Have You Given Up on Your Dreams?

November 30, 2017

As kids, we often ate family dinners together on Sunday. During one of our Sunday meals, my father asked everyone around the table what they wanted to be when they grew up.  He received a variety of responses from my siblings and me.  Musician, fashion designer, and I distinctly remember saying I wanted to be a bestselling author.  

When we are young, it’s easy to dream. So why do we give up on our dreams as adults?  Our imagination is a gift and we should give ourselves permission to dream.  Fact is, if you can’t imagine it, you will never achieve it.   

It’s been said that your chances of success increase by 90% when you put your goals in writing. Achieving our dreams starts with setting goals and more importantly writing them down. 

When I started my communications agency, my business coach gave me a goal-setting sheet.  After I had written down my goals, I put timelines next to each one—one year, five years, etc.  To focus, even more, I then circled the one-year goals and wrote down the detailed steps I needed to take to achieve them.   

I was very specific—become a personal branding expert, publish a book on personal branding, teach at a local university, etc. I began speaking these goals out into the universe.  Believe it or not, two goals quickly became a reality within three to six months—conducting personal branding workshops and serving as an adjunct professor at New York University. While I didn’t complete the book, its still on my goal sheet to be completed in 2018.  

The sad reality is that 80% of people have no goals.  And, only 1% actually write them down.  Below are ways to get started: 

• Imagine five years into the future. 
• Get clear on your vision and goals.  
• Look at your goals everyday.  For instance, at the beginning of each year, I prepare my goals and hang them on the wall directly in front of my desk.
• Build out mini milestones to achieve your goals. 
• Take action. 

As you plan for 2018, I hope you give yourself permission to dream big. According to internationally recognized leadership expert John Maxwell, your thinking precedes achievement.  The greater your thinking, the greater your achievement. As for me, I’m going to focus on finally getting that book written! 

What childhood dreams have you given up on?  Let me know.

“The graveyard is the richest place on the surface of the earth because there you will see the books that were not published, ideas that were not harnessed, masterpieces that were never painted, songs that were not sung, and drama pieces that were never acted.”

Myles Munroe