Trying to muster up the courage to go after your goals?
What’s the scariest goal you can imagine setting for yourself? One that makes you squirm just thinking about it because it’s so seemingly impossible or scary to attain. One that you know will forever change the direction of your life and bring oodles of happiness and positive things your way.
Perhaps it’s quitting your mind-numbing corporate job to become an entrepreneur—even though that means giving up “the security” of your salary, benefits and bonus. Maybe it’s going back to school in your 40s—even though you could very well be the oldest student in the class. Or it could be moving to Tuscany to fulfill your dreams of living in the charming Italian countryside—even though you don’t speak the language.
Did you notice all those “even thoughs” that accompanied each scary goal? I included them to show that there will always be an obstacle, challenge, or uncertainty when chasing your dreams. But I’m here to tell you that you can do anything you desire—even though you don’t quite have all the answers quite figured out.
The more time you spend hemming and hawing over how taking a big risk could result in any number of undesirable consequences, the more time you’re wasting. In reality, you’re setting these imaginary limits for yourself. Would you tell a clumsy 6-year-old that she will never be a ballerina—even though probably less than 0.05% of little girls are talented enough to actually become ballerinas? Of course not. You’d encourage her to follow her dreams. So why squash your own just because you’re a grown up?
Ignorance Is Bliss
Mark Twain said, “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”
I believe that’s because the less you over analyze something, the more likely you are to just do it. Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss. If you have confidence in yourself, you’ll take the leap and then figure out each subsequent step as it comes your way. You don’t have to have all the answers in place ahead of time. In fact, it’s a waste of time to—you can’t predict everything.
So I challenge you to dream bigger. The bigger the dream, the more intimidating it is when you think of what it will take to accomplish it. Small dreams may be easier to achieve, but they also lead to mediocrity and unfulfilled potential. Think of the new year as a brand-new blank 365-page book—do you want to start chapter one by limiting your greatness? I don’t think so!
How to Set Goals for 2018
Instead of compromising, I recommend that you break your big dream into smaller steps. This way, you’ll gain satisfaction by crossing each step off your to-do list and you’ll get the constant joy of knowing you’ve accomplished something. This method is proven to be more motivating and, therefore, more manageable.
If you happen to have a clear idea of what you need to do, make an outline or blueprint of the various steps you’ll need to get to your end goal. If you aren’t sure (which is perfectly acceptable), just write step one down. Once you complete it, figure out step two and write it down. And so on. Either way, you’ll start with the first small step. Then another. Do however much you can do now, even if it’s only a little bit. Just keep moving forward and keep the momentum alive.
Sometimes, you’ll take a wrong turn. No worries. If you find yourself on a path that isn’t leading you toward your big dream, don’t just give up on the dream. Take a step back and do a little course correction. Often, this will help you reset (kind of like when you miss a turn and your navigation system says “recalculating”) and find an even better path to move you toward your dream.
So what steps are you going to take this year to turn your dreams into your reality? Don’t let another year, another month or another day go by daydreaming about your big goals. Carpe diem!
Source: http://www.richdad.com/Resources/Rich-Dad-Financial-Education-Blog/January-2018/dream-big-in-2018.aspx
