Step #1 - Have a dream

Up ...

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 ...

Up ...

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!

New President, New Day ... same me?

I dreamed that I woke up on Wednesday morning November 9th, 2016 and everything in my life was exactly the same!

This couldn't be possible.  After months of listening to two campaigns, which of course were polar opposites, but promised the same things ... my life was the same.  New president, new day ... same me?

All the votes were cast, the campaigns were over, the electoral college did their thing and finalized the will of the people ... yet everything was the same.  I couldn't believe it, I was dumbfounded!

Then I had another dream ... I dreamed that it was one year after inauguration and my life was still the same!

As it turns out, it wasn't a dream it was reality.  You can put your belief in Clinton or in Trump or in any other candidate or leader.  But if you want real change, real progress, real improvement in your life you need to put your belief in yourself.  Otherwise, one year from today you will be the same person.  Which doesn't make you a bad person, but don't you want to grow and get better?

Yes, others can help you get ahead.  They can provide direction, inspiration, training, education, motivation, wisdom.  But as the old saying goes "if it's to be, it's up to me!"  So believe in yourself, imagine a better life, dream big and then make it happen!

Have a great day!

It's amazing what you ...

It's amazing what you ... can accomplish when you don't have a choice!

Around 8:30 this morning I was thinking about how much I had to do today; or how much "burden" I had.  I started to feel bad for myself and wallow (gasp!)

Then I realized how much I had already accomplished by this hour of the day because I didn't have a choice.  They were just the things that were part of my routine or items that were injected into my day by outside forces ... meaning I didn't have a choice!  This is when I became more confident in my ability to get everything done (well most everything)!  I took a minute and thought about what I had done having been up for about three hours:

• showered
• shaved
• made bed
• did some work "work"
• made an unplanned trip to the high school
• talked to my dad
• talked to my fiance
• got interrupted while on the phone by my dad calling again, so talked to dad again
• called the fiance back
• made German Pancake batter
• ate breakfast
• made breakfast for my youngest
• cleaned the kitchen
• went back to my work "work"
• and now ... I'm blogging

And shortly before writing this entry, I realized ... It's even more amazing what you can accomplish when you have goals/dreams and a plan (with margin built in for those things that might get "injected" into your day).  The rest of my day is planned out, I don't feel quite as overwhelmed (thought there is a lot to do still) and I can't wait to look back on today and count my accomplishments!

Have a great day!

Stop doing "it" right now!

I heard a quote on the radio the other day and it moved me.  The credit for the quote was given to Earl Nightingale (in a quick search I couldn't confirm it); I'll paraphrase it hear:

                     What are you willing to NOT do in order to hit your goals?

That is a very interesting concept.  This quote obviously comes from the last century (since Mr. Nightingale died in 1989) and it seems that there was never enough time in the day to do all that someone wished to do!  Our ancestors struggled so much with creating more time (increasing efficiencies ... a day is still just 24 hours) that they created washing machines, dryers, computers, tractors, then bigger tractors, fast cars, then faster cars!  They imagined a day when we would be able to do everything that we wanted to do without having to make sacrifices.

As it turns out, whether you lived in the early days of man or you are living in the next century ... you will always have to make choices when it comes to spending or investing your time.  There will still only be 24 hours in a day!  I use to think that you just had to do more of the right things to make your dreams and goals a reality.  I now realize that you can't just do more ... you have to do less of some things, you have to cut things out of your life to either make room for the activities that will help you achieve your goal.  Or you have to cut some activities out because they are pushing you in the opposite direction of your dreams!

So, what are you willing to give up for your dreams?  What are you willing to NOT do anymore?

• NOT Watch TV
• NOT Play video games (not just for kids)
• NOT spend hours on the computer posting to Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Etc.
• NOT wake up as late as possible, without being late for your current career
• NOT spend every weekend with your buddies bar hopping
• NOT spend every weekend chasing red tag sales at the mall

You may think you have no time to spare.  You may be constantly on the move and perhaps your the time that doesn't stop until your head hits the pillow.  But if you have dreams/goals and your aren't actively working towards them (or your progress is slow) ... then reflect on your life and decide to NOT do stuff!

Have a great day!