Good Tuesday morning. How is your last week of this year going? With yesterday’s post, we talked about how we need to think big when planning, to be a dreamer. But to be able to plan and have things start to come together in life, you need to have some realistic part to your plan also.
Many times in my life, I was the big dreamer. I spent a lot of time chasing the dreams without a plan to get from where I was to where I wanted to go. This week’s topic is about taking a “think-big” idea or dream and approaching it step-by-step.
In the years I spent working in the automotive industry, I had the big dreams. My head was always in the clouds; at many times I was looking for shortcuts to get to a point in life and in the end I was always falling short. It was when I learned to take things step-by-step that I was able to build dreams in life, to enjoy the journey. And once I took that time, I was able to figure out where I really did and did not want to go.
So how do you take a big plan, or dream and make it realistic? Let’s take it step-by-step and see if this will help you.
1. Write down something to drive you towards the dream. This has always been my way of keeping the dream in front of me. Use pictures or words about the dream on your bathroom mirror or on your night stand. Keep these dreams where you can see them. Even if they’re your private dreams and you haven’t shared them with the world, you need to keep them in the forefront of your thinking.
2. Write down a goal process to take you from where you are to where you want to go. It will take a clear process to get there. If it’s easier, write your goal down and take the process backward from the dream to where you are now –- step by step.
3. Create daily habits that get you to where you want to go. It takes a habit, something that you take or do on a daily basis no matter what, that keeps you moving towards the dream or goal in life. I have found many time I wanted to just do what I felt like doing, but that ends up with a failure. You have to discipline yourself to do things over and over to reach goals in life.
4. Reward yourself for your levels of achievement. In life many times we get so caught up in heading towards a new goal that we forget to take the time out to enjoy the journey in life. Truth is we will spend more time in the journey to goals in life than we will on the top of reaching a goal. So enjoy the journey.
5. Set yourself up for a change of course, if necessary. One of the most common things I see with people who come to me for help is they have set themselves up for failure. Often that means they were on a defined track to get towards a goal they thought they wanted and when they got there they hated it. Just like you need to find the time to enjoy the journey, you also need to think about your own happiness as you follow the journey and be prepared to change your dreams if you find you are not fulfilled or are no longer motivated by them.
In my younger days I spent so much time chasing a large house and fancy cars. I have now found I actually love the small, less burdened spaces. I prefer riding a motorcycle and not having a large SUV. In life, you will have dreams that will be great, but in taking a few realistic routes to get there you never know what you will find out about yourself.
I’m Tim Gillette, the Rocker Life Coach. It’s time to live your dream, to love what you do and those you share life with. Be realistic and enjoy the journey and you will be the RockStar in your world.
