4 Steps To Achieving What You’ve Been Dreaming About
This is a guest post by Charles Specht. Who is both a writer and a pastor, centering his ministry on the glory of God while pushing the envelope of deliberate Christianity. He blogs and speaks frequently about pursuing a lifestyle of Strategic Minimalism. Charles lives in central California with his wife, Kathy, and their five children, two of whom were adopted from China with “special needs.” You can visit his church blog at CrazyAboutChurch.com or his Christian Writers website at GodlyWriters.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. I would love to have you guest post here, email a post to kimanzi@talesofwork.com and I’ll review it!
The London Olympic games came to an end only a few weeks ago. I was mesmerized by Usain Bolt’s speed in the 100-meter dash, posting a new world record of 9.63 seconds. That man can flat-out fly! Yet Aries Merritt and his world record of 12.80 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles also blew me away. What I found most fascinating, however, is that even though it is a longer race by 10 meters, Aries Merritt took nearly 25% longer to finish his race.
What was the main difference between the two races? Why the hurdles, of course! Those obtrusive obstacles he had to jump over.
You see, Aries couldn’t run around them and he wasn’t powerful enough to simply blast through them. He needed to be the best at scaling them.
And that’s what you need to do in your life as well. Acknowledge the obstacles standing in the way of your dreams and then determine how best to conquer them.
You Are Only One Plan Away From Fulfilling Your Dream
Most people are not happy with their current mode of living. They aren’t where they want to be. They aren’t living where they want to live, working in the industry they want to be in, or earning the coin they want to make. But what I have noticed from my own personal experience is that the decisions I make today will inevitably determine where I’ll be in the very near future.
News flash… It is time we stop stalling and begin to think more strategically! It’s time we begin pursuing our dreams as though they aren’t something unattainable but rather—just around the corner!
If you’ve ever studied “war” or the decisions of some of the great generals and commanders of the past, you’ll notice a few key traits. One of these traits is that they spent time assessing their enemy’s strengths and weaknesses, which provided them with the needed intelligence to determine a proper course of action. Another trait is that they identified any known obstacles standing in the way of total victory. A third trait that so many of our great leaders possessed was that they were also experts at formulating a strategic plan.
And that’s what we need to do today as well. In other words, we need to:
Define our GOAL
Identify the OBSTACLES
Develop a STRATEGY
Reap the REWARD
For example, let’s say you want to change something financially in your life. Your plan might look something like this.
FINANCIAL
Goal Defined : I want to pay off my credit card balances, car loan, and lower my monthly fixed expenses so that I’m less stressed about money.
Obstacles Identified : Unplanned, frivolous shopping. Lack of discipline in wise spending.
Strategy Developed :
a) To create a functional budget and stick with it.
b) To eat out less often.
c) To curb my Starbucks addiction.
d) To eliminate unnecessary shopping.
e) To pay with cash instead of credit, whenever possible.
f) To take these savings and pay down the principal amount on my loans, starting with the smallest loan first (immediate victory!).
Reward To Be Reaped : A 27% drop in my total amount of debt over the next 6 months; 39% over the next 12 months.
Or, rather than a Financial goal, maybe yours would be to change careers and start working fulltime in the industry you are most passionate about. Your plan could look something like this.
CAREER CHANGE
Goal Defined : To quite my current job and earn a living as a fulltime writer and motivational speaker.
Obstacles Identified : Cash flow. My spouse’s expectations. Fear of the unknown. Lack of experience. Lack of key contacts in this niche industry.
Strategy Developed :
a) Start saving money today in order to build-up a cash reserve.
b) Communicate with my spouse about what I’m thinking, explaining that I will pursue this with wisdom—not irrationally.
c) Attend six conferences in the niche I want to start speaking in and/or writing about in order to familiarize myself with the expectations.
d) Start making “key” contacts with people in that industry/niche.
e) Downsize my current lifestyle by selling things I no longer need and lower my fixed expenses.
f) Write 300 words each day so that I’ll have completed a 60,000-word manuscript in just 200 days (about 6.5 months).
Reward To Be Reaped : Within 12 months I will have spoken at no less than seven events. I will have completed the final draft of my book, having submitted it to agents and publishers. I will have saved enough money for 2.5 months of future living expenses. People will begin seeing me as an expert in my niche and will come to me with mentoring opportunities and speaking engagements.
It all comes down to a bit of strategic planning. When you put it on paper, as in the examples above, you have a game plan to work from, a strategy to focus on. You can edit the plan as you go along, seeing the progress you’ve made and…one day soon…finally achieve your dream.
You know what? You need to start doing this today!
What is the major change (goal) you want to see in your life over the next 12 months? What strategies (plan) can you begin focusing on today that will help you achieve that dream?
