Step #1 - Have a dream

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Step one is to have a dream.  Yes it is that simple, just start with a dream!  What do you really want to do for a career?  Who do you want to become?  How do you want to help society?  Where do you want to travel?  Start dreaming!

But don't stop there.  Next you have to take your dream(s) and super-size it(them).  Yes, make it bigger.  Stretch your dream as far as you can imagine it.

Perhaps your dream was to travel to London or Paris.  Nice dreams ... but why not stretch it and quantify it?  A trip to London from the United States might only require a week off from work.  But a super-sized dream might have you taking a two month sabbatical to travel to London, Paris, Munich, Rome ...

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I definitely mean to super-size in a healthy way of course.  If your doctor suggested you lose twenty pounds don't make it a dream and super-size it to one hundred pounds.  Or you might instead turn the dream of losing weight into a dream of becoming a healthier person ... and super-size that dream!

Now you must write it down.  In order for your dream to become more than a dream (a.k.a. A GOAL) you must write it down.  And by write it down I mean on an actually piece of paper.  Studies have shown that physically writing things down activates parts of your brain that typing into a computer never will.

And away!

When you are done writing down your super-sized dream your next step is to write down "WHY" you want to achieve your dream (now goal).  This part is almost as critical as having a dream in the first place.  The dream is the spark that gets you focused, but the "Why" is the fuel that feeds your engine and keeps you focused on your goal.

The final part of step one is having an accountability partner.  You need to announce your new goal to a friend or family member who loves you enough to hold you accountable.  They need to care so much about you that they will check in with you and remind you of what you are supposed to be focused on and why!  And they love you so much that they are okay with being annoying and pissing you off once in awhile in order to keep you on track.

Have a blessed day!