Regrets suck! Well-meaning people have trained our dream right out of us. Who have been the naysayers in your life? You may have had many, but the worst critic can be the one in our own head. You may doubt yourself, thinking, “I’m not good enough,” or “As soon as I…, then I’ll start on my dream.” No! Enough is enough. It’s time. Your time.
So, where do you start? What do you need? How about a checklist? Reverse-engineer any big goal you’ve ever accomplished and you will find most of these essentials. Look at any hero’s success story and you’ll find these, too. Here is a plan for your next big dream!
What would be essential to making the new dream come true? Here are the bare bones essentials:
Decide. Don’t just dip your toe in the water; dive all in. No ridiculous dreams came true without that commitment. As soon as you truly commit, the world shifts. Your world shifts. You start doing things that you just thought about before you decided. If you look at a week of your life, would you see evidence of your commitment and decision? Don’t be a hobbyist; be a lobbyist for your dream. Go all in!
Create a Visual of Your End Goal. What does your end goal look like? Having a constant reminder keeps your brain engaged and your subconscious mind working even when you are not. At random times you’ll have random ideas that may just get you to your next breakthrough. What would your end goal look like?
Self-Belief. What belief do you need to work on? To reach a ridiculous dream, we usually need to change a self-identity. How would someone who achieved the dream you have look at themselves? Identify it and find a way to build it. Breakthroughs that you experience along the way will help create the new self-identity. You may not immediately notice when it happens, but people who are close to you will notice your shift. It will be cool to hear.
Pray/Meditate. Often. Daily is recommended. Enough said.
New Habits. Habits, good or bad, affect us more than we would like to admit. Practice? Yup, both important, but not nearly as critical as the habit of … (insert your dream here). For your ridiculous dream, there will be a few critical habits you need to create. Find out what they are and commit to yourself.
Accountability Buddies. In addition to committing to yourself, find two accountability buddies. Be careful who you choose. Your choice alone could make or break your dream. You need to find someone who knows you, whom you can be vulnerable with, who will call you out on your B.S. all while being encouraging. Not an easy choice. Remember, though, you are the CEO of your dream; if they aren’t helping move you forward, find another. Try sitting down with them over coffee or a glass of wine and tell them what you are doing and why. Your why is important to them helping you out during the tough times. Come up with a plan that works for both of you — how often you will check in and how. Who could be your accountability buddies?
Direction. If you are going to put in the effort, wouldn’t it make sense to work in the right direction? The biggest thing that causes doubt is working really hard and making no progress. No progress leads to doubt. What courses could you take that would give you direction? Do your due diligence! There are many people trying to sell people who have big dreams. Don’t over complicate it. Also, don’t listen to someone who has zero experience in the area of your dream. Period. They may be successful elsewhere, but seek out people with experience and credibility in the area of your dream.
Feedback. Here’s a formula called “The Math to Mastery”: Effort X (Direction + Feedback) = Mastery. Once you choose a direction, you must seek out feedback from a mentor, coach or guide with experience in that area. You need that voice of experience who has seen many people work hard in the wrong direction. You will get off track due to engrained thoughts, habits and programming. Like when you take a wrong turn and your GPS says, “Recalculating.” No harm, no judgment, just that voice of reason helping you course correct. This is critical because too much effort and time in the wrong direction will lead to doubt. Your guides and mentors will come and go on your journey and they will take different shapes, forms and length of time alongside you. Who will your journey start with?
Momentum. Make no mistake, momentum is essential along your dream journey. That is why you need habits. Momentum gets you to your next breakthrough. When you have breakthroughs, you’ll feel invincible for a while. It will pass. Momentum will get you past, over, around and through the blockades on your journey. Make it a goal to gain momentum.
Letting Go. Yes, the song from Disney’s Frozen may come to mind. In order to make changes, you need to make changes. Make sense? Don’t over-dramatize. Change is a sheep in wolf’s clothing. What are some of the habits that do not serve you, your family or your dream? They can be time suckers. Who are some of people who do not deserve to influence your thoughts as much? You don’t have to rid them from your life, but you may consider giving them less ear time. The people around us influence us whether we like it or not, good or bad.
What Else Should Be on Your Checklist for You Dream?
You? What’s your dream? Are you serious about it? Use this checklist and start checking! It’s your dream. You are the CEO of your dream. No one else can be.
Darren LaCroix, founder of Stage Time University.com, is the only speaker in the world with a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), an AS (Accredited Speaker), and a World Champion of Public Speaking. He is the author of the book 17 Minutes to Your Dream and the co-host of the “Unforgettable Presentations” podcast. Through his live workshops and StageTimeWorkshops.com, he helps good presenters become UNFORGETTABLE.
