Starting Over: A Dream and a Plan

Good Tuesday morning to you. Yesterday was a good day for me. I had to change my daily schedule because we had a strong rain storm that came through the north Texas area. When you ride motorcycle everywhere you tend to alter your plans from time to time to accommodate things that are bigger than you are…like the weather. It’s similar to the fact that we sometimes have to change our plan of action. Sometimes we come to a dead end and have to start over.

The other night I watched a movie that I’ve been meaning to watch for some time. It was the story of the ‘70s girl rock band, The Runaways. The movie was based on the true story of the band by the same name. While I was too young to remember when this band was out, as I reached my teen years, I do remember Joan Jett coming out with The Blackhearts and how she cemented herself as a legend female Rocker. It is a classic story that is very close to yesterday’s post: when the success of your project or dream relies on others to make it happen, you are setting yourself up for a potential failure. A lot of partnerships work towards great success in life but some fail and that is a chance we take. Joan Jett eventually became a great Rock success story but she had to work through some failures first. She was so committed to her dream that she refused to give up on it, even though she had to change her plan a number of times.

This is what I want to focus on today. Joan Jett eventually became a success as a female Rocker, because she had a dream. She had a goal and she didn’t deviate from it. She wanted to be a rock star, and rock ‘n roll was her driving factor. Not only did she do that but she is a legend in Rock ‘n Roll, not just a female legend, but a legend period.

So today I want to bring up two things that will be the next steps when it’s time to start over. Let’s recap from yesterday: we first must know that it’s time to start over, not just time to reset our goals, right? When you come to this conclusion, then you’re ready for the next steps.

The first thing you must always do is define your purpose or your dream. If you do not have a dream or a purpose it’s like taking a road trip with no destination in mind. This is the biggest thing I work with my clients to create. If they have no dream, no purpose that is the first thing that we must define.

Once you have defined where you are going then you need to put together some new ideas or steps to take as you start over. In your pursuit of your dream, you are likely to fail sometimes. When you do face a failure, you must figure out what did not work in your last plan so you can learn new ways to make it work. You use the strength of your dream – how badly you want to achieve it – combined with what you have learned from failure to find other paths that you can take.

The second thing is to realize that you actually have failed at something. Before you get all upset about this; it was the plan you had that failed, not you. We never look at ourselves as a failure, but as a person who had an idea that failed. You only become a failure when you start telling yourself you’re a failure. There is nothing wrong with the word failure, just how people see it. Look at it this way: you were successful at eliminating a way that did not work.

So take a good look at what did not work and keep this in mind before you just start over so you can learn as much as possible. To start over doing the same thing the same way is just another set up for another failure. They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. You are starting over this time so start with a plan, one that has not failed before. In my times of owning auto businesses, I started the same concept four times. The last one was the most successful one. I learned what didn’t work before starting the next one.

So a recap of today:

First, have a dream or a purpose in life. If you know where you want to go and have a passion for it, then you will always find a better way and learn from your mistake. If you are determined to make a mark in a certain way like Joan Jett did, you will find another way when the last one didn’t work out.

Second, define your failure. If you realize what isn’t working, and start looking for plans that will work then you will eventually find the way that will lead to your greatest success.

I’m Tim Gillette the rocker life coach. It’s your time to Live the life you always wanted, Love what you do and who you spend your life with. Let us help you become the RockStar in your world.