why you started. Write down why you want what you want. Don’t be shy about telling people what you want to accomplish, because the question “Hey how is your plan coming out? Have you made any progress?” will motivate you to keep working because people are holding you accountable.
With a good plan and determination we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. There is proof all around us! Everything we see was once just a dream or a crazy idea in someone’s head. Dare to dream big.
Thank you,
Rogelio H. Charles